Organised by Hungary’s Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the Season of Hungarian and Serbian Culture was ceremonially opened on 22 September 2025, in the Serbian Ecclesiastical Museum of Szentendre.
During the festive programme, those in attendance were greeted by Balázs Hankó, Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation, Nikola Selaković, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, State Secretary Eszter Vitályos, Spokesperson of the Government of Hungary, and His Excellency Lukijan, Metropolitan of Buda. In his speech, the Metropolitan Lukijan highlighted the importance of the fact that this major cultural event commenced precisely in the Serbian Ecclesiastical Museum of Szentendre, a place where the invaluable spiritual and cultural heritage of the Serbian people of Hungary is kept. He stressed that Szentendre is not only the city of cultural monuments but also a witness to centuries of Serbo-Hungarian coexistence and a symbol of lasting friendly ties between the two peoples. The festivities were also preceded by a bilateral meeting of the Ministries of Culture of Hungary and Serbia, held on the premises of the Serbian Ecclesiastical Museum.
The ceremonial programme was attended by Borije Blagojević, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic Serbia, Her Excellency Aleksandra Đurović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Hungary, Dr Jovánka Lásztity, President of the National Self-Government of Serbs in Hungary, Lyubomir Alexov, Serbian Representative in the National Assembly of Hungary, representatives of Serbian institutions in Hungary, a wide range of cultural and public figures prominent in the life of Hungary’s Serbs and a large number of journalists.
The artistic section of the programme was made memorable by the performance of vocal singers Branka Bašić and Afrodité Elizavet Radisz, while the good spirits of the audience in the museum court were provided by the high-quality folk-dance show of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble.