A project to help us gain better understanding of each other through the participating countries’ culture and traditions and to help us understand our own culture and traditions better.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission through Lifelong Learning/ Comenius program. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Comenius Project “TEO”

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ROMANIA

HUNGARY

TURKEY

ROMANIA

3 ROMANIA Romania is situated in the southeastern part of Central Europe and shares borders with Hungary to the northwest, Serbia to the southwest, to the south, the Black Sea to the southeast, Ukraine to the east and to the north and the Republic of Moldova to the east. Roughly the size of Oregon, Romania is the second largest country in the area, after Poland. It extends approximately 300 miles North to South and 400 miles East to West. Bucharest — the capital city of Romania — is located at the same latitude with the cities of Portland - Oregon; Montreal - Canada; Venice - Italy; and Bordeaux - France. Romania's territory features splendid mountains, beautiful rolling hills, fertile plains and numerous rivers and lakes. The Carpathian Mountains traverse the centre of the country bordered on both sides by foot- hills and finally the great plains of the outer rim. Forests cover over one quarter of the country and the fauna is one of the richest in Europe including bears, deer, lynx, chamois and wolves. The legendary River ends its eight-country journey at the Black Sea, after forming one of the largest and most biodiverse wetlands in the world, the Danube Delta. About a third of the country consists of the Carpathi- an Mountains (also known as the Transylvanian Alps). Another third is hills and plateaus, rich with or- chards and vineyards. The final third is a fertile plain, largely devoted to agriculture. Romania's history has not been as idyllically peaceful as its geography. Over the centuries, various mi- grating people invaded Romania. Romania's historical provinces Wallachia and Moldova offered furious resistance to the invading Ottoman Turks. was successively under Hapsburg, Ottoman or Wallachian rule, while remaining an autonomous province. Romania's post WWII history as a communist-block nation is more widely known, primarily due to the excesses of the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In December 1989 a national uprising led to his over- throw. The 1991 Constitution established Romania as a republic with a multiparty system, market econo- my and individual rights of free speech, religion and private ownership. This country offers a rich tapestry of tourist attractions and vacation experiences unique in Central- Eastern Europe: medieval towns in Transylvania, the world-famous Painted Monasteries in Bucovina, traditional villages in Maramures, the magnificent architecture of Bucharest, the romantic Danube Delta, fairy-tale castles, the Black Sea resorts, the majestic Carpathian Mountains, spas and much more.

Pages of history

1945 — The Yalta Agreement makes Romania part of the Soviet system.

1947 — With Soviet troops on its territory, Romania enters the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. The communists, who gradually took power, force King Michael to abdicate and proclaim Romania a People's Republic.

1950s — After Stalin's death, Romania begins to distance itself from Moscow.

1968 — The condemnation of Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia by Romania's communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu, earns him praise and economic aid from the West.

1980s — Obsessed with repaying the national debt and megalomaniac building projects Ceausescu or- ders a on importation of any consumer products and commands exportation of all goods produced in Romania except minimum food supplies. Severe restrictions of civil rights are imposed.

1989 — unite in protests against the communist leadership and local demonstrations sparked a national uprising that finally ousted communist ruler Nicolae Ceausescu and his cabinet.

1991 — Romanians vote for a new Constitution.

2004 — Romania joins NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

2007—Romania joins the EU

4 Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), known officially as the Republic of Turkey is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace (Rumelia) in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhichevan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. Separating and Thrace are the Sea of Marmara and the Turkish Straits (the Bosporus and the ), which are commonly reckoned to delineate the border between Asia and Europe, thereby making Turkey transcontinental. Due to its strategic location astride two continents, Tur- key's culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition. A powerful regional presence in the Eurasian landmass with strong historic, cultural and economic influence in the area between Europe in the west and Central Asia in the east, Russia in the north and the Mid- dle East in the south, Turkey has come to acquire increasing strate- gic significance. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic whose political system was established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, follow- ing the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I. Since then, Turkey has become increasing- ly integrated with the West through membership in or- ganizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE and the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005, having been an associate member of the EEC since 1963, and having reached a customs union agreement in 1995. Meanwhile, Turkey has continued to foster close cultur- al, political, economic and in- dustrial relations with the East- ern world, particularly with the states of the Middle East and Central Asia, through member- ship in organizations such as the OIC(Organisation of the Islamic Conference)and ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization).

5 HUNGARY

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its capital, , is bisected by the Danube River and famed for its dramatic cityscape studded with architectural landmarks from Buda’s medieval Castle Hill and the grand neoclassical build- ings along Pest’s Andrássy Avenue to the 19th-century Chain Bridge. The country has a long, rich history, and its culture re- flects Roman, Turkish, Slavic and Magyar influences. The was a monarchy in Central Eu- rope that existed from the Middle Ages into the twentieth cen- tury (1000–1918, 1920–1946). The Principality of Hunga- ry emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the of the first king Stephen I at in 1000 or 1001; his family (the Árpád dynasty) led the monarchy for 300 years. By the 12th century, the kingdom became a European middle pow- er within the Western world. Due to the Ottoman occupation of the central and southern ter- ritories in the 16th century, the monarchy split into three parts: the Habsburg Royal Hungary, Ottoman Hungary and the semi-independent Principality of Transylvania. The Habsburg dynasty held the Hungari- an throne after the Battle of Mohács and also played a key role in the liberation wars against the Ottoman Empire. From 1867, territories connected to the Hungarian crown were incorporated into Austria-Hungary under the name of Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen. The monarchy ended with the deposition of the last king Charles IV in 1918, after which Hungary became a republic. The kingdom was nominally restored during the "Regency" of 1920–1946, ending with the Soviet occupation in 1946. The Kingdom of Hungary was a multiethnic state from its inception until the Treaty of Trianon and it covered what is today Hungary, Slovakia, Transylvania and other parts of what is now Romania, Carpathian Ruthenia (now part of Ukraine), Vojvodina (now part of Serbia), Burgenland (now part of Austria), and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hun- gary's borders. From 1102 it also included , being in personal union with it, united under the . Today the feast day of the first king Stephen I (20 August) is a national holiday in Hungary, commemorating the foundation of the state (Foundation Day). Hungary, formally, until 2012, the Republic of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Köztársaság), is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the north- east. The country's capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Un- ion, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe. On 23 October 1989, Hungary again became a democratic parliamentary republic, and is today an upper- middle-income country with a very high Human Development Index. Hungary is a popular tourist desti- nation attracting 10.675 million tourists a year (2013). It is home to the largest thermal water cave sys- tem and the second-largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest natural grasslands in Europe (the Hortobágy National Park).

6 Suceava Ostra

Debrecen Aydin

7 Suceava

The district of Suceava is located in the north-east of Romania, in an area called Bucovina (“the land of the beeches”). It has a surface of about 8500 km2 and counts more than 700.000 inhabitants. The main town of the district is Suceava, with approximately 100.000 inhabitants. Mentioned in documents for the first time in 1388, during the reign of Petru I Musat, the town of Suceava has a period of maximum eco- nomic and social development between 14th and 16th century, especially during the reign of Stephen the Great. Stephen the Great, his successor Petru Rares and, later, Alexandru Lapusneanu built inside the town and in the surrounding area several churches and monasteries of utmost cultural value, which sheltered afterwards the princely graves. Many of them, with outer paintings (Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita, Humor, Arbore), as well as Putna and Probota mon- asteries, belong to the World Inheritance of UNESCO. Between 17th and 18th century, Suceava hardly resisted to the foreign invasions and from 1775 until 1918 the north of Suceava and the territory of Cernauti have been occupied by the Austrians, who named this area Bucovina. The traces of their occupation can be noticed in the architecture of the public buildings (the Court, the Catholic Cathedral etc), which still preserve Ger- manic specific elements. One of the main attractions of the town is the medieval fortress. Located on a big hill in the east of the town, the fortress was built by Petru I Musat and later forti- fied by Stephen the Great, who doubled the exterior walls and wid- ened the moats which surrounded the fortress. Even if it has been attacked three times during the reign of Stephen the Great (1476, 1485, 1497), the fortress couldn’t be con- quered. The Turks fired it in the 16th century and Iasi be- came the new capital of Moldavia. Vasile Lupu tried to restore it, but the fortress was destroyed by Turks in 1675.

8 Ostra

Ostra is a commune located in Suceava County, Romania, in the Su- ha river basin, close to Mountain Stanisoara. It is composed of two villages, Ostra and Tărnicioara. The village can be reached by road which links thr E58 road with 17B. The closest town is Frasin, 18 km away, and Suceava, which is 65 km distance. There is mot too much to visit in Ostra, except the mountain touristic areas which are very interesting and pitoresque. People who live mountain climbing can go to Stanisoara ountain and Rarau Mountain, who have the most beautiful landscapes in the area, the secular forests from Stanisora, the churches and monasteries from the area, also the Bistrita valey. Another attraction of Ostra is related to the traditions and customes of the village. In Ostra, the popular costumes tradition is preserved, specific rural musical instruments, cuisine tradi- tions, also the religious ones. The inhabitants keep the most important religious traditions, the ones relat- ed to Christmas carols, New Year, the goat’s fest, also the ones related to Easter, among these, the eggs’ painting is a very popular custom. What Ostra can offer to its visitors: - first of all, the people’s kindness and hospitality - mountain trips - cottages in the forest, where you can spend leisure times - forest fruits, mushrooms and some other nature’s treasures - winter sports - agreement places - agro-tourism - fishing - farming - wood industry

9

Ostra

Ostra… .. "A beautiful montana settlement, a small depression to the Stanisoara mountains, a place where The sky is the Ostra, powders and vibe of the stars". E. Silk-Mount for brass) nOstra village is situated in the southwestern county of Suceava, in the depression of the same name Stanisoarei Mountains at the confluence of three mountain streams: Brateasa, Baisescu and Botoşanu, forming Suha River, at an altitude of 650 m, consisting of the villages of Ostra and Tarnicioara. Girl Suceava is 65 km away and from the nearest town, Ash, 18 km. nOstra village neighboring administrative units are: north, Stulpicani village, northwest village twins northeast Negrileasa village south Brosteni village, south-west of the Cross, south-east Borca village, Neamt County.

