THE EXHIBITION OPENING OF THE EUROPEAN TRAM DRIVERS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
This summer, Oradea hosted the European Tram Drivers Championship. Photographs taken during the event were featured in an exhibition that opened on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at 11:30 AM, in the Oradea City Museum section of the Criș Land Museum, part of a larger museum complex. The exhibition, dedicated to Oradea City Day, was organized by the International Association "Euro Foto Art" (AIEFA) in collaboration with Summit Agro Romania, Oradea Transport Local S.A., and the CrișLand Museum Oradea. For this special occasion, 72 photographs adorned the walls of Romania's oldest Permanent Gallery of Photographic Art, the "Euro Foto Art" Gallery, which functions as the Exhibition Center of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), recognized by UNESCO. These works were captured by photographers Nicolae Meseșan, Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, and Csíki János. The entire collection can also be viewed online at Euro Foto Art. A large audience attended the event, welcomed by Dr. Ionuț Ciorba, head of the museum section. He expressed gratitude to the International Association "Euro Foto Art" for bringing exhibitions from around the globe to Oradea and for preparing this display focused on a unique European event hosted in the city. Teams from cities such as Barcelona, Basel, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Debrecen, Dresden, Dublin, Florence, Gothenburg, Hanover, Košice, Kyiv, Leipzig, Málaga, Oslo, Oradea, Prague, Nuremberg, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Szeged, Vienna, Warsaw, and Zagreb participated in the championship. Dr. Cristina Liana Pușcaș, a museologist, highlighted in her speech that Oradea has a history of public transportation spanning 117 years. The first means of public transport debuted in 1870, with horse-drawn omnibuses running between the Central Railway Station and the Oradea Theater. Electrified public transport began on April 25, 1906. Today, Oradea takes pride in its modern public transport system. Photographer artist Ștefan Tóth István AFIAP, ESFIAP, president of AIEFA and curator of the exhibition, commended the excellent collaboration with OTL SA, which enabled AIEFA's exhibitions to be displayed on modern screens within the city’s public transport vehicles. Engineer Adrian Revnic, general director of OTL SA, provided insights into the organization of the jubilee edition of the European Tram Drivers Championship in Oradea. Vice Mayor Antonia Nica, representing Mayor Florin Birta, expressed pride in Oradea's modern transport fleet, stating that it rivals those of many European cities. The exhibition's opening was accompanied by musical performances by violist Thurzó Sándor József, representing the "Duo Sola Fide" Cultural Group from Oradea. His repertoire included "Miniature No. 1" by C. Almeida, "German Dance" by K.D. von Dittersdorf, "Menuet and Musette" by Ch. Hampe, and "Miniature No. 2"by C. Almeida. The exhibition, celebrating the 15th anniversary of AIEFA, will remain open to the public at the Oradea City Museum section until November 4, 2023. Visitors are welcome from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Additionally, the exhibited works will be shown on the city’s public transport screens, made possible through a protocol established between AIEFA and OTL SA.