Rijeka begins the finale of its ECOC programme with two exhibitions

“Mirror 2020” and “Fiume Fantastika: Phenomena of the City” mark the beginning of Rijeka’s final month as the European Capital of Culture 2020

April 2021 is the final month in which the Croatian city of Rijeka holds the title of “European Capital of Culture 2020”. As such, it is not surprising that this month will be full of cultural events and activities.

In a press release, the municipality announced the beginning of these events with the opening of two exhibitions: “Mirror 2020” (“Retrovizor 2020”) and “Fiume Fantastika: Phenomena of the City” (Fiume Fantastika: Fenomeni grada).

Mirror 2020

“Mirror 2020” is a free of charge photography exhibition which will evoke feelings of nostalgia for the past, pride for the present, and hope for the future. More specifically, it will consist of photographs that look back at the city’s growth over the past 4 years.

This exhibition will bring Rijeka’s residents closer together by displaying photographs of art, performances, and cultural events; that is, it will remind both the viewers and the performers of the joy and opportunities which were brought about by the ECOC 2020 programme.

In addition to this, it is interesting to note that “Mirror 2020” will not only feature photographs of celebrations but also images from before and after cultural events. This means that it will show audiences the hard work which was put into their preparation and the relief that was felt upon their closure.

“When choosing the photos, we tried to find a universal key, since the programs were very different, and we were guided by the atmosphere of creation. The selected photos are in a way the triggers of the memory of all those who participated either as performers or as an audience, in all these programs that were carefully designed and that encompassed the entire community,” explained Branka Cvjetičanin from Rijeka2020.

Fiume Fantastika: Phenomena of the City

This exhibition first opened in the second half of 2020 and attracted over 7,000 visitors. Due to the high demand and the great interest which it attracted, “Fiume Fantastika: Phenomena of the City” has now reopened its doors.

Based on research by DeltaLab – Centre for Urban Transition, Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Rijeka, this exhibition portrays the progress achieved by the city over the past 150 years. Taking this further, the urban history of the city will be exhibited across ten pavilions which will each focus on a certain phenomenon: Borders, Port and Railway, Networks, Cinema: "People are coming!", City, Palace, Common Ground, Leisure, Monuments and Fantastic Zones.

Entry tickets for the exhibition are priced at 30 Kuna/person and admission is free for children up to the age of 7 as well as those who are unemployed or retired. Furthermore, students and employees of the University of Rijeka, young people up to the age of 18 and members of professional associations receive 50% off entry tickets.