The Mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, and the Director of the Department of Culture, Ivan Liptuga, met with Ernst Woller, the first president of the Vienna Parliament, and Alena Sirka-Bred, head of the Office for European and International Relations of Vienna, during a working visit.
Odessa and Vienna have maintained fruitful partnerships over the years, developing their relations in the fields of culture and heritage preservation.
During the meeting, Mr. Woller shared Vienna's experience in preserving architecture and monuments, as well as its management system for the UNESCO World Heritage site, the «Historic Centre of Vienna».
He emphasized that preserving history is crucial for future generations in every city and country.
Austria has gone through challenging periods in its history, yet it has managed to retain its architecture, culture, and art, sometimes altering the context surrounding certain historical figures while always preserving the achievements of past generations.
«Vienna is rightly considered a world capital of culture and art, while also winning top prizes in smart city innovation competitions,» said Mr. Woller.
As Gennady Trukhanov noted, Odessa is a Ukrainian city of culture, literature, and music. Today, we are also connected to Vienna through the «Golden Violins of Odessa» festival, which will take place for the tenth time this year.
«It is very pleasing that our anniversary festival «Golden Violins of Odessa» will be held in the capital of Austria. Of course, Vienna's experience in balancing heritage preservation and urban development is invaluable for Odessa, which is currently working on managing its World Heritage site amid the war,» emphasized Gennady Trukhanov.
