ZHANG: A special award for the capital of Lithuania. The city of Vilnius has been designated the European Capital of Culture in 2009. STORY: Thousands of people attended New Year’s festivities in the center of Vilnius Old Town, a site UNESCO world’s heritage site. Its famous for its northern Baroque and multicultural heritage. German light artist Gert Hof has been commissioned for the occasion. [Elona Bajoriniene, Award Committee Head]: “He is creating the performance of lights to tell in short the history of Lithuania’s millennium and Vilnius by utilizing the building Vilnius Cathedral in the mid of the Old town, which is also the heart of the city and the country.” Hof has also staged millennium events in Athens, Beijing and Budapest, as well as the 2000 Sydney Olympics. [Gert Hof, German Lights Artist]: “The event is unique because of the use of especially powerful floodlights which would be seen as far as 50 kilometers away, and there will be also some 6000 fireworks used.” The program in Vilnius will include more than a hundred events throughout the year. Its the biggest-ever cultural undertaking in the former Soviet Baltic state. The budget: around $42 million US [Arturas Slipas, Light Show Attendee]: “We are very happy that Vilnius has become the European Capital of Culture, because we both (with my son) are working in the cultural field and hope the whole year will be like that.” [Dovile Ciuriloviciute, Attending Light Show]: “Vilnius has become the culture …

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