FOR A NEW

EAST-WEST DIALOGUE

A PRESENTATION MAGAZINE
www.slavonic-house.org
Photocredits © shutterstock.com Sergey Petrov
Ballet of Mariinsky Theatre from St. Petersburg (Russia) in Bolshoi
Theatre in Moscow.
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

“WE WILL BE SLAVONIC,

IF WE WILL BE
COSMOPOLITAN.”
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937)

Photocredits © shutterstock.com megastocker

Monument to founders of Kiev: Kiy, Schek, Khoryv and Lybid

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Editorial
Dear Reader,
It is my honour and pleasure to introduce the SLAVONIC
HOUSE Presentation Magazine to you. As a former mayor of
Prague, one of the oldest and most famous Slavonic cities, ar-
chitect and city planner, and Czech citizen, I was surprised and
delighted when I learned about the SLAVONIC EUROPE Move-
ment and its central project – the SLAVONIC HOUSE.

The SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement and the SLAVONIC HOUSE

itself aim to contribute to the slowly advancing process of
European cooperation and to strengthening Europeanism,
while promoting cultivation and humanity.
Today, more than ever before, Europe needs cultivated and
cultured societies capable of finding their way through today’s
excess supply of commercial and intellectual products and
through the seduction of diverging societal and political con-
cepts.
The founding father and first president of my country, Tomáš
Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), declared many years ago:
“Žádná moc tohoto světa, byť se i s celým peklem spolčila,
neudrží národ vzdělaný, ušlechtilý a statečný v otroctví a pod-
danosti.”
“No power in this world, and even if it would federate with the
entire hell, can hold a cultured, cultivated and brave nation in
slavery and submission.”
Fortunately, in Europe nowadays, Masaryk’s formulations ap-
ply – last but not least thanks to his personal lifework – only
figuratively. Nevertheless, their profound meaning persists
and becomes again highly topical for our societies. It applies
not only to nations, but also to regions, continents – and to
each individual.
© Alžběta Jungrová
The SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement and the SLAVONIC HOUSE
intend to contribute to a global European process of building
such bridges engendering and promoting cooperation based
on culture and humanity.
The magazine, you have in front of you, offers a thorough over-
view over this project in all its aspects. It has the ambition to
guide you through the house itself, its essential concept and
its main principles. The central part presents the house’s com-
prehensive and fully designed PROGRAMME (pages 33 to 49)
including the TARGET PUBLIC (pages 33 to 40). A particularly
original and innovative aspect of the SLAVONIC HOUSE is the
creation of the European Club Brussels (ECL; page 45): This
will be a completely new institution, which doesn’t exist in the
Brussels European Quarter to date - and is significantly mis-
sing. Designed as a common, fully equipped platform it will be
open to European leaders, Members of the European Parlia-
ment, diplomats and the international community involved in
the process of shaping the future of the European continent -
providing a neutral and non-formal environment for networ-
king in the middle of the EU Quarter.

Never before, the communication among people and traveling I wish you a pleasant and enriching reading.
to other countries was so easy. But one does not get the im-
pression that this has necessarily greatly improved the level of Yours,
our civilisation and the understanding of each other – as well
as the knowledge about each other. Particularly in Brussels, it
is the time for more practical approach on personal level with
concrete cultural content and actual encounters. Networking Jan KASL
between people and bridging EAST and WEST is of highest im- Mayor of the City of Prague 1998-2002
portance.

4
SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Viktar Malyshchyts

Aerial photo of heart-shaped lake in National park Narachanski (Belarus)

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Table of Contents
7 WELCOME ADDRESS

8 A SLAVONIC EUROPE PROJECT

10 A HUMAN BRIDGE BETWEEN

EAST AND WEST

12 THE ECONOMIC AND LEGAL STRUCTURE

14 13 COUNTRIES

29 LOCATION & BUILDING

32 PROGRAMME

50 STRUCTURE

52 A BIG STORY OF CREATIVITY

IN THE 21ST CENTURY

53 THE FOUNDER

Imprint
SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l., Avenue Édouard Lacomblé 26, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
T +32 2 537 05 99, info@slavonic-europe.org, www.slavonic-europe.org

Responsible in terms of press law: David Chmelik

Layout/Graphics: dpi-advertisings, Wilhelmsdorf - Germany
Print: Design Labs Print, Wilhelmsdorf - Germany

We thank all participants and contributors for their contribution and for their support in the editorial
design of the texts. The contributions and illustrations are protected by their copyright holders. Con-
tributions marked by name reflect the opinions of the authors, not those of the editors. The authors are
responsible for the content of these texts. Reprints of contributions and photos, also in extracts, only
with previous written permission. All dates and places are subject to change without notice.