The meaning of the name Ostra is word of Slavonic origin, meaning ostru sharp first name given to a mountain with this form. It seems that oronimul appeared in Slavonic trans- lation of the toponym sharp when writing documents in chancelaries lead- ers. Locality name finds its explanation in the hardness of the rocks that are present within the village, in Ruthenian, Ostrea meaning rough, rough. Lo- cals believe the name of the village is linked to fishing gear, Ostra, a long stick which is a kind of fork end. Between 1919-1925, the town was called Floceni from Poiana Flocii toponym and the number of families Flocea.

Brief history Ostra is also mentioned in 1475 in a sheriff's deed that Stefan cel Mare makes Voronet Monastery. Ostra defined then a bouncer, which together with surrounding meadows and pasture was hunting ground of the monastery.

The village contains a rich flora impressive. In forests predominate spruce, fir and beech. In smaller pro- portions meets pine, mountain maple, ash, oak, white alder, etc.. Meadows and alpine meadows complete the wonderful landscape.

Ostra preserves tradition- al customs: very good port of popular costumes at the holidays, playing the trumpet, but also specific culinary art of this land.

10 Debrecen

The name of Debrecen Debrecen - This word had been put down for the first time around seven hundred and fifty years ago. Probably it could look something like "Debrecin" or "Dübricin" at that time and was the name of one out of more small settlements. Its meaning or origin has never been found out since then; and it is also mystical how this insignificant village became one of the biggest cities of Hungary, centre of spiritual and political movements after a few centuries - although she has neither mountains nor rivers. This town had been the heart of the historical Hungary; it had been and is called "Calvin ist Rome" and was the capital of the country two times - in critical times when Hungary could be safely governed only from here. Famous Debreceners set an example to the whole nation, its schools and scientific life were of European renown two hundred years ago, it was called the city of endurance a hundred years later; those who had left her always longed to be back, those who stayed felt the calling of far-away cultures. The walls and people of the town are filled with immobility of the east and the restless spirit of the west; as Pál Gulyás , one of the poets born here wrote: "Debrecen, old harbour, welding lands together!" The name of Debrecen (as Debrezun) first appeared in a collection of sentences known as the "Regestrum of Várad" in 1235. The Slavic derivation of the name "Debrecen" is a false idea; more likely, the word is of Turkish ( or Avar - Turkish ) origin and bears the memory of its first owner; it means "live, move" and it had a protective function. An Episcopal tithe-roll from 1295 reveals that the village at that time is the property of three noblemen of the same family - Rophoin, Péter and Dósa. By the middle of the 14th century the administrational system of Debrecen was so advanced that the descendants of palatine Dósa could rightfully apply for market-town privileges to king Louis the Great. The charter was issued in 1361. Thus, Debrecen could look forward to the 15th century as a prosperous town of a flourishing European empire. In 1405, with the dying out of the male line of the family owning Debrecen their property had passed to king Sigismund of Luxembourg. Sigismund gave the town rights that only Buda had been endowed with before; the right of holding markets, and permission was given to build a stone wall around the town (although for want of building material they were not able to carry it out). From 1411 merchants of the town were not obliged to pay customs duties anywhere in the country and the citizens of the town were relieved from taxation. Around the middle of the century János Hunyadi became the owner of the town and the estate. In practice his wife, Erzsébet Szilágyi exercised his rights as the landlord was involved in national affairs. King Matthias exempted the town from paying treasury- tax and made it possible for villains to move in 1459. In 1477 he gave Debrecen the most important privilege - the right to stop passing merchants. In 1484 Matthias relieved the citizens of the town from paying all kinds of personal and property taxes, even permits them to sell salt purchased from the Treasury without restrictions. The successors of Matthias strengthened the privileged situation of Debrecen. Vladislas II grants the town permission to hold six markets a year and Louis II, the later martyr of Mohács also saw to Debrecen's countrywide exemption from duties.

11 On the border of three countries

The town had two supporting pillars in those chaotic times. One is the strong and independent local government; the town judge had control over life and death but his decisions were always in accordance with the interests of the town. The other factor of stability was that the landlords - Bálint Török and his descendants - did not interfere with town affairs from 1536 for more than eight decades. Thus the town struck by fires and epidemics could keep its fragile stability between the three powers. Ferdinand I of the Habsburgs acknowledged the belonging of Debrecen together with to Transylvania. The treaty places Debrecen under the control of János Szapolyai . When the formerly good connections between Transylvania and Habsburg Hungary worsened the imperial-royal forces demonstrated their strength via raiding tours in Debrecen. No wonder if the town - in secret - swore an oath of loyalty to the Emperor in 1567; they paid regular taxes for living in peace. The Sultan of Turkey also wanted to annex the territory. In 1555 the town submitted to the Sultan and paid a stiff tax to him. Naturally the next landlord - John Sigismund, the Prince of Transylvania - imposed taxes on the town, as well. Villages and towns fell prey to the marauding Turkish and Austrian troops, one after the other. People fled into the town that offered security. The population of the town reaches 7-8000 and fires ravage the hurriedly built streets. Epidemics break out and in 1594 a huge swarm of locusts overran the territory; they tried to exterminate the insects with cannons. Yet the outlook of the town is not that of a terror stricken community struggling for life. The industrious Debreceners did not let the opportunity of economic rise slip. The markets attract merchants from more and more distant places. We can see stallholders selling products of craftsmen from Miskolc, Eperjes, and Kézsmárk, even German cattle-dealers. The merchants of Debrecen sell renowned goods of local craftsmen from honey-cake to harnesses; they had been to places all over the world, they set up shops in western cities and in Istanbul, sold thousands of horses in the east, their stocks were selling well from Belgium to Russia. Owing to the wartime cattle-drivers turned into armed escorts. Not even religion could remain untouched in those turbulent times. Bálint Török - a Protestant himself - moved a minister called Bálint into the town and thence Reformation comes into force here as well. Márton Kálmáncsehi Sánta, a prominent representative of the Helvetian creed who had arrived into Debrecen in 1551 furthered the spreading of the movement. Next year Catholic churches were taken over by the Reformed Church, the rule of the Roman came to an end. The town became "Calvin ist Rome" under the administration of bishop Péter Méliusz Juhász, the most famous reformer of the town; the Debrecen synod of 1567 issued the "Profession of Christian Creed" that became the charter for the whole reformed Hungary. A close co- operation took shape between the town and the new Church; the citizens supported the Church and the schools run by it with remarkable amounts. In the last few years of the century Zsigmond Báthori , the Prince of Transylvania ceded the supremacy over Transylvania to the Habsburg ruler. The commanders of Rudolf I ravagingly turned on Debrecen extorting money from the burgesses. The subject of the war council in 1602 was the settling of German people into Debrecen and its vicinity. Help was to come from Transylvania. István Bocskai , the wealthiest landlord of Bihar county, organized an army in order to curb the marauding Austrian troops. The Hajduks played an important role in the success of the swoop. Bocskai signed a secret agreement with the leaders of the Hajduks serving the imperial forces according to which the Hajduks side with him in a battle. On 15th October, 1604 Bocskai and his Hajduks defeated the enemy in a battle near Álmosd and marched into Debrecen. In return Bocskai raised the Hajduks to noble rank and settled them in the area ( in Dorog, Nánás, Hadház, Szoboszló, Polgár , Vámospércs and later Böszörmény ). From 1619 the landlord of the town is the Prince himself. Gábor Bethlen confirmed the former privileges, gives relief from taxation and owing to his support St. Andrew's church could be rebuilt. The town slowly emerged to national importance : the Prince issued his leaflet of great renown, the Complaint of Hungary, here and from 1624 delegates of the town attend the parliaments of Gyulafehérvár. György Rákóczi I also supported the town. His son, György Rákóczi II is not able to maintain the delicate balance of the country and came up against the Porte; he cannot gain the goodwill of Leopold I either. The Turks set out against Transylvania; in the spring of 1660 pasha Szejdi Ahmed - after burning the Hajduk-towns - arrived in Debrecen. The dreaded pasha demanded 300.000 gold coins from the town; the burgesses were forced to borrow money. With the failure of Várad the situation of Debrecen became critical since imperial forces marched into the town. The Turks were punishing Debrecen for feeding the Germans, the Germans for submitting to the Turks.

