Baku enjoys EuroVillage Festival
By Nigar Orujova
Icherisheher (Old City) in Baku turned into a EuroVillage on May 31.
The one-day event was held in front of the tower gates Gosha Gala Gapisi in the Old City, the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in the center of Baku.
The festival was co organized by the diplomatic mission of the European Union and the embassies of the EU members in Azerbaijan.
Mikayil Najafov, Acting Director of Scientific and Cultural Center of the State Historical-Architectural Reserve Icherisheher said the Old City is organizing the Euro Village Festival for the second year.
The main objective of the event was to display cultures of EU member states against the background of living history - the Old City.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Malena Mard expressed gratitude to the State Historical and Architectural Reserve for organizing the event.
Then, ambassadors and embassy staff of several EU members welcomed visitors in their own language, and the hymn of the European Union was performed
The participating countries presented videos including music and dances of their people.
By visiting the stands of 18 EU countries, including Germany, France, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Romania, the visitors felt they have made a long trip to the European cultures.
The stands provided visitors with information about the national culture, education system, and tourism.
Visitors were presented with books, booklets, brochures that tell them about educational opportunities in these countries, as well as souvenirs symbolizing the countries.
In addition to that, a wide range of thematic quizzes, face art, karaoke, artistic performances in a variety of genres, and traditional cuisine were held to entertain the guests.
The event finished with a performance of European musicians, including Juan Frank, finalist of the Eurovision Song Contest from the Netherlands, Croatian cellist Ana Rucner, who masterfully performed classic music in a modern interpretation, and Estonian pop-rock band "Traffic", that has won several awards throughout Europe.
The Old City is a unique town within the city of Baku with its own infrastructure and residential communities. The fortress is located in the center of Baku along the coast of the Caspian Sea.