At a solemn ceremony in the Kaisersaal of Frankfurt's Römer, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar signed the city's Golden Book on Tuesday, October 17, as the representative of this year's Book Fair Guest of Honor Slovenia.
On behalf of the city, Mayor Mike Josef welcomed the guests and emphasized, "Slovenia is a country of literati, which is now becoming even better known. It is a great pleasure for me to welcome Slovenia as the Guest of Honor of the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair. In the next few days, our city will host literature enthusiasts from all over the world. Let us use the days of the fair together for good, peaceful coexistence and constructive exchange."
Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar said, "I am pleased that many exhibitions and cultural events are taking place in Frankfurt at the moment, which will enable citizens and visitors to Frankfurt to get to know Slovenia better, and even more so that links are being forged between cultural institutions from Slovenia and Frankfurt in the process, which will continue after the Book Fair. In the eyes of Slovenians, culture and business are concepts that have long been synonymous with Frankfurt, an important city for us. The connections between us have existed for many years. Throughout Frankfurt, you can now discover Slovenia in a new way, and this should help to create new connections in tourism and business as well. I believe there are still many opportunities that we can take advantage of."
Slovenia is one of the smallest countries to bear the title of host country and has - after Iceland - the second highest number of books published per citizen. There is a particularly developed network of public libraries in the country. Culturally, Slovenia is shaped by the influences of its many neighboring countries Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. As the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Slovenia also presents itself as an attractive tourist destination with impressive nature, culinary delights and a long tradition of beekeeping.
In the late afternoon, Lord Mayor Josef will take part in the opening ceremony of the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Minister of State Claudia Roth, the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The book fair will be held in the Main metropolis from October 18 to 22.
More information about the fair program is available online at buchmesse.de. Unter openbooks-frankfurt.de you can find the accompanying program of the city of Frankfurt with numerous readings and events.