12 The soldiers of Leopold I grew bold by the weakening power of the Turkish empire. In the year of the liberation of Buda general Caraffa had a million forints tribute collected from the citizens of Debrecen - the yearly payment of the wealthiest burgess was 450 forints at that time - and in return set the town on fire. This is the time when the 1693 charter of Leopold I is issued. It is an acknowledgement of the contribution of Debrecen to war costs and raises the town to the status of a Free Royal City. Debrecen swore an oath of allegiance to Joseph I ; owing to this the parliament of 1715 confirmed the city's royal status. In the town where a Roman Catholic had not even been allowed to settle since 1552 a site had to be assigned for a Catholic church. The church had been completed by 1745 though the Catholic community ran only to one and a half - two per cent of the population. Catholic and Reformed town judges had to be elected alternately and records were kept in German. Joseph II simply relieved judge Lajos Domokos who resisted his efforts at Germanization. Publications of the renowned printing house were censored. The autonomy of the College is limited, students can visit only universities in Germany - Halle, Göttingen, Berlin. The autonomy of the town practically perishes by the end of the century; it is annexed to Várad, the Catholic cathedral town. The flourishing trade is arrested by history by now; only four markets are kept a year instead of the former eight. The " biggest village in Europe ", as the town was still described by an English traveller at the end of the 18th century, starts to assume a more urban appearance in her outlook, too. After the largest fire of her history in 1802 Debrecen rises again from her ashes with the vitality of the phoenix, the symbol bird of the town. Several decades pass and the architecture of the centre shows the puritan disciplined style of Classicism. The vigorous town keeps growing and it is the second largest in size populated by about fifty thousand people at the turn of the century. History shakes the town searching for her new identity in January 1849 when the Hungarian Government moves here. It is true though that the high winds of the revolution had swept the streets before and the General Assembly of the town have passed the twelve articles of 15 March, just two days after they were published. In August equal civil rights are proclaimed for everyone who has a property in Debrecen. The National Guards is formed instantly and the seventy-year-old mayor is the first to volunteer and soon they have 1300 infantry-men and 40 cavalry-men in their ranks. The famous Reformed College with all the teachers and students interrupted its normal activities to join the struggle for one and a half year. The college was the centre of the capital of the revolution where the Kossuth banknotes were printed and the oratorio was the site of the meetings of parliament. No sooner did Lajos Kossuth the governor proclaim independence in the Big Church on 14 April 1849 than the Russian army were on their way to outnumber the troops of József-Nagy Sándor in a battle near Debrecen. Having won an overwhelming victory general Paskievits occupied the town and tormented her people. Services and masses had to be held for the oppression of the Hungarian revolution and they had to proclaim the constitution of the Habsburg Empire which knows nothing about a place called Hungary. The self-government of the town and the autonomy of the Protestant Church was wiped off with a single stroke. After the town regained her autonomy in 1861 Franz Joseph visited the scene of his dethronement first in 1852 and then in 1857. Capitalism in its own ways ( subjected to Austrian interests ) starts to develop in both the country and the town. In the year of the second visit of the emperor the first railway line is opened between Szolnok and Debrecen. Insurance companies are founded and the Budapest General Social Security and Invalid Support Company is formed. By the 20th century Debrecen ranks among the first in the economy of the country: it has 71 holding companies in 1912 and only Budapest and Nagyvárad have more. Her population grows by 150 % in fifty years (75.000) and serious social problems arise in the rapidly capitalizing town revealing themselves in occasional strikes after 1910. Life stirs up in the rapidly growing city, the theatre (1865), the town railways (1884) to be replaced by the tram in 1911, modern telephone system (1910's), the first electric street light bulbs (1908) are more or less the results of the same period.

13 The 20th century

Progress is interrupted by the war. The recruiting committees take workers, townsmen, students, peasants without selection. The 39th infantry regiment from Debrecen is sent to the Italian front line. In the autumn of 1918 the soldiers who had recognised the senselessness of their struggle refused to obey in order to be allowed to go home and defend their homeland. After the victorious revolution of 1919 the National Council which had provided the political background for the Károlyi-Government assumed power in Debrecen, as well. Debrecen is relatively peaceful for the national guard protect civil property from raiders. The Károlyi-Government had no means to handle the overall crisis. When the word came that the Hungarian Soviet Republic had taken over armed workers overran public buildings and offices. A directorate of three members was formed which immediately began taking factories, lands into public ownership. The measures evoked a wide-ranging protest and in answer to it representatives of the proletarian dictatorship introduced summary jurisdiction. On 23 April the Rumanian army marched into Debrecen. In a few days six thousand Debreceners ( most of them workers ) volunteered to defend the country. The town suffered a damage of several million crowns in the year of the Rumanian rule. Withdrawing they took all they could. In 1920 the French colonel of the Allies handed Debrecen to the Hungarian authorities. In April regent Miklós Horthy himself visited the town. Clean-ups began. As a result of the Treaty of Trianon Debrecen is in the frontier region again. This time, however, connections with Transylvania are entirely broken and thousands of refugees arrived from the disannexed territories. Consolidation started in 1921. Thanks to the, so called, Speyer-loan the town can modernize its old sewerage system, can build schools and kindergartens, surface some of its roads with asphalt, raise a museum, thermal bath and a crematorium. The building of the university starts and the Déri Museum is completed. Several industrial works are being developped. Advancement is broken by the Great Depression of 1929. The town ran into debt, unemployment rose and by 1933 it reached seven thousand. The Fascist Germany put a hardly bearable pressure on the country in 1937. In the age of Anti-Jewish laws the famous bishop of the Reformed Church of Debrecen, Imre Révész stood out openly against anti-Semitism. The Second World War meant a dark page in Debrecen's history, as well. In 1944 the town became a seat of operations; those who could, took flight. Multiple bomb raids destroy the southern district. Every second building is ruined or damaged. Bomb attacks killed five thousand people, nine thousand Jews were carried off. By 20 October the front line had passed the town. The people of Debrecen began the removal of ruins immediately. On 21 October there was electricity and the first train set off eight days later. In November schools were opened, the Public Library was brought into action, in December the first concert and a literary celebration are kept. The ruined city is preparing to be the capital for the second time. The Provisional National Assembly is opened in December. Following the traditions the sessions are held in the oratorio of the College. The president is Béla Zsedényi , the renowned lawyer-politician from Miskolc. One of the two vice-presidents is a brain surgeon from Debrecen, Kálmán Sántha, the other is Sándor Juhász-Nagy. The following day the Provisional National Government is formed, headed by general Miklós Béla Dálnoky, the Minister of Agriculture is Imre Nagy , the former mayor, and the Minister of Finance is István Vásáry . The armistice negotiations, the agrarian reform and the organization of the new army began in Debrecen. The Association of Hungarian Writers is formed and on the initiative of a painter from Debrecen, Kálmán Gáborjáni Szabó, the Association of Hungarian Artists is founded. The first literary magazine, the Hungarians was edited by Géza Juhász, a son of Debrecen. The energetic, arbitrary industrialization of the fifties did not leave Debrecen untouched; but the environment lacking energy sources and raw material and transportation prevented the city from being the capital of steel and iron. Traditional processing factories survived and were even extended ( Canning Factory , Poultry Processing Plant ) and new branches of industry requiring little raw material but much care were founded ( Bearing Factory, Medicor Surgical Instruments Factory, Biogal Pharmaceutical Works ). The town itself was also rebuilt gradually; although it could not be proud of the buildings raised at that time since they were products of the schematism spreading through Eastern Europe.

14 The city became the centre of Hajdú-Bihar county, established in 1950.

The suffocating spirit of the fifties tied up Debrecen, as well. No wonder if in 1956 demonstrations broke out at the same time as in the capital - a few hours earlier in fact. The demonstrators were lead by delegates from the universities, on the other side party secretaries, presidents of the council sat. The Socialist Revolutionary Committee was formed in the party centre in Perényi street. It immediately qualified the events as revolution, three days before the statement of Imre Nagy . Boomings were heard in the streets of the city on 23 October, already: the state security authorities tried to provoke armed clashes but the solemnity of the officers prevented this; they secured public buildings but refused to fire at the crowd, younger officers even sided with the rebellion. To the Party headquarters in Akadémia street reports came that "fascist gangs had taken over and were chasing communists". In fact, communists were running without being chased - to the Soviet military airport and returned together with the invading forces. On 4 November events follow each other according to the central scenario : officers of the Soviet army arrest the members of the Revolutionary Committee; their leaders are carried off to the Soviet airport and the barracks in Sámsoni street. Officers supporting the revolution were also taken there. After that they were taken to Uzghorod and were brought back in November. They were interrogated by policemen, former state security executives. By January indictments were completed and retaliations could begin; political cases are created one by one, witnesses of the defence could not even attend the trials. Two of the local leaders of the revolution were sentenced to death, others to imprisonment from one year to life. Judgements of the second appeal court were more lenient. The martyr of Debrecen was József Szilágyi , police superintendent of the city, the personal secretary of Imre Nagy . People with a bad record could get jobs only at the goodwill of leaders of some institutions (like the Reformed College) even in the sixties. In the strongly centralized country Debrecen was pushed to the edge both in the economic and cultural aspects of the word. In 1961 a great celebration was held on the sixth centennial of the acquisition of the rank of market town. In the place of Kölcsey's house a cultural centre was built; the Csokonai Theatre and the Reformed College were renewed. The grudges - sometimes going back to centuries - will perhaps be healed at last. The historical reconciliation was initiated by the visit of John Paul II in August 1991. The Pope lay a wreath on the Memorial of the Galley Slaves to commemorate the Protestant ministers taken prisoners in 1675 and to help the process of forgiving in the political climate of the day.

We wish you would have happy memories of your days spent in Debrecen, but do not forget those who are waiting for you at home. Remember to take them back traditional Debrecen gingerbread and Hortobágy organic salami. See you again soon.

15 Aydin Aydın is a city located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient Meander River) at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast. Its population was 207554 in 2014. Aydın city is located along a region which was famous for its fertility and productivity since ancient times. Figs remain the province's best-known crop, although other agricultural products are also grown intensively and the city has some light industry. At the crossroads of a busy transport network of several types, a six-lane motorway connects Aydın to İzmir, Turkey's second port, in less than an hour, and in still less time to the international Adnan Menderes Airport, located along the road between the two cities. A smaller airport, namely Aydın Airport, is located a few kilometers in the South-East of Aydın. The region of Aydın also pioneered the introduction of railways into Turkey in the 19th century and still has the densest railroad network. According to Strabo, Tralles was founded by the Argives and Trallians, a Thracian tribe. Along with the rest of , the city fell to the Persian Empire. After its success against Athens in the Peloponnesian War, Sparta unsuccessfully thought to take the city from the Persians, but in 334 BC, Tralles surrendered to Alexander the Great without resistance and therefore was not sacked. Alexander's general Antigonus held the city from 313 to 301 BC and later the Seleucidsheld the city until 190 BC when it fell to Pergamon. From 133 to 129 BC, the city supported Aristonicus of Pergamon, a pretender to the Pergamene throne, against the Romans. After the Romans defeated him, they revoked the city's right to mint coins. Tralles was a conventus for a time under the Roman Republic, but Ephesus later took over that position. The city was taken by rebels during the Mithridatic Warduring which many Roman inhabitants were killed. Tralles suffered greatly from an earthquake in 26BC. Augustus provided funds for its reconstruction after which the city thanked him by renaming itself Caesarea. Strabo describes the city as a prosperous trading center, listing famous residents of the city, including Pythodoros (native of Nysa), and orators Damasus Scombrus and Dionysocles. Several centuries later, Anthemius of Tralles, architect of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, was born in Tralles. Aydın became part of Anatolia Province of the Ottoman Empire and this until 1827, when it became the seat of its own eyalet under its own name, constituted among other reasons to respond to the prevalent unrest in the region, as exemplified by Atçalı Kel Mehmet Rebellion (1829–1830). During the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), violent fighting took place in and around Aydın, especially in the beginning phase of the war, during the Battle of Aydın between 27 June and 4 July 1919. The civilian population of the city, principally Turkish as well as Greek, suffered heavy casualties. Neither could the city's Jewish population, 3,500-strong in 1917 go unscathed. Aydın remained in ruins until it was re-captured by the Turkish army on 7 September 1922. Resistance warriors such as the efe Yörük Ali, who were based in the surrounding mountains and conducted a guerrilla warfare against the Greek army, became heroes in Turkey. Following the war and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey the Greeks of Aydın were exchanged with Muslims living in Greece under the 1923 agreement for the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Aydın also has the distinction of being the largest urban center in Turkey administered by a female mayor, Mrs. Özlem Çerçioğlu elected in 2009. She was reelected in 2014.