1st edition: 100 copies, as at: November 2018

Photocredits: title © shutterstock.com Kiev.Victor

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
WELCOME
ADDRESS
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the SLAVONIC HOUSE!
Peace and stability for all humankind can only be achieved
through the integration and peaceful togetherness within in-
dividual civilisations, individual cultural integration and cohe-
sion being not an obstacle for the integration of the whole of
cultures, but, at the contrary, one of its conditions.
It is like building a house: Only if the elementary construction
components, the foundations, pillars, walls and beams are
stable and durable enough, the building as a whole can be
stable and solid.
Or, in order to take an example from natural sciences: In chem-
istry, physics or biology individual substances usually reach
stability and consistency not via an instantaneous unifying
one-shot, but rather through the gradual evolutionary pro-
cess of subsequent coagulation and merging, first to individual
clusters building only thereafter gradually an integrated stable
overall entity.
In the same way, a whole continent composed out of nume-
rous highly diversified and historically individualised big po-
pulations totalling altogether more than 700 million people
can only get fully integrated, if its individual countries cooper-
ate and get involved first in larger clusters establishing then
gradually and over time an ever closer union.
In the framework of this humankind union-building, for so-
ciological and psychological reasons, common cultural and
linguistic roots might turn out crucial in supporting positively
such an integration and clustering process. Only who knows
who he is and where he comes from can reach out to others
and embrace the horizon.
It is in this sense that the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement and its
pivotal institution, the SLAVONIC HOUSE, see their proactive
and constructive role in contributing to shaping the future of
Europe towards an ever closer integration.
The SLAVONIC HOUSE is an innovative project – and it is fun-
damentally up to delight and to engage people in mutual un-
dertakings! It is an open house, indeed, open to everybody
– a place where the Slavs want to reach out to other people
and cultures by offering a particularly charming ambience full
of arts, talks, dance and typical cuisine in the middle of the
European Quarter in Brussels.
7
We are convinced that Europe needs more positive emotions
and more sensitivity, more imagination and more sound.
The Slavs can offer it – the nations of Smetana and Mucha, of
Suchoň and Hviezdoslav, of Penderecki and Sienkiewicz, of
Meštrović and Hektorović, of Andrić and Kusturica, of Ivan-
išević and Popović, of Savinšek and Kosovel, of Čuvidina and
Selimović, of Serafimovsky and Dimkovska, of Hristov and
Dimitrova, of Shevchenko and Hudyma, of Bogdanovich and
Kupala, of Tostoy and Rachmaninov – and of many more.
Truth and justice are expressions of humanity as mutual re-
spect and mutual solidarity between human beings. We – the
SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement – are convinced that culture
and cultural activity can make people more subtle and sens-
itive for ethical questions, for truth, justice, for humanity, and
can give them again, in our time, an orientation based on va-
lues.
The SLAVONIC HOUSE strives to fulfil these objectives in the
framework of its own programme by means of a wide variety
of events, publications, get-togethers and grants for young
people designed to address multiple needs and cover differ-
ent individual cultural profiles either private or professional.
To this end, a thoroughly elaborated structure has been set up
inside the SLAVONIC HOUSE to support logistically in an ideal
way its fully developed programme.
EAST and WEST should reach out mutually and embrace – the
Slavs are ready for it and make the first mover. The SLAVONIC
HOUSE is designed to become such a ‘Window of Opportunity’
and place to be in Brussels for personal and cultural encounter.
Please, accept our invitation and become a part of our innovat-
ive and ambitious undertaking connecting people!
Yours truly,
David CHMELÍK
President
SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l.
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

SLAVONIC
EUROPE
International Network for Slavonic Cooperation

A SLAVONIC
EUROPE PROJECT

THE SLAVONIC HEADQUARTERS IN BRUSSELS Slavonic

The SLAVONIC HOUSE is the Headquarters of the Slavs in Brussels Europe
representing the biggest cultural group on the European continent
counting more than 300 million citizens. Belarus
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
It is the seat of SLAVONIC EUROPE – the SLAVONIC HOUSE (SH) manager – who Bulgaria
launched in 2016 in Brussels the SH project initiated and overseen by the SLAVONIC Croatia
EUROPE founder and president David CHMELÍK (*1968) – a Czechoslovak-German Czech Republic
economist, artist and author – as a world-wide unique cultural bottom-up under- North Macedonia
taking. Montenegro
Poland
SLAVONIC EUROPE (SE) is a European Movement aiming at raising awareness of Russia
Slavonic culture at international level and contributing in a constructive manner to a Serbia
bridge between East and West. Slovakia
It starts from the point that someone can only be in harmony with the others and Slovenia
reach out to them, if he is in harmony with himself knowing where he is coming from. Ukraine
This is for us one of the major conditions of peace and stability between people and
nations. This applies for individual countries and regions as much as for the whole
European continent.
It is for this reason that the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement has been set up as an
explicitly cultural undertaking and a contribution to the consolidation of the histor-
ically highly fragmented Central and Eastern European continent. In this context,
Youth plays a decisive role representing new energy and future potential and has
therefore a central position within the SE Organisation.

As already pointed out, the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement breaks the first ground
in Europe, the continent where the Slavs have their historical and cultural roots. The
name of the movement covers both the spirit and the place of origin. At the same
time its ambition is to reach out far beyond: The movement intends to establish an
international network for cultural cooperation amongst Slavs on a global scale – the
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR SLAVONIC COOPERATION (INSC).

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Being addressed at around 360 million Slavs around the world, SLAVONIC EUROPE is
– culturally and historically speaking - a unique initiative. On the European continent
it covers 13 Slavonic nations with approximately 312 million inhabitants reaching all
over Central and Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Croa-
tia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine,
Belarus and Russia.

By raising awareness of the extraordinarily rich and diversified culture and hence of
the very identity of the Slavonic people this initiative constitutes an autonomous va-
lue in itself.

However, in times of rising disintegration and apparent political and social drifting
in Europe this unique cultural project strives for making the difference – a proactive
and constructive contribution to enhance the communication and reinforce the co-
operation between East and West and strengthen thus the cohesion of the European Photocredits © shutterstock.com Agata Kowalczyk
Brass padlock with eternal love declaration in russian hanging
continent. among other padlocks on the railing of Love Bridge in Gdansk.
Gdansk, Poland

Being the only cultural group in Europe whose countries find themselves in substan-
tial numbers inside and outside the borders of the European Union (6 Slavonic coun-
tries are situated inside and 7 outside the EU-borders) the Slavs represent the ideal
mediators between East and West.

Concretely, the SLAVONIC EUROPE initiative focuses on a threefold objective:

1. Reinforcing and deepening the LINKS BETWEEN THE SLAVS in Europe and
all over the world on a cultural basis: Vertical dimension – Identity building

2. Presenting the RICHNESS OF THE SLAVONIC CULTURE at an international

level: Communication

3. Contributing to the construction of a BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST & WEST Photocredits © shutterstock.com VLADJ55
by in our challenging times: Horizontal dimension – Confidence building Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Russian
military aircrafts fly in formation, Moscow, Russia

The SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement has chosen explicitly a bottom-up approach that
puts culture and the civil society at the beginning of its initiative in order to achieve
a stable and cohesive outcome.

