NESVIZH, 22 December (BelTA) – About 50 projects have been implemented as part of the nationwide campaign “Nesvizh, the Cultural Capital of Belarus” in 2012, Culture Minister Boris Svetlov said at the ceremony to announce Mogilev the next cultural capital of Belarus on 21 December, BelTA has learnt. The campaign “Nesvizh, the Cultural Capital of Belarus” concluded in Nesvizh on 21 December with a concert of a string quartet of the State Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus, presentation of the book “Centuries-Old Melodies of Nesvizh Land”, expositions, a movie screening “Cultural Capital of Belarus 2012”, and a solemn concert featuring the Presidential Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus and amateur groups and individual singers from Nesvizh District. Culture Minister Boris Svetlov noted: “From the first concert in January to the last performance in December the cultural life in Nesvizh has been in full swing. Over 50 projects have been implemented here in 2012. The capacities of the town were used in full. The town was truly the cultural capital of the country”. The most remarkable projects were Soirees of the Bolshoi Theater in the Radziwill Castle, the first forum of dramatic theaters Theater of Ursula Radziwill and the national chamber music festival Muses of Nesvizh. Deputy Culture Minister of Belarus Tadeush Struzhetsky emphasized that Nesvizh fulfilled all its functions as the cultural capital of Belarus. These functions included presentation of unique cultural traditions, promotion of the national culture, encouragement of creative ideas, improvement of the organization level of cultural events, creation of conditions for socioeconomic development of the town and enhancement of the tourist appeal of the place. Chairman of the Nesvizh District Executive Committee Ivan Krupko noted that the status of the cultural capital gave Nesvizh strong incentives to develop tourist infrastructure and build new tourist and entertainment facilities. The campaign “Cultural Capital of Belarus” was launched in 2010 with a view to promoting the best achievements of the national culture, intensifying the activities of regional community centers and local authorities, encouraging domestic and foreign tourists to visit places of interest in Belarusian regions. The first town to get the status of the cultural capital was Polotsk; in 2011 the title passed to Gomel. In 2012 Nesvizh was named Belarus’ cultural capital. The project was financed and managed by the Culture Ministry, the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee, the Nesvizh District Executive Committee, sponsors and philanthropists.

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