16 Romania

Stephen the Great

Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Hungary

King Charles I

17 Stephen the Great

Saint Stephen succeeded his father, Prince Bogdan II, as Prince of Moldavia on April 12, 1457 soon after the latter was mur- dered. He defended his country against the Turks, and he also built many churches and monasteries. St Stephen the Great was a spiritual son of St Daniel the Hesy- chast (December 18), who told him that if he built a church after every battle he would be victorious in all his wars. Fol- lowing St Daniel's counsel, St Stephen won forty-seven battles and built forty-eight churches or monasteries. He also built the Putna Dormition Monastery in northern Moldavia in 1466 when St Daniel urged him to do so. During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire, which all sought to subdue the land. Ste- phen achieved fame in Europe for his long resistance against the Ottomans. He was victorious in 34 of his 36 battles, and was one of the first to gain a decisive victory over the Otto- mans at the Battle of Vaslui, after which Pope Sixtus IV deemed him verus christianae fidei athleta (true Champion of Christian Faith). He was a man of religion and displayed his piety when he paid the debt of Mount Athos to the Porte, en- suring the continuity of Athos as an autonomous monastical community. Menaced by powerful neighbours, he successfully repelled an invasion by the Hungarian King , defeating him in the Battle of Baia (in 1467), crushed an invading Tatar force at Lipnic and invaded Wallachia in 1471 (the latter had by then succumbed to Ottoman power and had become its vas- sal). When the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II launched a retaliation attack on Moldavia, Stephen defeated the invaders at the Battle of Vaslui in 1475, a victory which temporarily halted the Turkish advance. Ste- phen was defeated at Războieni (Battle of Valea Albă) the next year, but the Ottomans had to retreat after they failed to take any significant castle (see siege of Cetatea Neamţului) as a plague started to spread in the Ottoman army. Stephen's search for European assistance against the Turks met with little success, even though he had "cut off the pagan's right hand" - as he put it in a letter. Stephen helped to oust Vlad Ţepeş's brother, the pro-Ottoman Radu the Handsome, whose daughter he would marry, and installed Laiotă Basarab the Old on the throne in the hope of bringing Wallachia back into the Christian camp. This proved to be illusory, as Laiotă quickly turned his back on Stephen, deem- ing that Ottoman protection would better help him consolidate his rule. With Stephen's support, Laiotă was removed from the throne in 1482 by Vlad Călugărul, brother to Vlad Tepes, and for the remainder of the 15th century Wallachia remained relatively stable under his rule. In 1476, St Stephen lost the battle of Razboieni to the Turks. He went to visit St Daniel at the Voronets Monastery to ask whether or not he should surrender the country to the Moslems. St Daniel told him not to surrender, because he would soon win a decisive victory. St Daniel also told him that after he had saved the nation, Stephen should build a monastery in honor of St George at that place. Having faith in St Daniel's prophecy, Stephen went forth with his army and drove the Turks from the country. After 1484, when he lost the fortresses of Chilia Noua and Cetatea Alba to an Ottoman blitz invasion, Stephen had to face not only new Turkish onslaughts which he defeated again on November 16, 1485 at Catlabuga Lake and at Şcheia on the Siret River in March 1486, but also the Polish designs on Moldavian independence. Finally on 20 August 1503[1] he concluded a treaty with Sultan Beyazid II that preserved Moldavia's self rule, at the cost of an annual tribute to the Turks. From the 16th century on, the Principality of Moldavia would spend three hundred years as an Ottoman vassal. In his late years, he dealt successfully with a Polish invasion, defeating the Poles at the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. St Stephen fell asleep in the Lord on July 2, 1504, and was buried at the Putna Monastery. He was glori- fied by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

18 Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands as a towering figure of the 20th Century. Among the great leaders of history, few have achieved so much in so short period, transformed the life of a nationas decisively, and given such profound inspiration to the world at large.

Emerging as a military hero at the Dardanelles in 1915, he became the charismaticleader of the Turkish national liberation struggle in 1919. He blazed across the worldscene in the early 1920s as a triumphant commander who crushed the invaders of hiscountry. Following a series of impressive victories against all odds, he led his nation tofull independence. He put an end to the antiquated Ottoman dynasty whose tale had lastedmore than six centuries - and created the Republic of Turkey in 1923, establishing a newgovernment truly representative of the nation's will. As President for 15 years, until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced abroad range of swift and sweeping reforms - in the political, social, legal, economic, andcultural spheres - virtually unparalleled in any other country. His achievements in Turkey are an enduring monument to Atatürk. Emerging nationsadmire him as a pioneer of national liberation. The world honors his memory as a foremostpeacemaker who upheld the principles of humanism and the vision of a united humanity.Tributes have been offered to him through the decades by such world statesmen as LloydGeorge, Churchill, Roosevelt, Nehru, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Bourguiba, Nasser, Kennedy, andcountless others. A White House statement, issued on the occasion of "The AtatürkCentennial" in 1981, pays homage to him as "a great leader in times ofwar and peace". It is fitting that there should be high praise for Atatürk, anextraordinary leader of modern times, who said in 1933: "I look to the world with an open heart full of pure feelings and friendship.

19 King Charles I

Charles I, 1288–1342, king of Hungary (1308–42), founder of the Angevin dynasty in Hungary; grandson of Charles II of Naples, who had married a daughter of Stephen V of Hungary. On the death (1301) of Andrew III, last of the Arpad dynasty, Charles was the candidate of Pope Boniface VIII for the crown of St. Stephen, but the Hungarians elected Wenceslaus III of Bohemia; in 1308 the Hungarian diet at last chose Charles, who was crowned in 1310. He reorganized the army on a feudal basis, using the nobility for its personnel, and taxed the bourgeoisie. Silver and gold mines became state monopolies, and in 1338 gold became the accepted currency. He encouraged trade and increased the privileges of the cities. He married his second son to Joanna I of Naples and took as his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of King Ladislaus I of Poland. In 1339 he secured the succession to Casimir III of Poland for his eldest son, later . Charles I, also known as Charles Robert was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308. He was a member of the . Charles was the son of Charles Martel of Anjou-Naples and Clemencia of Habsburg, daughter of the Holy Roman emperor Rudolf I. As great-grandson of Stephen V and with papal approval, Charles claimed the Hungarian throne after the death of Andrew III, the last of the Árpád line, and was crowned in 1301. When his claim was disputed, however, he was forced to surrender the crown toWenceslas of Bohemia, who in 1305 transferred his right to Otto, duke of Lower Bavaria. After Otto was taken prisoner by the Hungarians, Charles was recognized as king in 1308 and received the Crown of St. Stephen at Székesfehérvár on Aug. 27, 1310. Foreign policy under Charles was aimed at family aggrandizement, but it also greatly benefited Hungary. In 1335 his alliance with Poland for mutual defense against the Bohemians and the Habsburgs bore fruit in victory over the Holy Roman emperor Louis IV, the Bavarian, and his ally Albert of Austria. Fearing that Hungary might achieve predominance in the Adriatic, Venice and the pope frustrated Charles I’s plans to unite the kingdoms of Hungary and Naples under his eldest son, Louis (the futureLouis I the Great). Charles then turned to a pact with his brother-in-law and ally, Casimir III the Great of Poland, whereby they agreed that Louis of Hungary should succeed the childless Casimir. Charles came to the Kingdom of Hungary upon the invitation of an influential Croatian lord, Paul Šubić, in August 1300. Andrew III died on 14 January 1301 and Charles was crowned king within four months, but with a provisional crown instead of the Holy Crown of Hungary. Most Hungarian noblemen refused to yield him and elected Wenceslaus of Bohemia king. Charles withdrew to the southern regions of the kingdom. Pope Boniface VIII acknowledged Charles as the lawful king in 1303, but Charles could not strengthen his position against his opponent. Wenceslaus abdicated in favor of Otto of Bavaria in 1305. Because of the lack of a central government, the Kingdom of Hungary had disintegrated into a dozen provinces, each headed by a powerful nobleman, or "oligarch". One of those oligarchs, Ladislaus Kán, captured and imprisoned Otto of Bavaria in 1307. Charles was elected king in Pest on 27 November 1308, but his rule was only nominal in most parts of his kingdom even after he was crowned with the Holy Crown on 27 August 1310. Charles won his first decisive victory in the Battle of Rozgony (at present-day Rozhanovce in Slovakia) on 15 June 1312. Thereafter his troops seized most fortresses of the powerful Aba family. During the next decade, Charles restored royal power primarily with the assistance of the prelates and lesser noblemen in most regions of the kingdom. After the death of the most powerful oligarch, Matthew Csák, in 1321, Charles became the undisputed ruler of the whole kingdom, with the exception of Croatia where local noblemen could preserve their autonomous status. He neither could hinder the development of Wallachia into an independent principality after his defeat in the Battle of Posada in 1330. Charles's contemporaries described his defeat in that battle as a punishment by God for his cruel revenge against the family of Felician Záh who had attempted to slaughter the royal family.