In this sense, SLAVONIC EUROPE is a Civil Society Initiative with culture as its star-
ting point, its content and its instrument of realisation at the same time building the
intersection of its multiple strands of action. It is an innovative alternative approach
– a new and original Slavonic societal initiative – reaching out to other countries and
regions in Europe and in the world seeking mutual exchange and mutual valorisa-
tion.

Moreover, this innovative holistic societal approach representing the vertical & ho-
rizontal integration of a society via culture might serve as a new, exemplary integra-
tion model for any group of people or countries in Europe and beyond.
Photocredits © shutterstock.com GoneWithTheWind
Scenic view of bridges on the Vltava river and of the historical
center of Prague: buildings and landmarks of old town with red
rooftops and multi-coloured walls.

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

SLAVONIC
HOUSE
The Slavonic Headquarters Brussels

A HUMAN BRIDGE
BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
The SLAVONIC HOUSE (SH) is the beating heart as well as the
visible face of the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement - its core and cent-
ral spot of implementation open to wide public fulfilling the func-
tion of a Window to Central and Eastern Europe in Brussels.

At the same time, it represents a constructive Civil Society Action offering a concrete
Strategic Platform to reinforce cooperation and enhance cohesion between East and
West via personal contact and mutual exchange of citizens in a bottom-up approach.

THE CORE IDEA

As the nucleus merging the different aspects of the project the SLAVONIC HOUSE Moreover, this parent house will be es-
will form the centre of the SE movement. A place where the three main objectives tablished and developed in Brussels as
mentioned above will be implemented and where the project will unfold its va- the Headquarters of the SE Movement.
ried activities - such as conferences, artistic performances, trainings and gatherings Together with its branches, which will
of young people, restaurant & bar - the SLAVONICA PRESENTATION MAGAZINE
HOUSE will represent a bridge of be founded successively around the
communication, cooperation and reconciliation www.slavonic-house.org
between human beings and coun- world, it will form the backbone of the
tries. aforementioned INTERNATIONAL NET-
WORK FOR SLAVONIC COOPERATION
In this sense, the SLAVONIC HOUSE is the central project of the SE Movement. (INSC).

The SLAVONIC HOUSE will be the visible face of the SE Movement and its content at
the same time: It will be the symbol of the whole movement as well as the centre of
its implementation.
Since SE is a highly interactive project that has to create and strengthen the links
between people and nations and build bridges between regions and even continents
by means of personal encounters and targeted professional communication, a fully
integrated building is the most appropriate form to realize this concept.

As a meeting place, it will foster the relations amongst its residents and its
guests thanks to its pronounced hospitality and create, at the same time, a vi-
sible business card of the Slavonic culture at international level.

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

The strategic plan below shows the scale and the geostrategic dimension of the INSC
a global confidence building action between East and West:

SLAVONIC EUROPE
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR SLAVONIC COOPERATION
SLAVONIC EUROPE
- ANetwork
International GlobalforAction
Slavonic-Cooperation
- A global action -

New York Brussels Beijing

SE HQ
HQ HQ

Istanbul

Photocredits © shutterstock.com ekler, Yurii Andreichyn

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

THE ECONOMIC AND LEGAL STRUCTURE

In order to guarantee a solid and sustainable structure of the project, the SLAVONIC
HOUSE (SH) Project is from the beginning based on a classical economic model sus-
tained by an autonomous and entirely independent commercial enterprise, which
already exists and is founded in the legal form of a company under Belgian law: The
SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l. It forms the stable core of the project and guarantees its
sound and sustainable infrastructure.

In this sense, the SLAVONIC HOUSE has the following overall 3 Level-Structure:

Investor / Owner of the building (Landlord)

Renting

OPERATOR / MANAGER of the building:

SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l. (Universal tenant)

Sub-renting Sub-renting Sub-renting

SUB-TENANTS
individually selected and contracted by the SLAVONIC
EUROPE s.p.r.l. according to the fundamental thematic
conceptual outline of the SH Project

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Stokkete,

Billion-Photos, Eugene Milyaev

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

„NATIONS ARE THE

NATURAL ORGANS OF
HUMANITY.“
Johann Gottfried HERDER (1744 – 1803)

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Matphotography

Well of Life, sculpture made by famous Croatian
sculptor Ivan MEŠTROVIĆ (1883-1962) placed
in front f the Croatian National Theater
(Zagreb, Croatia).

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

COUNTRIES
Diversity and togetherness
between Slavonic people
and nations on cultural grounds
13 COUNTRIES UNDER ONE ROOF

Diversity and togetherness are compatible in the long run only, if common roots and a common cultural basis exists and
if the society is aware of its own cultural heritage. In Europe, the 13 Slavonic countries - counting around 312 million Slavs
and encompassing more than 20 Slavonic ethnic groups - fulfil these requirements and could thus contribute substantially
to an enhanced cohesion of the European continent giving an outstanding and historical example at international level.

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Belarus, a landlocked country in
Eastern Europe, is known among
others for its grand fortifications and
primeval forests such as the Naliboki
State Landscape, the Narachanski
National Park or the Biarezinski Bio-
sphere Reserve. In the modern cap-
ital, Minsk, the Museum of the Great
Patriotic War commemorates the
country’s role in WWII and the city is
also home to many churches, inclu-

Belarus
ding the neo-Romanesque Church
of Saints Simon and Helena.

