The Region of Perg-Strudengau will provide the setting for the Festival of the Regions 2019. With its 24 municipalities in southeast Mühlviertel, the region brings together a multitude of different landscapes and living spaces. A breathtakingly beautiful region extends from the south with its fertile, meadowy landscape to the north with its soft, forested knolls. […]
The Region of Perg-Strudengau will provide the setting for the Festival of the Regions 2019. With its 24 municipalities in southeast Mühlviertel, the region brings together a multitude of different landscapes and living spaces. A breathtakingly beautiful region extends from the south with its fertile, meadowy landscape to the north with its soft, forested knolls. The everyday lives of people in Perg-Strudengau are shaped in many ways by the preservation of natural resources, the fostering of the regional identity and community through an openness to both new things and newcomers (zuagroaste), as well as through economic collaborations. With the “Region Of Awareness,” consisting of the three municipalities of Mauthausen, Langenstein, and St. Georgen an der Gusen, the region also actively and critically grapples with Austria’s darkest historical period. The Festival of the Regions 2019 will link all of these facets of regional history together for developing a touching, sensorial collective account of togetherness.
With the topic of “social warmth,” the festival focuses on a current sociopolitical issue. As a counterpoint to the widespread claims of “social coldness,” we want to give the stage to togetherness, empathy, and respect. Many of the festival’s projects will be developed with locals from the region. By allowing oneself to become engaged in something, taking part, getting infected, and being touched by other people’s life stories, we break down our personal boundaries and are able to open our eyes so that we can see the people standing in front of us. When enemies become friends, there is no longer space for coldness. That concerns interpersonal relationships just as much as it does lawmaking and politics.
In accordance with the festival motto, we are making an effort regarding inclusivity on all levels. We offer translations in Austrian sign language and the greatest possible barrier-free accessibility regarding both spaces and media. By using the “pay-as-you-can” principle, we are trying to make it possible for everyone to partake in the festival regardless of their “buying power,” because for us, the access to art and culture is a human right!
