After nearly four years of preparation, the Ibsen House – Education Arts and Culture Centre was officially opened on 23 September 2010. The Ibsen House is a multicultural, multi-purpose education centre that will serve as home to several different cultural institutions, such as the Békés County´s Symphony Orchestra, Jókai Theatre, the Young Dramatic Arts School, Nápsugár Puppet Theatre, and the Crafts and Elementary School of Arts. The new centre includes training rooms, a theatre performance hall and a puppet theatre, and visitors can also relax in the centre’s own art café and restaurant.
The Ibsen House is based in a monumental building of historical significance dating back to 1874. The building is located in the centre of Békéscsaba, but has been vacant the last four years due to the fact that it has been in a very bad physical condition. With the help of €2.4 million in support from the Norway Grants, the building has now been renovated and transformed into an artistic, education and culture centre that will benefit the local community both socially and economically.
In addition to being a learning centre and meeting place for local residents, the Ibsen House has also created new jobs for people in the area. It is also an aim that the renovated historical building will become a tourist attraction.
Photo: The opening of the Ibsen House. From right: Zsolt Németh, state secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zoltán Farkas, Békés county governor, Siri Ellen Sletner, Norway´s ambassador to Hungary, László Domokos, auditor general (former county governor in Békés). Photo: Guri Merete Smenes / NMFA.