Capital: Minsk
Area‎: ‎207 600 km²
Population: 9 498 700
Currency: Belarusian ruble
Official languages: Belarusian,
Russian

President: Alexander Lukashenko

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Grisha Bruev

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country
on the Balkan Peninsula in South-
eastern Europe. Its countryside is
home to medieval villages, rivers and
lakes, plus the craggy Dinaric Alps.
National capital Sarajevo has a well
preserved old quarter, Baščaršija,

BOSNIA
with landmarks like 16th-century
Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque. The
Ottoman-era Latin Bridge is the site
of the assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand d’Este, which ig-
nited World War I. HERZEGOVINA
Capital: Sarajevo
Area: 51 197 km²
Population: 3 829 000
Currency: Bosnia and
Herzegovina convertible mark
Official languages: Croatian,
Bosnian, Serbian

Chairman of the Presidency:

Bakir Izetbegović

Photocredits © shutterstock.com maxpro

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

BULGARIA
Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse Capital: Sofia
terrain encompassing Black Sea coast- Area: 110 994 km²
line, a mountainous interior and rivers, Population: 7 265 000
including the Danube. A cultural mel- Currency: Bulgarian lev
ting pot with Slavonic, Greek, Ottoman Official languages: Bulgarian
and Persian influences, it has a rich and
very old cultural heritage comprising President: Rumen Radev
among others traditional dance, mu-
sic, costumes and crafts. At the foot of
domed Vitosha mountain lies its capital
city, Sofia, dating to the 5th century B.C.

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Nataliya Nazarova

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SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Croatia is an Eastern European coun-

CROATIA
try with a long coastline on the Adri-
atic Sea. Encompassing more than
a thousand islands, it’s also crossed
by the Dinaric Alps. Its inland ca-
pital, Zagreb is distinguished by its
medieval Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
and diverse museums. The major
coastal city Dubrovnik has massive
16th-century walls encircling an Old
Town with Gothic and Renaissance
buildings.

Capital: Zagreb
Area: ‎56 542km²
Population: 4 253 000
Currency: Croatian kuna
Official languages: Croatian

President: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

Photocredits © shutterstock.com anshar

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

CZECH
REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic, in Central

Europe, is a country, which is known
for its ornate castles, beautiful var-
ied and fluvial landscapes, delicious
cuisine and a very long history of
statehood dating more than 1 000
years back to the Great Moravian
Empire. Prague, the capital, is home
to the grand 9th-century Prague
Castle, a preserved medieval old
town and the famous statue-lined
Charles Bridge.

Capital: Prague
Area: 78 866 km²
Population: 10 200 000
Currency: Czech koruna
Official language: Czech

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Ilyshev-Dmitry

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Macedonia
North

North Macedonia is a landlocked

Balkan nation of mountains, lakes
and ancient towns with Ottoman
and European architecture. The cap-
ital, Skopje, is known for its sprawl-
ing Old Bazaar quarter and historic
buildings turned museums, inclu-
ding the National Gallery of Mace-
donia, housed in a 15th-century Tur-
kish bath complex. The southern city
Ohrid, on a lake of the same name,
has a medieval townscape and hill-
top castle.

Capital: Skopje
Area: 25 713 km²
Population: 2 107 000
Currency: Macedonian denar
Official languages: Macedonian
Photocredits © shutterstock.com Visionsi
President: Gjorge Ivanov

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Montenegro is a Balkan country with

MONTENEGRO
rugged mountains, medieval vil-
lages and a narrow strip of beaches
along its Adriatic coastline. The Bay
of Kotor, resembling a fjord, is dot-
ted with coastal churches and forti-
fied towns such as Kotor and Herceg
Novi. Durmitor National Park, home
to bears and wolves, encompasses
limestone peaks, glacial lakes and
the 1 300m-deep Tara River Canyon.

Capital: Podgorica
Area: 13 812 km²
Population: 621 383
Currency: Euro
Official language: Montenegrin

President: Milo Đukanović

Photocredits © shutterstock.com S-F

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Poland
Poland is an eastern European country Capital: Warsaw
on the Baltic Sea known for its medieval Area: 312 679 km²
architecture, vast and valuable natural Population: 38 530 000
areas, such as the famous Białowieża Currency: Polish złoty
Forest, and a rich Jewish heritage. In the Official languages: Polish
old historical city of Kraków, the former
capital of the country, the 14th-century President: Andrzej Duda
Wawel Castle rises above the medieval
old town, home to Cloth Hall, a Renais-
sance trading post in Rynek Glówny
(market square). Photocredits © shutterstock.com S-F

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Russia, the world’s largest country,

Russia

borders European and Asian coun-

tries as well as the Pacific and Arctic
oceans. Its landscape ranges from
tundra and forests to subtropical
beaches. It’s famous for Moscow’s
Bolshoi and St. Petersburg’s Mari-
insky ballet companies. St. Peters-
burg, founded by Russian tsar Peter
the Great, has the baroque Winter
Palace, now housing part of the State
Hermitage Museum’s art collection.

Capital: Moscow
Area: 17 075 200 km²
Population: 143 500 000
Currency: Russian ruble
Official languages: Russian

President: Vladimir Putin Photocredits © shutterstock.com Anton-Ermachkov

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Serbia is a country on southeast

serbia
Europe’s Balkan peninsula with
nor-thern plateaus and mountains
with ski resorts to the south. Cap-
ital city Belgrade is home to a par-
ticularly varied architecture and the
Kalemegdan Park, the site of the Bel-
grade Fortress, held successively by
the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman
empires. Stari Grad, the old city,
is home to 19th-century mansions
and the Narodno Pozorište (national
theater).

Capital: Belgrade
Area: 88 361 km²
Population: 7 164 000
Currency: Serbian dinar
Official languages: Serbian

President: Aleksandar Vučić

Photocredits © shutterstock.com joyfull

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Slovakia is a central European coun-

try known for its dramatic natural
landscape and many castles. Near
the Austrian border, capital city Brat-
islava features a pedestrian-only Old
Town with a lively cafe scene. Rising
on a hill above the Danube River,
Slovakia

Bratislava Castle houses a branch of

the Slovak National Museum, with
displays ranging from Roman arte-
facts to 20th-century arts and crafts.

Capital: Bratislava
Area: 49 035 km²
Population: 5 414 000
Currency: Euro
Official languages: Slovak

President: Zuzana Čaputová

Photocredits © shutterstock.com PeterVrabel

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Slovenia, a country in Central

SLOVENIA
Europe, is known for its mountains,
ski resorts and lakes. On Lake Bled,
a glacial lake fed by hot springs,
the town of Bled contains a church-
topped islet and a cliffside medieval
castle. In Ljubljana, Slovenia’s ca-
pital, baroque facades mix with the
20th-century New-Slavonic architec-
ture of native Jože Plečnik, whose
iconic Tromostovje (Triple Bridge)
spans the tightly curving Ljubljanica
River.

