Colourful programme at the 100-year-old Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna

The Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, has closed a week full of colourful events. There was a book launch, a reading, a screening of the Hungarian documentary Katinka and a regular Children's Corner programme, which included an interactive children's concert by the Belvárosi Betyárok. The programmes were well received in the Austrian capital.

On 12nd February 2024, the German-language book The Story of the Loss of the Hungarians was presented. The book, published in cooperation between the University of Vienna and the Hungarian Historical Institute of Vienna, summarises the results of the international conference of the same title held at the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna in 2021. The event was a lively discussion with the active participation of Austrian and Viennese Hungarian intellectuals and the presence of several authors.

On 13 February 2024, the documentary Katinka was screened in the presence of nearly a hundred viewers. The Iron Lady is a three-time Olympic, nine-time World and 15-time European champion swimmer from Hungary. The first competitor to hold the world record in all five mixed swimming events at the same time. For two years, the film crew followed Katinka everywhere: to America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, accompanying her to major sporting events and small everyday moments. They were there when it was announced that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be cancelled, and when Katinka found out where she could go next. By the end of this extraordinary film, every viewer will feel close to someone who is both the pride of a country and the support of a country - Katinka and the Iron Lady. The screening was supported by the National Film Institute.

On 15th February 2024, the Hungarian writer Anita Harag read from her book Schöffling (2022), translated into German by Tímea Tankó, as the February workshop guest of the Unabhängiges Literaturhaus Niederösterreich (Independent House of Literature Lower Austria). The German text was read by the actress Iris Schmid, the Hungarian parts were spoken in the author's voice. After the reading, which lasted almost half an hour, the head of the literary organisation, Sylvia Treudl, asked the author questions.

For 25 years, the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna has been organising its monthly children's club, the Children's Corner. The next edition of the series took place on 16th February 2024, when the institute organised a winter farewell concert for the youngest children. The event featured a performance by the Belvárosi Betyárok ensemble led by László Váray. The band prepared an interactive carnival-themed show for the children and adults who attended. The concert consisted of songs, folk songs and games. The musicians involved the audience in the performance, and the children joined in with the performers by dancing and singing together. The event was a sell-out, with over one hundred and twenty people attending.