20 Romania

Mihai Eminescu

Turkey

Ferit Orhan Pamuk

Hungary

Franz Liszt

21 ROMANIA

MIHAI EMINESCU (b. January 15, 1850 in Botosani- d. June 15, 1889 in Bucharest) raised not only poetry, whose best representative he was to become, but also Romanian literary prose, literary and political journal- ism to the highest levels of modern European thinking and feeling. Its fragrance is unique, bearing a strong national colour. Thus, Eminescu achieved a comprehensive, penetrating and visionary synthesis of the old Thracians and Dacian custom and Latin traditions, that have merged over the past two millenia into an original Romanian cultural pattern, extended over the Carpathians to the Danube and the Black Sea. Eminescu had only twenty years in which to fully accomplish his work, i. E. between 1864 and 1883, but in this short interval he deeply influenced Romanian conscious- ness, ardently promoting the ideals of social equity, of the preservation of our people's national unity, its independence and sovereignty, fighting for truth and beauty in life and in art. Talking about Eminescu is the same as whispering in a large, empty cave. Not even your echo reaches him without disturbing his silence. He lives in his own universe. For him all that is not objectively possible can be created in one's mind and, for that, everything we see, we thing, we judge is nothing more than a simple creation of our own subjectivi- ty and not real things. As a conclusion Eminescu wrote: "Life is a dream". Like the coulour that is noth- ing more than the simple real light we see in many diffrent ways and has various shades, depending on the intensity of our perception, Eminescu is the one that saw the world in his own coulours and shades, from his corner, trying not to interfere in the portrait he paints. In what we saw a woman he saw a sweet wonder, a blue flower, an angel or the soul of a snake, the devil. In what we saw the moon he saw the hearth full of hot coal. What we would call separation he calls it a withered flower or a tired bird trying to catch his half that flew away with another flight of birds. For all that he is different. When he did something fine he wanted to do it better. When he did it better he wanted to catch the meaning. When he cought the meaning he wanted to find the essence. When he found the essence he wanted to become one with the nature, his most important ideal. Talking about Eminescu in any other language, but Romanian is the same with viseting the Eiffel Tower in Bucarest. He is universal, but Romanian. The poet Mihai Eminescu and his literary work are the prisoners of a special literary destiny and at the same time, a destiny similar to that of the writers of genius who didn't have the chance to write and pub- lish in an international language. A scholar of the Romanian literature and a natinal poet who was bur- dened with the label of the "last great european romantic" which is chronologically inexact, Eminescu isb "very romanian and through this, he is very universal. The key-poem of his creation is "Luceafarul" - a matrix and a climax of his literary creation, is an abso- lute evidence of vitality from an estethical point of view. In this respect, the text of the poem is undoubt- edly a masterpiece which can encourage, with its essence, a cuntless number of critical approaches. Therefore, the poem can always be analysed from a multitude of perspectives: from the point of view of the thematical critique correlated with the highly spread literary motif of the unity of the whole, of the "archego" (derived from the greek "archaeus"). It also can be approached from the point of view of the archetypal critique as a resourceless spring of myths, from the point of view of the structuralist critique as a formal perfect composition of classical essence, from the perspective of the phenomenological cri- tique etc. Furthermore, the poem can be interpreted as genotext or fenotext and as an implicit attempt of com- munication among the Author, the Reader and the Liter- ary work. That is why the text of the poem "Luceafarul" exhausts the critique becoming in this way its own cri- tique, its own metatext as well as a critique of the cri- tique. And this is the result of the poem remaining inex- haustible. In this way, the poem is a real touchstone for any critical learned mind, being at the same time a land- mark in the Romanian and world literature.

22 ROMANIA

NADIA COMĂNECI

The first gymnast in the world who received the note ten in an Olympic gymnastics competition. Is the winner of five Olympic gold medals. It is considered to be one of the best sports games of the 20th century and one of the best gymnasts in the world, of all times, "the goddess of Montreal", the first of the modern gymnast who took 10 absolutely. It is the first Romanian sports included in the Memorial of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

ILIE NĂSTASE

A born Rebel, incurable, show-man in the tennis arena, was world number one and won 57 titles. Master sport white, brought the country an exceptional reputation, at a time when Communist Romania play clay, only from the wall.

DUMITRU PRUNARIU

The first Romanian to get in space, aboard Soyuz 40, thanks to a Romanian-Soviet space programmed. Prunariu is convinced that there is extraterrestrial life.

GHEORGHE HAGI

In 2000, Hagi was proclaimed God of football, the best soccer player of all time. Started by playing with a ball made of rags. A model for poor children that feed on football and dreams.

23 HUNGARY

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian pianist and composer of enormous influence and originality. He was renowned in Europe during the Romantic movement. He was born on October 22, 1811, in Raiding, Hungary [now Raiding, Austria]. His father, a multi- instrumentalist, taught him to play piano. By the time Liszt was 9 years old, he was performing in concert halls. As an adult, he toured extensively throughout Europe. He had an affair and children with Marie díAgoult, and later lived with Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. By his death, he had written more than 700 compositions. Franz Liszt, one of the most impressive figures in all of music history, was born on October 22, 1811, in Raiding, Hungary. His father, Adam, played the cello, as well as several other instruments, and passionately taught Franz how to play piano. By the age of 6, young Liszt was recognized as a child prodigy; by the age of 8, he was composing elementary works; and by the age of 9, he was appearing in concerts. His father worked as a secretary for Prince Nicholas Esterhazy, and, after the boy played for a group of wealthy sponsors, he asked the prince for extended leave so he could devote his time to enriching his sonís musical education. Father and son traveled to Vienna, and Antonio Salieri, Mozart's old rival, quickly became a proponent of Liszt's genius. Upon hearing the boy play at a private home, he offered to train him in composition free of charge. For several months, the young pianist held performances for both musicians and kings. His most impressive talent was his uncanny ability to improvise an original composition from a melody suggested by an audience member. At the age of 12, Liszt traveled with his father to Paris to seek admittance to the Paris Conservatory. The admissions council denied him a place in the school on the grounds that he was a foreigner. . In 1826, Adam Liszt passed away. The event proved to be extremely traumatic for the 15- year-old Franz Liszt, and it necessitated that he share their one-bedroom Parisian apartment with his mother. In the years that followed, Franz Liszt lost interest in music to such a degree that he began to question his profession. He turned away from performing and started to read profusely, delving into books on the subjects of art and religion. What he read during that time would greatly influence his later musical works. In 1833, at the age of 22, Liszt met the Comtesse Marie d'Agoult. Inspired by love and nature, he composed several impressions of the Swiss countryside in "Album d'un voyageur," which would later surface as the "Années de Pèlerinage" ("Years of Pilgrimage"). In 1834, Liszt debuted his piano compositions "Harmonies poétiques et religieuses" and a set of three "Apparitions." Strengthened by new works and several public performances, Liszt began to take Europe by storm. His reputation was bolstered even further by the fact that he gave away many of his concert proceeds to charities and humanitarian causes. For example, when in 1842 he found out about the Great Fire of Hamburg, which had destroyed much of the city, he gave concerts to create aid for its thousands of homeless. His relationship with Marie d'Agoult, which by that point had produced three children, finally ended. In 1847, while in Kiev, Liszt met Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. Her influence on him was dramatic; she encouraged him to stop touring and, instead, teach and compose, so he could have a more domestic life with her. Liszt gave his final concert for pay at Elisavetgrad in September, and then spent the winter with the princess at her estate in Woronince. Liszt's new works inspired eager pupils to seek his guidance. For the next 10 years, Liszt's radical and innovative works found their way into the concert halls of Europe, winning him staunch followers and violent adversaries. In 1865, Liszt received the tonsure, the traditional haircut kept by monks during that period, and was from then on sometimes called "the Abbé Liszt." On July 31, 1865, he received the four minor orders in the Catholic Church. He continued, however, to work on new compositions, and in later years, he established the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music in Budapest. Liszt's works in his later years were simpler in form, yet more extreme in harmony.

24 TURKEY

Ferit Orhan Pamuk

(born on 7 June 1952 in Istanbul) generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turk- ish novelist. He is also the Robert Yik- Fong Tam Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where he teaches comparative literature and writing. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over seven million books in more than fifty languages, making him the country's best-selling writer. Pamuk is the recipient of numerous literary awards, in- cluding the Nobel Prize in Literature 2006 the first Nobel Prize to be awarded to a Turkish citizen.

Mevlana

"Come, come again, whoever you are, come! Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come! Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times, Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are." ! Mevlana who is also known as Rumi, was a philosopher and mystic of Islam, but not a Muslim of the orthodox type. His doctrine advocates unlimited tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love. To him and to his disciples all religions are more or less truth. Looking with the same eye on Muslim, Jew and Christian alike, his peaceful and tolerant teaching has appealed to men of all sects and creeds. Mevlana was born on 30 September 1207 in Balkh in present day Af- ghanistan. He died on 17 December 1273 in Konya in present day Tur- key. He was laid to rest beside his father and over his remains a splendid shrine was erected. The 13th cen- tury Mevlana Mausoleum with its mosque, dance hall, dervish living quarters, school and tombs of some leaders of the Mevlevi Order continues to this day to draw pilgrims from all parts of the Muslim and non- Muslim world. As expected from a prolific writer as Mevlana was, there are many books that you may like to add to your library. On the right we present you a short list. Please feel free to search for more books and even related music.Have a glimpse of what is waiting to be discovered by reading a selection of Mevlana's verses in Dr. Celalaleddin Celebi's Message of Friendship. Mevlana's books are translated to many languages and are among the best selling books of their sort all over the world. At present, Mevlana, better known there as Rumi, is the "best selling poet" in United States of America. The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks has sold more than a quarter of a million copies and is one of the top 1000 best selling books at Amazon. It is by far the largest selling poem book ever.