Capital: Ljubljana
Area: 20 273 km²
Population: 2 060 000
Currency: Euro
Official languages: Slovene

President: Borut Pahor

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Renato-Pejkovic

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE
Ukraine is a country known for

UKRAINE
its Orthodox churches, Black Sea
coastline and forested mountains.
Its capital, Kiev, features the gold-
domed St. Sophia’s Cathedral, with
11th-century mosaics and frescoes.
Overlooking the Dnieper River is
the Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery
complex, a Christian pilgrimage site
housing Scythian tomb relics and
catacombs containing mummified
Orthodox monks.

Capital: Kiev
Area: 603 500 km²
Population: 45 490 000
Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia
Official languages:
Ukrainian
Recognised regional languages:
Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian,
Bulgarian, Crimean Tatar, Gagauz,
German, Greek, Hungarian, Karaim,
Krymchak, Moldovan, Polish, Ro-
mani, Romanian, Russian, Rusyn,
Slovak, Yiddish

President: Petro Poroshenko

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Kazlouski Siarhei

27
SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

“CIVIL AND HUMAN

RIGHTS ARE THE WAY OF
OUR NATIONAL
INDEPENDENCE.”
Frano SUPILO (1870 - 1917)

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Maran Garai

Prague, Old Town - Monument of the Czech
Reformer Mistr Jan HUS (1370-1415)

28
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

LOCATION & BUILDING

An optimal building in the middle of the European Quarter, apt for this specific pur-
pose, has been carefully selected. It is ideally suited to house the SLAVONIC HOUSE
in order to fulfill the key objectives of the project as outlined above. The building
is located in one of the most central boulevards of the European Quarter – and of
whole Brussels:

The Rue de la Loi connects the European Commission, the European Parliament and
the Council of the European Union with the seats of the Belgian government and
parliament and the very heart of the Brussels City. Thus, the building is located only
a few steps from the above mentioned main European and Belgian institutions easily
accessible within walking distance by the streets of the European Quarter.
The map bellow shows the strategic location of the building of the SLAVONIC HOUSE in the Rue de la Loi in Brussels, which fully traverses
the Centre of the European Quarter, and its position towards the main European Institutions buildings:

SLAVONIC HOUSE (Rue de la Loi 78)

Rond-point
schumann

Place de
LUXEMBOURG

Key to colors for

the buildings of the
European Institutions

European Commission
European Parliament
Council of the EU

29
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

THE BUILDING

The building is perfectly suited – logistically and architecturally – to meet all require-
ments for setting up a place which will attract people on a high scale from different
countries, regions and professions. It is a magnificent historical house, a MAISON DE
MAÎTRE typical for the Quartier Léopold. It was built in 1860 and enlarged in 1900 in
Rue de la Loi 78, 1000 Brussels.

At present it consists of 3 floors with a total surface of 1 553 m2 and a basement of 600
m2. The building was the former seat of a Brussels private bank and is very distinct in
style and spacious at the same time. From the outside it looks very classic while the
interior is characterised by elements of Neo-renaissance and Art Nouveau.

A Belgian investor has been found who acquired the building and rented it entirely,
dedicated to the SLAVONIC HOUSE Project, to the SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l. based
on a long-term rental contract.

The following picture shows the front facade of the building in Rue de la Loi 78:

Below you can find the transversal section of the building with the main entrance on
the right and the historical parts of the house which are protected:

30
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Moreover, you can find below a detail view from the central space on the ground
floor with its big Art Nouveau-style cupola dominating the hall – the ‘master piece’
of the house.

31
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

THE PROGRAMME
The SLAVONIC HOUSE will offer to the public and host in its premises a fully integ-
rated programme based on the principles of cultural awareness raising on the one
hand and of mutual exchange between EAST and WEST on the other. In this way, the
vertical line of identity building and deepening trough cultural valorisation will be
complemented by a horizontal one spanning a network between people, countries
and regions in Europe.

TARGET PUBLIC
The SLAVONIC HOUSE will be open to everybody and display a fundamentally inclus-
ive policy in the very sense of its principal founding ideas presented in the introduct-
ory Chapter.

Nevertheless, the potential to mobilize a broader public as well as more specific tar-
get groups will play a decisive role in a successful implementation of the SE initia-
tive and its central element, the SLAVONIC HOUSE (SH) project.

Photocredits © shutterstock.com iascic

Art pavilion and fountain in Zagreb capital of Croatia

32
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

In 2017, there lived 11.3 million people in Belgium – out of them 1.2 million in the Brus-
sels – Capital Region. Out of the 1,2 million people in Brussels there were around 410
000 foreigners, which corresponds to around 35%: This means that almost ⅓ of all
foreigners in Belgium – who counted more than 1.3 million people – lived in Brussels.
This split-up in ⅓ Brussels – ⅔ rest of Belgium applies in a quite systematic manner
tendentiously in all other countries.

The biggest ratio of non-Belgian population in the Brussels – Capital Region is rep-
resented by the Latin countries (France, Romania, Italy, Spain, Portugal) with more
than 180 000 people – more than half a million are living in the whole country - fol-
lowed by the African population with more than 70 000 nationals.

After the two aforementioned groups, the Slavs represent the 3rd biggest non-Bel-
gian group in Brussels counting 47 076 people.

