At Mount Fortress Corridor yesterday, on the 25th of November, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government held the opening ceremony of European Splendour: Photo Exhibition of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in European Union Member States. Attending the ceremony were the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Mr. Cheong U; the Deputy Director of the Departmentof Culture and Education ofthe Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Mr. Li Zhengqiao; the Vice-commissionerfrom the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the MacauS.A.R., Mr. Song Yenbin; the Consul-General of the Republic of Poland, Mr. Przemyslaw M. Jenke; the Head of the Political Section of the Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macao, Mr. Asad Beg; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Mr. Ung Vai Meng; Member of the Cultural Consultative Committee Architect Carlos Marreiros and the Honourable President of the Institute of European Studies of Macau, Mr. José Luís de Sales Marques.
The photographs in the exhibition reveal essential characteristics and customs from the countries they depict and allow the viewer to become better acquainted with some of Europe's extraordinary World Heritage Sites.
A total of 42 extraordinary images of heritage sites in 14 European Union member states are on display in the exhibition. The photographs portray various historic city centres, natural sites and architectural treasures, including the Historic Centre of Graz, the Historic Centre of Prague, Old Rauma, the Grand-Place in Brussels, the Pilgrimage Church in Wies, the Archaeological Site of Delphi, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay, Venice and its lagoon, the Amsterdam Canal Houses, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, the Rock Carvings in Tanum and Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites.
The Consulates General of the European Union Member States in Hong Kong and Macao decided to share these images of their prestigious heritage sites with the public in Hong Kong and Macao. Organised during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the exhibition is the result of joint efforts and co-operation between the EU and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government.
This event provides a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the grandeur of sites protected as cultural heritage in Europe.
The exhibition runs from 26 November 2011 to 29 January 2012, in the Mount Fortress Corridor of Macao, and is open daily from 7am to 7pm. Admission is free.