25 Romania

Turkey

Hungary

26 ROMANIA

Martisor

Is the common name not too easy to pronounce by foreigners - of the month of March, but also of a custom, which symbolizes that spring has come. To emphasize this event better, an amulet has appeared: first a cod made of two threads of cotton, white and red tied to a pierced gold or silver coin. It was offered to children, girls and women. The col- or red symbolized the blood and life itself, while white, the purity of the sun and the first flowers. The gift was meant to bring health, beauty - in fact the three main conditions of happiness. In the various areas of the country, this custom was kept differently: in some places the people wore this amulet, beginning on March 1, for 9 days until All Saints' Day, in others until Easter. Young girls used to throw the amulet towards the sun so that they might get rid of freckles. Here, in Romania, the first days of spring are inconceivable without the image of "Baba Dochia". Ac- cording to the legend the old lady was said to have worn either 12 or 9 coats, which she began to remove at the beginning of March, usually with changes in the weather. Sunny days were often followed by rain, and occasionally there might even have been some sleet. The legend also tells us that "Baba Dochia" had three special moments of her own: March, 1 - a time for sowing; March, 2 - dedicated to summer's work;finally March, 3 - representing the harvest in the autumn. Depending on how each day's weather turned out, one could expect similar conditions during the three seasons to come. A few, of course, resist the temptation of choosing a "Baba" during these first days of March,for if the day is clear and sunny, it means you are blessed with a pure and kind soul and everything will be good for you. There's another part of the legend concerning the amulet that tells of "Baba Dochia" wandering with her herd through the hills and valleys. Like other Romanian peasant women of that time, she also used her time to spin wool. Upon finding a coin, she made a hole in the coin and passed a thread of wool through it. In time, various symbols began to replace this that initial coin. Today there are dogs an elephants signs of the zodiac butterflies, little hearts and flowers, keys an horseshoes, masks an dwarfs...an endless world in miniature can be created for an amulet until it is finally given on March 1, perhaps with a little bunch of snowdrops or violets

Spring customs

The Romanian spring brings with it, besides the mild wind of revival, the charm of some ancient cus- toms. Easter is definitely the most important of all. Easter and Christmas, in the cold season, offer the most significant events of the Romanian customs. The Christian Church says that Yesus was born during the winter solstice and his death followed by his resurrection happened during the spring equinox, the Easter. Mărţişor is one of the best Romanian traditions, celebrated in the beginning of the Spring, on March 1st. The tradition’s name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian: Martie). The men offer to the women a talisman object also called Mărţişor, consisting of a jewel or a small decoration like a flower, an animal, a heart, tied to a red and white string. There are multiple symbols in this gift, but all of it have three com- mon sense: revival, sensibility, and the care for the women. The gift is considered to bring good luck and wealth. Some consider the red as the symbol of the Spring, and the white for Winter, the tradition taking place right between the two seasons. In another version, the two colors represent the love and the sincerity. This symbols fit better with the early Spring flowers associated with this tradition, especially the snowdrops. There are archeological proves that the tradition is over 8 thousands years old. It was celebrated by Getas, and it is found in the celebration of Mars as the protector of the fertility and vegetation, as well as in the celebration of the Marsyas Silen god by the Dacians. The Dacian women use coins and little stones tied to red and white wool wires, for wealth and fertility.Similar traditions can be found in Balkans, especially in Bulgaria (the tradition is called Martenitsa - Мартеница), Macedonia and Albania.

27 ROMANIA Romanian annual traditions

Within South Eastern Europe however, Romania preserved a significant number of traditional customs and celebrations manifest within the strong community of the village. Ceremonies dedicated to the signif- icant moments of one's life (birth, wedding, death), to natural cycles (such as solstice, equinox, harvest, springtime) or to the big religious celebrations, follow the same archaic mythical rituals they did a thou- sand years ago. Even though preformed at the end of the 20th century in villages marked by moderniza- tion, such traditional rites haven't diminish their prestige. They still provide viable answers to how to live in harmony with the environment and community, that the present social and economical system cannot furnish. As a result of the historical time we live, most forms of traditional community life slowly van- ished from the post-industrial civilizations of this century.During winter solstice, when the sun is weak and frost and dryness take over, Romanian peasants conceived ceremonies to help the Sun and Nature to overcome this "temporary crisis." For 12 days between Christmas and St. John on January 7th, all Roma- nian villages have specific celebrations, starting with children's caroling on Christmas eve: Mos Ajun or Buna Dimineata (Good Morning).

Well spread throughout Romanian countryside is the caroling of the Ceata de feciori (the Young Fellows Crew). In Transylvania, Banat, Maramures, and also in Wallachia and Dobruja, young bachelors in groups of 6 to 25, go caroling around the village for 3 days. Irrespective of the time of the day, they are expected by the villagers with lots of food and their porch lights on at night time. These carols are con- sidered to be some of the most valuable works of poetry in Eastern Europe. New Year's is another period of festivities. Augural time, the night of December 31st puts forth dances with masks, divination, foretelling, and magic. The caroling repertoire is vast. Besides ritual songs such as Plugusor (little plough), Buhai (traditional drum), Capra (goat dance), Ursul (bear dance), there are carols for each category of individuals within the community (old, very young, young, newly weds, ready to marry, young parents, families without children, etc), for each profession (shepherd, farmer, bucket makers, soldiers), or for specific regions (such as Jiu dwellers). In certain villages, we can find gatherings as large as 100 people of smaller young fellows' crews singing together on the streets (Bukovinan Malan- ca). In Moldova, the choreography, costumes and ritual dances during the caroling festivities represent a genuine work of art.

April and May festivities are connected to agricultural or sheep raising practices: Tilling Day (Maramures) or Choosing of the King (Transylvania), celebrating the first farmer to finish tilling and sowing. Similarly, Sheep Day or Milk Measuring celebrations (Banat and Transylvania) mark the mov- ing of the sheep flocks up on the mountain to spend the summer.

Around the summer solstice and coinciding with the Christian celebrations of Rusalii (Pentecost) and St. John Day's, Romanians traditionally practiced two ritual ceremonies dedicated to good crops and land fertility: Calusul, a dance performed by a special group of men (esp. in the Olt region and Wallachia) and Sanzienile and Dragaica, the Romanian versions of Midsummer's Day, with ritual dancing and singing by a group of young girls.

Harvesting is another time of celebration, thanksgiving, and preparation for the next crop. A symbolic wheat crown or braid is put in a special place next to the icons, their grains being later mixed with next crop's seeds. In the Saxon land, such a harvesting festivity is knows as Chirvai (kir-vy): a time when the community drinks from the sweet grape juice, parties, feasts and dances. Other types of festivities are Hramuri and Nedei. An old tradition from Moldova and Northern Transyl- vania, hramuri represents the day to celebrate the patron saint of a particular church. Closer or more re- mote villages come in a procession to that church, while the hosting village organizes a big communal feasts. September 8th, the hram of St Mary, is the day when the caldarari Roma get together to the church of Costesti (Valcea county) and when they also delimit their clans and territories and display their pos- sessions.

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Sprinkling

The old tradition is shown on the first two pictures. These photos here show folk costumes that people wear just for special occasions today. Today women wear casual dresses for sprinkling, not folk costumes. Also, men sprinkle with cologne, not with water. A couple of decades ago men poured water on women in rural areas and women changed their clothes after each sprinkling. Boys often dragged girls to the well and poured water on them with pail. Sometimes they washed them in creek. The possible reason for this very old tradition is that people believed in the cleaning, healing and fertility effect of water. Easter is a 2-day holiday in Hungary. On Monday boys and men visit all of their women relatives, friends, neighbors, often even if they are not close friends. Boys in small groups, fathers with their sons, or single men leave early in the morning and their "tour" last all day long. They greet girls and women with shorter - longer poems (mostly with a funny poem about "Eastern sprinkling") and sprinkle them with cologne. Women must be well-prepared, they treat men with dessert and beverages - and with hand-painted eggs. Women usually prepare in the previous days by cleaning up the house thoroughly, decorating, cooking and painting a couple dozen eggs. There is a competition among young girls - who gets the most "sprinklers" wins. It is a shame if the girl is not ready early morning when the first visitor rings the bell. The result? Women wear more then a dozen of different colognes by Monday evening, and sometimes the alcoholic beverages are harmful for men also. Many times, sprinkling continues on the next day in the working places and we, women wait the evening desperately to wash our hair.

Folk traditions

Hungary is a land of particularly rich folk heritage. Folk culture is not only preserved in museums, however - traditions live on in many of Hungary's small villages, kept alive by local communities, and even modern-day city-dwellers do things that might surprise you first. Hungary is very diverse when it comes to rural architecture, craftsmanship, folk music and dance. The black pottery of Mohács, the opulence of the embroidery of Matyó and Kalocsa, the delicacy of the Halas lacework – they all tell the distinct story of the locals. For a piece of living tradition, head to the beautifully preserved village of Hollokó, that's actually a world heritage site . What makes Hollókő really special is that it hasn't been turned into an open-air museum – it's a living village with locals leading a tradition-bound life. Of course there are other small villages where locals keep up their centuries-old traditions. A secret tip: visit Hollókő in the spring – Easter celebrations bring out the most of this beautiful little village. Pottery, central to the folk culture of the Hungarians, is kept alive at the small villages of the Őrség and the Hortobágy regions. At Easter, boys sprinkle girls with perfume while citing one of the funny little poems written for these occasions. According to the tradition, women who are not ‘watered' will fade away – boys couldn't let that happen, could they? In old times, it used to be a bucket of cold water, however today it's a tamer version that's in use. Part of the Easter celebrations (and a favourite among kids) is the painting of eggs. In some regions egg-painting developed into an art form of its own, with local motifs scratched into and embroidered onto the egg – and guess what, sometimes eggs are even adorned with tiny horse shoes. Weddings in Hungary have their own choreography and traditions as well, of course. The wedding procession is particularly important and is usually followed by the whole village. The bridal dance is supposed to ensure the young couple's financial stability – guests have to pay to take the bride to dance. Breaking glasses will drive bad ghosts away, and by cleaning up the mess together the young couple can demonstrate how well they can cooperate. Oh, and don't be surprised if the bride gets stolen. The young husband has to perform some tasks to get her back... And believe it or not, thereis no other event in Hungary where more pálinka is drank than a wedding.

