Various events are being prepared for Romania's National Culture Day, the January 15 celebration introduced in 2010 that marks the birth date of poet Mihai Eminescu.

On this occasion, institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Culture will organize a wide range of events, from concerts and shows to exhibitions and educational projects, both offline and online. 

Several museums can be visited for free on January 15, while some will extend their opening hours, the Culture Ministry announced. At the same time, Romanian composers are celebrated at these events, the programs of concerts or recitals emphasizing Romanian creation.

In Bucharest, the Village Museum awaits visitors with a program of music and poetry dedicated to Mihai Eminescu (starting at 11:00), the National Art Museum holds an event dedicated to the link between written culture and visual arts (between 11:00 and 13:00), while the National History Museum exhibits for the first time, a special cultural asset in its collections - the Montpellier Cup, the first international prize awarded to Romanian literature for the poem "Cântecul gintei latine" by Vasile Alecsandri.

Other museums joining the National Culture Day celebration are the Peasant Museum, the Grigore Antipa Museum, the National Museum of Old Maps and Books, the George Enescu Museum, or the Contemporary Art Museum.

In addition, also in Bucharest, the George Enescu Philharmonic celebrates the National Culture Day with a concert performed by the Philharmonic Choir on the main stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, on January 15, at 11:00. Bucharest National Theater also has a special program for January 15.

Special events are also organized by cultural institutions in Bacau, Bran (and its famous castle), Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Covasna, Iasi, Miercurea Ciuc, Resita, Pitesti, Ploiesti, Sibiu, Sinaia, Timisoara, Targu Jiu, Targu Mures, Vaslui, and Zalau. The complete list is available here.

Meanwhile, from January 12 to 20, the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) invites the international public to events organized in Bucharest and 20 cities abroad on National Culture Day. Concerts, conferences, literary events or exhibitions are held in Stockholm, Luxembourg, Brussels, Lisbon, Beijing, Rome, Vienna, Istanbul, Chisinau, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Tel Aviv, Budapest, London, New York, Washington, Padua, and Bucharest.

For example, on January 15, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels launches an online promotion project for the Art Nouveau heritage in Romania, which will have 12 monthly episodes. 

On January 17, ICR Berlin organizes, at the Embassy of Romania in Berlin, a chamber concert dedicated to Romanian composer, pianist and conductor Constantin Silvestri, while ICR Prague and the Embassy of Romania in the Czech Republic prepared a concert of Lieds on Eminescu lyrics performed by the soprano Anda Louise Bogza.

The next day, January 18, the National Culture Day will be marked by ICR New York through an event featuring famous Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov and composer and percussionist Lucian Maxim, named "Life & Love." A second performance is scheduled for January 20.

The complete list of ICR events is available here.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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