The European Quarter in Brussels is the place with the highest density of Slavonic and
international public in Belgium. It’s where not only the institutions of the European
Union have their seats but also the Permanent Representations of its member states
and many other countries. In addition e.g. international consultancies, law firms,
companies and associations of all kinds, international TV stations and newspapers
are operating offices around them. This means that you have a high number of im-
portant deciders and influencers concentrated in a very small area.
© shutterstock.com Matej Kastelic

1. THE SLAVS IN BRUSSELS

2. PEOPLE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY EMPLOYED BY THE EU INSTITUTIONS

3. EUROPEAN AND NON-EUROPEAN POPULATION IN BRUSSELS –

OTHER THAN SLAVONIC

© shutterstock.com Popova Valeriya

Photocredits © shutterstock.com meunierd © shutterstock.com symbiot

SOFIA BULGARIA SEPTEMBER 28 The St. Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital
of Bulgaria on september 28 2013 in Sofia Bulgaria

33
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Rawpixel.com

1. THE SLAVS IN BRUSSELS

SLAVONIC POPULATION IN BELGIUM & BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION The Slavonic population in Belgium and
- current nationality holders - on 1 January 2017 in the Brussels – Capital Region is dom-
(Belgian government - SPF Économie - STATBEL 2018) inated by Polish nationality holders with
more than 70 000 people followed by
Territory
Bulgarians with around 33 000 and Rus-
BRUSSELS sians with more than 12 000.
BELGIUM
Capital Region Moreover, all 3 above mentioned groups
(Total population =
(Total population = are represented in Belgium by signific-
11,3 million)
1,2 million) ant numbers of not nationality holders,
SLAVONIC POPULATION living in the country in many cases for
already several generations, but display-
Polish 71.457 25.385 ing still an important cultural, and in
Bulgarian 33.152 11.568 many cases even linguistic, attachment
towards the countries of origin of their
Russian 12.259 1.966 ancestors.
Macedonian 4.436 1.583
In case of the population of Russian ori-
Czech 3.490 1.455
gin holding today a Belgian nationality,
Ukrainian 4.695 1.383 its overall number might reach well bey-
ond 50 000 people on Belgian territory
Slovak 6.121 1.171
with around 10 000 alone in the Brussels
Croatian 2.040 904 – Capital Region.
Slovenian 1.178 722
Serbian 3.961 570
Bosnian-Herzegovinian 1.680 166
Belorussian 1.083 159
Montenegrin 329 44
TOTAL SLAVONIC 145.881 47.076

34
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Photocredits: Shutterstock / #372934123 / Pavel Dudek

2. PEOPLE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY

EMPLOYED BY THE EU INSTITUTIONS
Around 17% of the overall Brussels expatriate population lives in the European
Quarter in a perimeter of ca. 2 kilometers: It is the highest density of foreign po-
pulation in the Belgian Capital totaling around 70 000 people who work directly or
indirectly for the European Institutions – out of them around 10 000 Slavs.

With around 5 400 diplomats Brussels is the city with the highest number of diplo-
mats in the world. As to journalists in Brussels, their number can increase during the
European Summits up to 1 700.

Around ⅗ of the employees of the EU Institutions in Brussels live in the Brussels –

Capital Region. They spend each year around EUR 800 million in the European cap-
ital. At the same time 63% of them live in the districts around the European Quarter
(24 % in Flanders and only 11 % in Wallonia). ½ of the EU officials own a home in
Brussels or in its vicinity. In total 10 % of the activities in the city are related to the
international community.

TOTAL EUROPEAN AFFAIRS RELATED JOBS © shutterstock.com symbiot

IN THE EUROPEAN QUARTER IN BRUSSELS

- Directly and indirectly imployed by the EU and other Institutions -
on 1 January 2018
(Statistics of the EU Institutions)
Job Sector

Institution Directly employed by Job related to the

EU Institutions in EU and other
Brussels Institutions in Brussels
EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS 32.817
European Commission 21.178
European Parliament 4.741
EU Council 3.048
EEAS (European External
1.953
Action Service)
EESC (European Economic
1.020
and Social Committee)
CoR (European Committee
877
of the Regions)
EMBASSIES AND OTHER
5.400
DIPLOMACTIC MISSIONS
JOURNALISTS 979
LOBBYISTS
30.000
(minimum number)
TOTAL JOBS IN SECTOR 32.817 36.379
GRAND TOTAL Σ = 69.196

35
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

„NOTHING IS IN MY EYES BETTER AND

MORE VALUABLE THAN BRIDGES. THEY
ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HOUSES,
MORE SACRED THAN SHRINES.“
Ivo ANDRIĆ (1892 – 1975)

Photocredits © shutterstock.com belijum

Mostar Bridge in the City of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

36
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

3. TOTAL EUROPEAN AND NON-EUROPEAN POPULATION

IN BRUSSELS – OTHER THAN SLAVONIC

SLAVONIC POPULATION IN BELGIUM & BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION As already pointed out in the introduc-
- current nationality holders - on 1 January 2017 tion to this Chapter almost 1/3 of all
(Belgian government - SPF Économie - STATBEL 2018) Non-Belgian population in Belgium lives
in Brussels, where, in turn, they repres-
Territory ent around 35% of the total population
BRUSSELS – with the Latin countries (France, Ro-
BELGIUM mania, Italy, Spain, Portugal) with more
Capital Region
(Total population = than 180 000 people at the top followed
(Total population =
11,3 million) by the African population with more
1,2 million)
than 70 000 nationals – and the Slavs
SLAVONIC POPULATION representing the 3rd biggest non-Bel-
TOTAL SLAVONIC 145.881 47.076 gian group in Brussels counting alto-
gether 47 076 people.
Other European Non-Belgian Population
Latin
French 164.410 63.154
Rumanian 80.669 38.418
Italian 156.726 32.718
Spanish 63.043 28.194
Portuguese 45.816 19.813
TOTAL LATIN 510.664 182.297
German 39.501 10.485
Greek 17.017 8.860
Dutch 153.736 8.413
British 22.949 8.240
Hungarian 6.509 2.591 Photocredits © shutterstock.com MDOGAN