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Hungarian's Cultural Traits

The Hungarian culture is diverse and varied, diverging from Budapest to the eastern and western borders of the country. Hungarian people are known to respect women, elders as well as ancestors. Being God fearing people, Hungarians do not fear death, believing it is nature’s destiny. They do not believe in mysticism or life after death. Hungarians are artistic people, known for wide interest in music, poetry, literature, art, chess, science, and mathematics. They give wide recognition to talent and appreciate talent, humor, knowledge and sensitivity. Hungarians are very intelligent people who have contributed greatly to the world in many areas such as science, arts, music and technology. Zoltan Kodály, Béla Bartok, Franz Liszt, Victor Vasarely, Estee Lauder, Albert Szent-Györgyi and Joseph Pulitzer are just a few names of the long list of famous Hungarians. Hungarians consider themselves very talented in sports, and they are indeed. They out stand in fencing, wrestling, pentathlon, swimming, water polo and canoeing.

Hungarian Traditions and Beliefs

Hungarian people believe in strong familial values. It would not be wrong to say that family is the center of the Hungarian social structure, providing both financial and emotional support for its members. In Hungary, generations of extended family support each other and live together, with the family comprising biological parents, grandparents, and usually two children. Hungarian people invest time and emotions in nurturing a long-term friendship relationship. They feel one person cannot take the place of another. You can count on your Hungarian friend at any time of the day and they would expect the same commitment from you. Personal relationships are in fact seen as “social capital.” They expect friends to share intimate personal details with each other. If you are in Hungary and become friends with a Hungarian, do not be surprised if you are asked personal questions, as this is part of the familiarizing process. They would not feel shy in sharing even their romantic life with their friends. They believe personal chemistry facilitates many tasks, making lives bearable and even enjoyable at times. Hungarian women are dedicated mothers and wives brought up with traditional values about taking care of family. They are excellent bakers and experts in culinary arts. Traditional Hungarian women basically postpone their professional career to stay home bringing up their kids until their offspring are at kindergarten age. ( 3 years old)

Customs and Etiquette in Hungary

If a Hungarian invites you to their home, bring a box of chocolates, liquor or flowers as a gift for your host and their kids. Do not feel shocked or offensive if your host asks you to remove your footwear outside before entering the house, it is a habit and it is very normal here. Hungarian people are known for their punctuality. Arrive on time for a dinner to a Hungarian’s home. However, if you are invited to a party in Hungary, ensure that you are not late than 30 minutes. Bringing flowers is considered auspicious in Hungary, but Hungarians do not like to receive lilies, or chrysanthemums.

30 TURKEY National Festivals The only traditional element in the official ceremonies of these festivals (the 30th Au- gust Victory Festival, the Re- bublic Festival, the Liberation Festival and so on) which are enthusiastically celebrated in cities and towns is the partici- pation of seymens (heroes and dancers from central Anatolia) and zeybeks (the swashbuck- ling hero of southwestern An- atolian villages) in the celebra- tions with their special cos- tumes. After the official cere- monies are over, however, in some places workers and artisans gather in the city or municipality hall and organize special entertainments until the late hours of the night, and these entertainments lend a special significance to the festivals. Drums and zurnas are played in these celebrations. Small towns in Anatolia have their own folk dances, but in big cities like Istanbul or Ankara these ceremonies turn into a festival of folk dancing. In many places on national holidays, wrestling matches or races are held after the official ceremonies. In recent years, political parties have organized many entertainments with music on national holidays in order to increase the excitement while competing with other parties. Thus, festival traditions are also sub- ject to a process of change.

30 August Victory Day

Victory Day is a national holiday that is recognized on 30 August and is celebrated throughout the coun- try. Its origins date back to a battle that began on 26 August 1922 when Greek troops invaded Turkey. The invasion was successfully repelled and the battle ended just four days later on 30 August.It is still a day of national pride on which the country's armed forces lay wreaths at the Ataturk Mausoleum, acknowledging the role Mustafa Kemal Ataturk played in founding the country.

29th October Republic Day

Republic Day is celebrated on 29 October and marks the day in 1923 when Turkey's constitution was changed, freeing it from the grasp of the Ottoman Empire, to become a republic. The day is a national holiday throughout the country and ceremonies and events take place to honour the founder of the republic and the country's first prime minister, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

31 TURKEY Children’s Day

This national day (23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day) in Turkey is a unique event. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation. It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, Ataturk started his task of establishing the institutions of the new state. Over the next eight years, Ataturk and his followers adopted sweeping reforms to create a modern Turkey, divorced from her Ottoman past. In unprecedented moves, he dedicated the sovereignty day to the children and entrusted in the hands of the youth the protection of this sovereignty and independence. Every year, the children in Turkey celebrate this "Sovereignty and Children's Day" as a national holiday. Schools participate in week-long ceremonies marked by performances in all fields in large stadiums watched by the entire nation. Among the activities on this day, the children send their representatives to replace state officials and high ranking bureaucrats in their offices. The President, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Ministers, provincial governors all turn over their positions to children's representatives. These children, in turn, sign executive orders relating to educational and environmental policies. On this day, the children also replace the parliamentarians in the Grand National Assembly and hold a special session to discuss matters concerning children's issues. Over the last two decades, the Turkish officials have been working hard to internationalize this important day. Their efforts resulted in large number of world states' sending groups of children to Turkey to participate in the above stated festivities. During their stay in Turkey, the foreign children are housed in Turkish homes and find an important opportunity to interact with the Turkish kids and learn about each other's countries and cultures. The foreign children groups also participate in the special session of the Grand National Assembly. This results in a truly international Assembly where children pledge their commitment to international peace and brotherhood. The date commemorates the opening of Turkish National Assembly in 1920 during the Turkish Independence War. The designation of Children’s Day came in 1929 upon the recommendation of the Institution of Children’s Protection. Since 1986 the Turkish government organizes an international children’s festival on April 23. On April 23rd of every year, children in Turkey celebrate this "Sovereignty and Children''''s Day" as a national holiday, and is celebrated by citizens troughout the country during ceremonies preceding the day. Among the activities on this day, children from all around Turkey gather in the capital city, Ankara, and they replace the selected members of the Grand National Assembly. They have an elected president and prime minister and they govern Turkey for one day in order to emphasize the importance of the children in the society. Traditionally since 1986, children come to Turkey to represent their country of origin to children of the world with artistic performances. They're housed in Turkish homes and can meet with Turkish children. The groups of foreign children also participate in the special session held at the Grand National Assembly. Turkish people hope these children will remember the day for their lives and will contribute to a bound with other cultures. The internationalisation is thus aimed toward Turkey's principle of,”peace at home, peace in the world”, and "Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the people". The importance of April 23th is recognised by UNESCO since 1992, as the International Children's Day.

32 Romania

Turkey

Hungary

33 ROMANIA The first project meeting, Suceava and Ostra

The first project meeting was organized by the two Romanian institutions, between 7th and 12th October 2013, in Suceava and Ostra, and it brought together the four partner institutions. There were three partici- pants from Hungary and two from Turkey, there were also participants from the two Romanian schools. The activities that were designed for the meeting con- sisted in round tables, working meetings, lessons and outdoor activities, both in Suceava and Ostra. Apart from this, cultural activities were organized, aiming to offer the partners an overview about the Bukovina cus- toms and traditions, cuisine, folklor and social life. A cultural trip in the region was organized, in order to show the participanyts some aspects that can be valor- ized within outdoor activities with the pupils of any age. Mrs. Rodica Zimbru, the project coordinator said: „This type of activities organized within the pro- ject meetings help us see where the education in our countries is situated among the education in other for- eign countries, also they offer us models to follow, as- pects to improve in our educational sistem.” The project encourages teachers and pupils work together in order to develop their communication compe- tencies related to the outdoor education and valorizes sim- ilarties and differences between the partner countries’ traditions and life style, education, culture, encouraging friendship, tolerance and democracy. One of the most important and also interesting activity in the project meeting was a ceremony of planting trees in Ostra forest, which was done using ground and water brought by the Turkish and Hungarian partners from their countries. This was a way to emphasize the strong link between the partners along the project life. The other lessons and activities organized in Ostra were related to: round table with the mayor of the village, visit in the church, picnic in the forest, games and cultural activities with the pupils there. „This project will bring an added value to the education done in our schools” concluded Mrs. Rodi- ca Zimbru, who expressed her happiness for the fact that with this project, School no 10 Suceava has been involved in six Comenius partnerships during the last 10 years, two of them being Comenius Regio.

