Danube Day 2012

GERMANY
For the 1500 visitors to Bavaria’s Action Weekend, the Danube swim and riverside rock concert provided some relief from soaring daytime temperatures. Baden-Württemberg‘s ‘Heimattage’, marking the hand-over of the Wolterdingen Dam, attracted an estimated 30,000 people and an international line-up entertained at Ulm’s festival.

SLOVENIA
Over 1000 pupils used their artistic and scientific skills in three competitions, vying to become national ‘Art Masters’, ‘water detectives’ and top journalists. Rapper Zlatko performed at the Environment Ministry’s ‘You Are My River’ final, where young eco-reporters investigated water’s role in food production.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Ekotim, organisers of Bosnia’s ‘Danube Art Master’ contest, relayed Danube Day messages to thousands via radio interviews. Three Sarajevo friends won first prize for their colourful and innovative bird feeders made from bottles found along the river.

AUSTRIA
The MS Negrelli brought Danube Day to 5000 Upper and Lower Austrians and featured in Linz’s river festival. A big hit was having your photo taken to form part of a giant salmon mosaic! The ‘fish of faces’ was unveiled by Minister Doris Mures and Vienna Councillor Ulli Sima. Over 1500 teenagers took up the Lebensministerium-Coca-Cola ‘Danube Challenge’.

CROATIA
Cross-border and cross-sector cooperation took centre-stage. The Sava Commission Youth Parliament involved Croatians, Slovenes, Serbians and Bosnians. Kopački rit hosted talks between navigation and environment sectors, as well as a Croatian-Hungarian youth expedition.

THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Here, the 14-country ‘Danube Art Master’ contest is especially popular: Moravian pupils entered 221 of this year’s 1400 artworks. Run by the Union for the Morava River, the top artists enjoyed celebrations in Olomouc and a canoe adventure through Litovelské Pomoraví.

HUNGARY
Media coverage reached around 2.5 million people, and featured the Rural Development Ministry’s hand-over of the ‘Danube United’ flag to Slovakia; the GWP/Coca-Cola/ Ministry ‘Danube Box Contest’ involving 450 schools and Budapest’s ‘Danube Flow’ festival: a riverside feast, a flashmob, concerts and a stone-skimming contest.

SERBIA
Festivities were the biggest in the Basin: 150,000 people; 150 events; 28 locations! Media coverage reached up to four million people. Commissioner Hahn joined 100 donors and government and civil society representatives to mark 29 June. At Belgrade’s ‘Ada Huja Festival’, work began to transform the landfill site into a ‘natural oasis in the city’.

SLOVAKIA
Marking the Gabčíkovo Dam’s 20th anniversary, the Ministry of Environment, Slovenske elektrarne, BROZ and Coca-Cola Hellenic joined forces for the 6th Gabčíkovo Open-Day. Over 2000 people enjoyed free boat trips, plant tours, performances in the park and the final stage of the Slovakia Tour cycle race.

MONTENEGRO
‘Sunny Colours of Nature’ won top prize in a contest run by Friends of Tara River Society. Part of the basin-wide ‘Art Master’ contest overseen by GWP, the artworks share common messages of environmental concern; basin-wide solidarity; anger at rubbish dumped or wonder at nature’s beauty.

UKRAINE
The Tisza Festival in Kvasovo reached up to the skies and down to the water, with hot air balloon trips; homemade kites to send aloft messages of solidarity and the release of fish into the Borzhava river. Music and green actions brought together children from the Tisza and Danube Delta.

ROMANIA
Some 192 organisations energised the Danube spirit with discussion, culture and sport. Rovana Plumb signed a joint project with Bulgaria at the Danube Conference. The Environment Ministry, Save the Danube & Delta NGO and others brought the Delta’s hospitality to the capital at the 4th Danube Gastronomy Festival and thousands enjoyed 15 regional festivals.

MOLDOVA
Minister Salaru joined festivities in Valeni, where tradition and novelty combined to showcase folk choirs and a teen fashion show of ingenious outfits crafted from recycled rubbish. Mr Salaru joined local officials, NGOs and civil society to discuss cooperation on the River Prut.

BULGARIA
Action and awareness were central at conservation, sport, science and art endeavours. Thousands celebrated at Persina Nature Park and in Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Pleven, Ruse and Silistra. WWF surveyed birdlife on the border with Romania. Clean-up actions took place in Baikal and Lom, where Neptune pronounced “plastic waste is killing our rivers!”

The ICPDR would like to thank the more than 900 organisations involved in Danube Day 2012. See www.danubeday.org to find out more about the events and organisers.

Suzie Holt lives in Devon, UK, and is a writer on environmental issues. She has been involved in Danube Day since its start in 2004 and prior to that worked for WWF on the Carpathian Ecoregion Initiative.