Irish 4.168 2.186

Swedish 3.859 2.120
Albanian 5.167 1.880
Finish 2.863 1.687
Danish 2.792 1.552
Austrian 2.814 1.503
Lithuanian 2.506 1.097
Luxembourgish 4.384 1.041
Swiss 2.118 844
Kosovar 4.533 797
Latvian 1.851 784
Estonian 1.053 543
Norwegian 1.222 462
Cypriot 497 289
Maltese 472 257
TOTAL OTHER
790.675 237.928
NON-BELGIAN
p.m.: TOTAL NON-BELGIAN
936.556 285.004
incl. the Slavs
TOTAL BELGIAN 9.994.312 777.465
TOTAL OTHER EUROPEAN 10.784.987 1.015.393

37
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

The table below shows an overview of the break down of the Non-European popu-
lation in Belgium and in Brussels:

Non-European Population
AFRICAN 184.976 71.428
out of which: Maroccan 82.586 37.449
out of which: Congolese 21.282 8.675
out of which: Cameroonian 11.842 3.880

ASIAN 146.791 37.774

out of which: Turkish 36.167 8.636
out of which: Indian 11.733 4.394
out of which: Chinese 12.155 2.931

AMERICAN 36.641 13.852

out of which: U.S. 11.252 3.275
out of which: Canadian 2.719 1.057
out of which: Brasilian 8.456 4.028

AUSTRALIAN 737 271

TOTAL NON-EUROPEAN 369.145 123.325
Belgian 9.994.312 777.465
GRAND TOTAL 1.305.701 408.329

© shutterstock.com RossHelen

© shutterstock.com Torgonskaya Tatiana

38
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

As a conclusion, there are more than 280 000 people in Belgium, who are
particularly sensitized to become future clients of the SLAVONIC HOUSE –
grouped in concentric circles:

1. More than 150 000 Slavs (nationality holders + Slavonic origins) in Belgium
(outside of the Brussels – Capital Region)
2. More than 60 000 Slavs living and working in the Brussels – Capital Region
(excluding the European Quarter)
3. Around 10 000 Slavs + 60 000 other nationals working and living in the
European Quarter in Brussels

In addition, there are living around 1.2 million people in the Brussels – Capital
Region, out of which around 780 000 Belgians and almost 410 000 expatriates,
for whom the future SLAVONIC HOUSE might represent as well a most welcome ad-
dress of enjoyment, consumption and divertissement.

Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

hab/km2
24 - 109
110 - 200
201 - 299
300 - 454
455 - 792
793 - 23057
Limites provinciales
Source: Registre national au 1.1.2010

39
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

THE CONTENT

The SLAVONIC HOUSE programme will consist concretely of 4 principal fields of

activities representing an EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE:

1. SLAVONIC CULTURAL & CONFERENCE CENTRE (SCC)

2. EAST-WEST YOUTH DISCUSSION FORUM (EWYDF)
3. OFFICE SPACE FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
& COMPANIES
4. SLAVONIC & INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT
The graphic presentation below gives a detailed complete overview about the variety
of individual activities planned in the framework of the SLAVONIC HOUSE by sector:

International Conferences
Conferences hold in the Slavonic House on current and
fundemental European topics and issues with:
International VIP speakers INTERNATIONAL
Renowned experts CONFERENCES
Youth Civil Society organisations
from Eastern and Western Europe

Trainings - SE Academy
Grants for young people from the
13 Slavonic countries for special courses
in Brussels on:
TRAININGS
EU related topics
Preparatory courses for EU
selection procedures
Slavonic culture and history

Slavonic & International Restaurant SLAVONIC &

Presenting on a regular basis Slavonic INTERNATIONAL
culinary spacialities RESTAURANT
Offering a wide range of international
food & drink connecting people
and cultures

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Rawpixel.com, Fanfo

40
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

East-West Youth Discussion Forum

EAST-WEST Creating an East-West Youth Network
YOUTH DISCUSSION Organising joint events and communicating the result
FORUM

Artistic performances
Concert
ARTISTIC Exhibitions
PERFORMANCES Dancing ebenings
Literature presentations

Businesses
Offering AAA-office space in the middle of the European
Businesses Quarter for Slavonic and International companies and
organisations:
Representation
Networking
Lobbying

Photocredits © shutterstock.com oriontrail,

Kichigin, Syda Productions

41
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

1. SLAVONIC CULTURAL & CONFERENCE CENTRE (SCC)

The beating heart of the SLAVONIC HOUSE will be the Slavonic Cultural & Conference Centre (SCC) – a platform of Slavonic
cultural activity and of mutual exchange between East and West situated in the centre of the building and irradiating through its
cultural and conference activities to the entire house. In this form, the SCC will be a world unique undertaking addressing all 13
Slavonic countries and reaching out beyond.

SLAVONIC EUROPE understands culture in a wide sense: It sees it as the unity of arts, science and innovation representing the
artistic, scientific and intellectual creativity and achievements of a society.

The SCC will pursue 4 main goals:

A. Fostering the Slavonic cultural heritage

B. Raising awareness and presenting past and modern Slavonic culture to a broad international public

C. Supporting Slavonic and international artists, scientists, general cultural players and students

D. Reaching out to other cultures and exchanging with them in the framework of joint projects and common
events creating in this way a cultural bridge between East and West

Photocredits © shutterstock.com ScottYellox, Bistra Stoimenova

Glass window by Alfons MUCHA (1860-1939), St. Vitus Cathedral,
Prague castle

Photocredits © shutterstock.com
Bistra Stoimenova

42
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

The realisation of the aforementioned main goals will take place via the following
specific SECTORIAL ACTIVITIES:

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
Organisation of International Conferences focusing on current topics from the
domains of

Arts
Science
INTERNATIONAL


Sociology
European Integration
CONFERENCES

Inviting VIP speakers and renowned experts from Slavonic countries and the
international community.

ARTISTIC PERFORMANCES

Artistic Initiation and realisation of Artistic

Performances from the domains of

Performances Music
Dancing
Theater
Literature readings & book
presentations
Films
Exhibitions

43
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Providing grants for young Slavonic students for stays and traineeships in Brussels
and organising training classes

TRAININGS – SE ACADEMY
including support for candidates from Slavonic countries for jobs in the EU
Trainings Institutions (= EU selection procedures)

All above listed SCC activities will be accompanied by a systematic and thoroughly
designed COMMUNICATION campaign fully adapted to the topic and the targeted
public:

Website
Newsletters
Press releases
Social Media
TV coverage and interviews

The SCC will be an integral part of the SLAVONIC HOUSE and will be managed by the
SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l. as its general manager.