34 HUNGARY

The second project meeting was organized in Debrecen, Hungary, be- tween 26th April and 4th May 2014, and it was designed for teachers and pupils as well. There were eight teachers and nine pupils from Scoa- la Gimnaziala nr. 10 Suceava, also eight teachers and nine pupils from Scoala Ostra, eight teachers and eight pupils from the Turkish part- ner school, Aydin Anadolu Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi, and many pupils from Kindergarten Görgey Utcai Ovada, Debrecen. The activities started on Monday, 26th April, with many outdoor activities and games organized in the kindergarten’s park, then with some lessons indoor, which were focused on developing children’s creativi- ty, imagination and decision mak- ing. The main way to do all these activities was playing games, activi- ty that is specific to the small chil- dren, but they were also suitable for the other participants. Some other types of outdoor educa- tion were organized, such as: visit at the University National Library from Debrecen, visit at the Botanic Garden, opening the summer school, cultural evening with Turkish and Romanian specific folklor. Another very interesting outdoor activity was the visit in the Hortobagy Nemzety park, where the participants could see how animals were kept in their natural environment and how much care people take of them. There were also some very nice demonstration of riding horses, cattle of animals and other nice activites, including workshops, such as pottery and leather brace- lets. The next day a trip to Debrecen was organized, aiming to offer an over- view about the Hungarian life style, the city’s architecture, some histori- cal information about representative buildings in the town. Then, a cultural evening was organized, with music and dance. The last two days were allo- cated to outdoor activities in the Aqua Park in Hajduszoboszlo and to have some history lessons by visiting Budapest. It was a great experience and we really feel the project fulfilled its aims with these activities. (written by Rodica Zimbru, project coordnator)

35 HUNGARY In the framework of the Comenius School Partnerships within the Lifelong Learning Programme designed by the European Union the Kindergarten has joined a project that had „Learning about our World” as its central topic. This topic is closely connected to the aims and duties set out in the institution’s teaching programme. Between 27 April and 4 May 2014 the Görgey Street Kindergarten organized the second project meeting. The meeting was preceded by several month of meticulous preparation to be able to provide a pleasant stay and nice memories for our guests. Our task was to organize a summer school where children not only have a good time but they learn something at the same time. It was a challenge in particular for us that children in differ- ent age categories were arriving from our partner institution (aged between 12 and 18) . For the opening ceremony of the project meeting the children of the Sunflower Group gave a short performance. After the speeches of Edit Erdélyi leader of the kindergarten and Rodica Zimbru coordinator (Suceava-Románia) our guests had the chance to take a glance into the everyday life of our kindergarten and its groups. Gifts were waiting for them in the groups and they could join the activities there. After a delicious lunch the teachers were invited to a workshop while the students could take a walk at the Botanical garden. In the course of the workshop the partners presented the implemented tasks and the future tasks were also assigned. We onganized several extra programmes for our partners. They could get acquainted with the beauties of the Hortobágy, visited the Wild Animal Park and rode a cart too. The two senior groups of our Kindergarten (Sunflower and Ladybird) also took part in this outing. In a sightseeing tour our guests could learn about the history of Debrecen. The teachers and students had to solve different riddles and in the end they received a diploma. As the aim of the programme is getting to know different cultures we found it important to know more about the other partners, thus all the three institutions prepared a short show and presented them us. At the closing 24 stu- dents and 25 teachers thanked for the nice days, rich programmes and hospitability. Our kindergarten students expressed their opinion about the project meeting with placing smiley stickers next to the photos taken during the meeting. Employees of the kindergar- ten said the followings about their participation in the project: “I think the project can bring professional development and wider world view that could have significant impact on our future work”. “Similarities and differences appear in our cultures, lifestyles and eating habits. The suc- cess of the project lies in the fact that we not only get an insight to kindergarten life but to schools and education systems as well”. At the course of the project meetings we learnt that children from different age catego- ries in the 4 institutions love playing. By differentiating plays and games we managed to make them enjoyable for older children as well. All these games proved that the love of nature and outdoor activities are important to be brought to children at a young age. The conditions in or kindergarten are given for this goal as for or partners in the project it is still a task to provide these conditions. If we can manage to make outdoor learning possi- ble, we can let the children solve the tasks by themselves. Thus we can develop creativi- ty and personal skills in them. For us the project meant novelty, innovation and the path to European integration. (written by the Hungarian team)

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Expert’s Report

During their stay at Hortobágy National Park children from the Görgey Street Kindergarten and guest students of the Come- nius Programme had the chance to take part in handicraft activi- ties. The activities were mainly instructed by artists and former students of Nádudvar Folk Craft School. They worked with ma- terials from the Hungarian Puszta environment (clay, wool, tex- tile and wood) and learned how to use them when making simple works of art. After these activities children could try out folk games. In the other station of the outing at the Wild Animal Park they could have an insight to the Puszta fauna before hu- man expansion. Through hidden obstacles children could experi- ence the closeness of animals. The different species and some in- teresting moments of the Park’s work were presented by a muse- um educator. All in all, the natural and built environment and the showplaces of the Hortobágy National Park provided common experience for the participants. Despite all the borders, language obstacles and differences in the ages of children this place made them under- stand and learn more about different cultures.

László Lisztes officer of tourism at Hortobágy National Park Directorate The Craftmens' Yard of Hortobágy Education and Tourism Deparment Hortobágy National Park Visitor Center

37 HUNGARY Kids’ evaluation

38 TURKEY The third project meeting was organized in Aydin, Turkey, between 22nd and 27th September 2014, where eight teachers and three pupils from Suceava, the same number of participants from Ostra and seven teachers from Görgey Utcai Óvoda got involved into the activities organized by the hosting institution, Aydın Anadolu Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi. As mentioned in some other occasions, this project is granted by the European Commission within the LLP program. The proposed activities within the project meeting consisted in round tables, lessons, outdoor activities, cultural visits, exchanging information and good prac- tices, workshops. One of the most interesting one was Ebru art demonstration. Ebru is a very old tradition- al art from Turkey, which is also called the “patience art”, because those who do all the water-pictures have to be patient, very attentive, creative and to use all their skills in order to finalize an artistic painting. Among the other activities, th visits to Tralles and Ephesus were the most interesting. This is be- cause the local history is related to the Roman period, that places are full of authentic history who

changed Minor Asia’s and Eu- rope’s face hun- dred years ago. The participants also planted some trees in the schoolyard: an olive tree, symbol of the local history, a fig tree, symbol of Aydin, an ornamental pine, sent by School Ostra within the “traveling box”, which was still preserving the Christmas ornaments, as it was sent in December. Within the visit in Ephesus, one of the place to visit was the House of Virgin Mother, a sacred place in which it is supposed that Virgin Mother lived in the last period of her life. Then, the participants visited Pamukkale, a very nice place with thermal baths and water. This is some- thing very specific for Turkey, and such places made it so wanted as a place for holidays. The next meeting will be held in Suceava and Ostra, in April 2015, and during the project meeting, a sum- mer school and a final conference will be organized by the hosting schools.

39 ROMANIA The last project meeting, Suceava and Ostra

The last project meeting was held in Suceava and Ostra, between 19 and 26 April 2015. There were 7 participants from Hungary, two teachers and 4 pu- pils from Turkey. The activities were designed for two days in Ostra, where the participants developed a lot of out- door activities, participated into les- sons, round tables and worksops, plant- ed flowers in the school garden. The weather was nor quite proper, it snowed, but even so, the small children came outside the school and planted flowers. The pupils there showed the audience how to prepare 3D trees from wire, how to work with Origami. After that, the participants went to a cottage in the forest, where they played games, learned about the forest, visited the planted trees from the previous year and had fun. Then, the activities moved to Suceava. The host school organized outdoor lessons, workshops and many educational activities relates to the project. After that, a cultural visit was organized to Sucevita monastery and Cacica salt cave. It was a very interest- ing experience for the participants, because it was an opportunity to learn from the nature how to benefit from it. Anoth- er outdoor activity was a history lesson in Neamt Citadel, where around 70 pupils from the school got involved. The most interesting aspect was the title of the project made by the hu- mans. Back to school, a friendship tree was planted in the schoolyard. The last part of the meeting was allocated to the Conference “Outdoor education, an alternative to education for life”, orga- nized on 25th April, in Gloria Hotel. Its objectives were to valor- ize and disseminate the experiences and good practices from the project. More than 85 participants from the partner schools and from the country participated, and its product was a book contain- ing the most relevant aspects of outdoor education, in each school level. “By the end of the project, we consider that its objectives were fulfilled, and all its products were done, as designed in the application form, For thisn reason, we consider the project a great added value to the education offered in the partner schools and not only”, concluded the project coordinator, Mrs. Rodica Zimbru.

40 ROMANIA

Students’outdoor activities Heirs of folklore The artistic group "flower piece"-consisting of a vocal group, a popular dance band and a group of instrumentalists, through their artistic act, popular cultural richness present in the area and contribute to the preservation of tradi- tional folklore; claimed numerous performances where he earned awards and accolades.

Circle of painting on glass "Budding Artists" - seeks the involvement of students in the Act of artistic creation, developing the visual perception, the ability to receive and reproduce an image, the sense of aesthetic and plastic. The predominant theme is the icon on the bottom which is charac- terized by a naïve, close to children, a chromatic sensitivity, expressiveness of the design; students ' works are brought together in the exhibition in the school.

The celebration of important events School-class performances- in our school are numerous celebrations, carnivals, during some days with meaningful, tradi- tional events: 1 December, Winter Holi- days, January 24, March 1, March 8, April 1, the celebration of the ending first class, end of the school year.

We know the country Ostra School organized excursions and sightseeing trips to knowledge, cultural, historical and natural country. They have a complex role in the education of students: - Learn to be sensitive to the beauties of nature and the changing world. - Appreciate the values of the past and history. - Have valences of information and education of students, contributing to the completion of the educational process by anchoring directly ex- plored the natural and social environment. - Contribute to the enrichment of knowledge and generate feelings of appreciation to the generations that preceded us and love of country.

Knowing the world through handmade items

The activities of the creative circle-applicative technical help to estab- lish the socio-affective relationships between children, and work in cooperation development team, to their socialization. The realization of works in which the child has free hand ', leading to the development of creativity and aesthetic sense. Business practice represents the basis for the formation of each child for work and life. Along with other subjects, has an important role in shaping the human personality. The works completed were exhibited in an exhibition on the school's lobby.

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This publication is the result of the partnership between:

 Scoala Gimnaziala Ostra, Romania  Görgey Utcai Óvoda, Debrecen, Hungary  Anadolu Teknik ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi, Aydin, Turkey  Scoala Gimnaziala no. 10, Suceava, Romania within the Multilateral Comenius project “TAKING EDUCATION OUTDOORS” developed by the four schools between 2013 - 2015.

It was realized with the support of the project teams from the above mentioned schools, who provided information and photos related to the activities they performed within the project, along the school year 2013 - 2015.

Designer, editor and techno redactor,

ELENA MASICHEVICI,

project coordinator on behalf of

School Ostra, Suceava,

Romania