Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The Festival of Cultural Heritage "Fantaziya" solemnly opened in Baku on November 1.

The event is organized by the European Union Office in Azerbaijan in cooperation with the embassies of Germany, France, Greece, Poland, Croatia, the Netherlands and Hungary, with the participation of diplomatic missions of Mexico, Moldova and Morocco and the support of United Cultures.

Azerbaijani national dances were presented the guests of the festival, Trend Life reported.

Addressing the event, head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas said that the festival is held as part of the Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

In his speech, Kestutis Jankauskas stressed that one of the directions of the festival is the ancient architecture, historical sights and preservation of cultural heritage, which plays an important role in building the future.

The festival received its name from the architectural landmark of Baku - the Fantazia bathhouse, which was built at the end of the 19th century, and closely intertwined Eastern and European traditions.

Various concert programs, seminars, tours, film screenings, exhibitions and a number of other events will be held during the festival.

2018 is declared the Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe. The slogan for the year is: "Our heritage: where the past meets the future".

During this year, projects devoted to a diverse cultural heritage, both at the level of the European Union and at the national, regional and local levels are underway. The aim of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is to encourage more people to discover and engage with Europe's cultural heritage, and to reinforce a sense of belonging to a common European space.

The official partners of the festival are the State Tourism Agency, Administration of the State Historical-Architectural Reservation Icherisheher, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Maksud Ibrahimbayov Creative Centrer, Yarat Contemporary Art Center, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, ADA University, Azerbaijan National University of Culture and Arts, The Landmark Hotel and Baku Business Center.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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