The cultural capital of Belarus in 2010 will present a creative report to the official capital

January 13, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Polotsk, the Cultural Capital of Belarus in 2010, will introduce its creative achievements to the official capital, Minsk. The vibrant cultural life and rich historical heritage of the ancient Belarusian city will be presented through a series of events on January 18-19, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Inna Shakhovich, Head of the Culture Department of the Polotsk City Executive Committee. The festive events in the capital will be opened by actors of the Polotsk "Pilgrim" Theater, an Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, from the city's Palace of Culture. They will perform the play "Uncle's Dream," based on the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, on the stage of the New Drama Theater. Starting January 19, a two-week exhibition "Polotsk Solstice" will open at the Minsk Regional Center for Folk Art. It will feature works of decorative and applied arts created by renowned Polotsk folk artisans and their students from the children's art school. For the first time outside the National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, golden treasures from ancient Polotsk lands will be displayed. They will be exhibited at the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus. The modern Polotsk can be explored at the photo exhibition "Polotsk in Faces" by Ernst Teteresky, held in the foyer of the Belarusian State Musical Theater. The same theater will host the festive gala concert "City on the Dvina - My Native Polotsk…" on the evening of January 19. Over 300 Polotsk residents will participate in the presentation events of the Cultural Capital 2010. At the beginning of 2010, the Ministry of Culture launched the "Cultural Capital of Belarus" campaign, aimed at developing and enriching the cultural life of the regions, activating local public initiatives to support national culture, and attracting the attention of the general public and tourists. Thanks to the campaign, Polotsk residents and guests of the ancient city were introduced to the cultural achievements of Belarus and saw the country's best creative groups. More than 50 events were held in Polotsk as part of the first public and cultural republican campaign "Cultural Capital 2010." The Belarusian State Honored Choreographic Ensemble "Khoroshki," the ensemble "Classic-Avant-garde," and "Pesniary" visited Polotsk with their concerts. The city art gallery hosted exhibitions of lithographs by Napoleon Orda from the collections of the National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus, paintings by Ivan Khrutsky (on the occasion of the artist's 200th birthday), and vernissages by Belarusian and foreign contemporary artists. Europe has been choosing its cultural capital since 1985. Athens, Greece, was the first to receive this status. Since the late 1990s, cities in America and the Middle East have also been awarded the status of cultural capital. In 2010, Pécs (Hungary), Essen (Germany), and Istanbul (Turkey) were designated European Capitals of Culture. In 2011, this honorary title passed to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and Turku, Finland. -0-