Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér honoured the mayors of Kunsziget and Újszilvás, winners of the European Village Renewal Award, on Monday in Budapest.

Kunsziget, located in Győr-Moson-Sopron County, has won the award for “special results in certain fields of village renewal”. The ministerial honour was received by Mayor Istvánné Lendvai.

During the ceremony a film was shown about the result of the renovations of the past two years. Among others a church, a bridge, a community house and the market square were renewed with the help of EU tenders.
Újszilvás, an eco-village located in Pest County, has won the award for “outstanding quality in sustainable village development”. The ministerial honour was received by Mayor Csaba Petrányi.

In the introductory film it was emphasized that the goal of the village development is the “energy-independence”. The renovation of the water power-plant and the establishment of a sun power-plant was a big step towards this goal. Due to these two innovations the energy of the village is almost completely provided by renewable energy sources.

The two townships competed for the European Village Renewal Award after winning the 2012 Hungarian Village Renewal Award announced by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Rural Development.

Minister of Rural Development Sándor Fazekas also participated on the award ceremony, where he talked about the possibilities of village development. He emphasized the roles of the mayor and the community, expressing his hope that the examples of Újszilvás and Kunsziget will inspire other villages in Hungary as well.

The Village Renewal Award was established in 1990 and its goal is to find and reward villages with outstanding and exemplary developments. The award is handed out every two years by the European Association for Rural Development and Village Renewal and was received by Kunsziget and Újszilvás in September.

(Ministry of Interior)