In Frankfurt am Main on Tuesday afternoon, in the presence of numerous guests from political and cultural life, the 59th Frankfurt Book Fair was ceremoniously opened, focusing this year on the theme of education and digitalization.
"Our society must take greater care of those who are threatened with living on the margins of society due to insufficient education," said German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck while opening the fair. He advocated for increased investment in public education. The President of Catalonia, which is this year’s guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Jose Montilla Aguilera, expressed gratitude for the honor bestowed upon his region and emphasized the importance of such events for preserving cultural identity.
"This is an important step in the fight for the recognition of Catalan as a European language," said Aguilera. This year’s fair features a record number of publishers, 7,400 from 108 countries, and 300,000 visitors are expected by Sunday when the fair closes.
Croatia is represented this year with a separate stand featuring 25 publishers. On Friday, the participation of Croatian exhibitors at the Leipzig Book Fair next year, where Croatia is the partner country, will also be presented. The Frankfurt Book Fair is open only to professionals until Friday, and to the general public on Saturday and Sunday.
The highlight of this year’s fair is the awarding of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade on Sunday, with this year’s recipient being Israeli historian Saul Friedlaender. The Association of German Publishers expressed optimism regarding the development of publishing due to the favorable economic situation and increased interest in titles in the German language. (Hina)
