Exhibition: Around the World in 99 Years

Our latest exhibition, Around the World in 99 Years, will be on view in the Main Square throughout the festival. Drawing on photographs and concise accompanying texts, it traces Otto von Habsburg’s ninety-nine years from the Monarchy, through exile and the world wars, to his service of European unity. His personal fate, travels across continents, and wide-ranging public engagement also bring into focus the historical turning points of the twentieth century.

The Valley of Arts and our namesake are also linked by the summer of 1989. That year saw the launch of the festival, while Central Europe was experiencing its annus mirabilis: as President of the Paneuropean Union, Otto von Habsburg was the patron of the Pan-European Picnic, the temporary opening of the Hungarian–Austrian border that heralded the dawn of a new era in the history of the divided continent. Now held for the thirty-fifth time, this 10-day all-arts festival is one of Hungary’s most important spaces for encounter, dialogue, and cultural diversity, and provides an apt setting for showcasing a life shaped by a commitment to European cohesion and shared responsibility.

The exhibition can be visited with a Valley of Arts ticket or pass; tickets and further information are available through the event’s official channels. We hope that this journey, spanning almost a century and numerous continents, will form a meaningful addition to this year’s Valley programme and bring the key milestones of our namesake’s life and intellectual heritage closer to new audiences.