© shutterstock.com Syda Productions

44
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

THE EUROPEAN CLUB (ECL)

As one of the major innovative realisations of the SCC contributing to bridging East
& West using the charm of the Art Nouveau rooms of the SCC headquarters in the
SLAVONIC HOUSE, THE EUROPEAN CLUB – set up as an exclusive high-level Club at
the heart of the Brussels European Quarter at the basis of regular jour fixe monthly
meetings – will be a first mover in the whole area since nothing comparable in the
surroundings of the European Institutions exists to date.

Integrated in a highly esthetic and particularly appealing Art-Nouveau building only

a few footsteps from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the
European Union Council buildings with more than 70 000 people directly and in-
directly employed by them within a perimeter of approximately 1 km, it has all po-
tential to become a neutral, informal, discrete and calm platform for discussion and
exchange to Members of the European Parliament, Members and officials of the
European Commission and the European Union Council as well as to all European
and international diplomats, business men and any other stakeholders in the Bel-
gian capital.

As a classical club THE EUROPEAN CLUB will offer to its members the possibility to
meet in a select and unique setting and to foster bilateral contacts in a quiet and
discrete atmosphere far from the hustle and bustle of Brussels political and business
life.

The club will be characterized by a well-chosen and sophisticated ambience, which

will be apt to set up and to support in an ideal manner the aspired social life of the
Club and which will be reflected in the specific interior fittings such as

Exclusive interior design

Haute cuisine restaurant and cocktail bar
Well educated and selected personnel

The same exclusivity will apply to the Club’s programmatic content, i.e. inter alia:

Conferences
Seminars
Book presentations
Concerts
Exhibitions

For all above mentioned activities exclusively high-level speakers, artists and
experts will be invited assorted each time and in each case for the selected
topic and occasion. The choice of the programme will be dependent on both
current topics and challenges as well as an even cultural and territorial
distribution.

The ECL will be managed by the SLAVONIC EUROPE s.p.r.l., the SH management
company, together with an experienced international partner.

© shutterstock.com Stokkete

45
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

2. EAST-WEST YOUTH DISCUSSION

FORUM (EWYDF)

The East-West Youth Discussion Forum (EWYDF) addressing young people from
Eastern & Western Europe will be the most innovative and dynamic part of the
SLAVONIC HOUSE.
East-West The Forum’s main objective will be the creation of a firm and sustainable link
Youth between the up-coming East & West European generations – i.e. the youth from both
parts of the European continent – based on mutual trust and cooperation facilita-
Discussion ted through personal meetings and mutual exchange of views and experiences.

Forum In this framework the Forum will carry out the following specific activities:

Creating a permanent standing EAST-WEST YOUTH NETWORK

Organising joint events
Launching common projects
Publishing own positions and analyses of current and general topics
Communicating progress reports to the European and international public

The above listed EWYDF activities will be accompanied by a systematic and tho-
roughly designed COMMUNICATION campaign fully adapted to the topic and the
targeted public:

Website
Newsletters
Press releases
Social Media
TV coverage and interviews

The EWYDF will be a newly created independent Non-for-profit organisation under

Belgian law becoming a tenant of the SLAVONIC HOUSE and eligible for public fund-
ing.

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Rawpixel.com, Markus Pfaff

46
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

3. OFFICE SPACE FOR INTERNATIONAL

ORGANISATIONS & COMPANIES

The SLAVONIC HOUSE will offer highly exclusive Office space for rent in the middle
of the European Quarter in Brussels surrounded by all main European Institutions
presenting the following exclusive logistic advantages:

1. Benefiting from in-depth synergies between the numerous different sectorial

players (European decision makers, businesses, scientists, artists, civil society)
– from Slavonic and non-Slavonic countries – inside the SLAVONIC HOUSE
Businesses
2. Ideal location for visualisation and marketing of strategies, technologies and
products inside and outside the SLAVONIC HOUSE – in particular via specific
events organised in the SLAVONIC HOUSE premises

3. Optimal strategic position for lobbying at the main European Institutions

located in walking distance

4. Excellent location for getting first hand information about European legislation
and available EU-Funding

5. Taking advantage of the cultural offer of the SLAVONIC HOUSE (concerts,

expositions, readings, colloquiums, seminars) for publicity and marketing of
individual business and projects – ARTS meets BUSINESS

6. Creating new synergies and joining forces between the 13 Slavonic countries –
inside and outside the SLAVONIC HOUSE: Building a pragmatic Slavonic
Cooperation Alliance (SCA) in Brussels

Photocredits © shutterstock.com SFIO CRACHO, Mangostar

47
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

4. SLAVONIC & INTERNATIONAL

RESTAURANT

As an important part of each culture – and one of its most excellent ambassadors
SLAVONIC & - the culinary tradition and its innovations will play a crucial role in the SLAVONIC
HOUSE.
INTERNATIONAL The Slavonic Restaurant will be the pivotal social point of the future SLAVONIC
RESTAURANT HOUSE.

connecting All 13 Slavonic culinary traditions will be presented and represented in their various
forms in the Slavonic Restaurant and the Slavonic Bar – which will become from the
people and very beginning an integral and indispensible part of the whole project.
The Slavonic kitchen as well as the vast variety of its different drinks will offer a win-
cultures dow to the Slavonic culture: Serving as part of their home to the Slavs abroad and
communicating and facilitating a privileged access for the international Brussels
public.

The Slavonic & International Restaurant will be managed by a Joint Venture between
Brussels and the Slavonic countries becoming sub-tenants of the SLAVONIC EUROPE
s.p.r.l.

Photocredits © shutterstock.com lightpoet, kontrymphoto

48
“AND DON’T FORGET
TO REMEMBER ME, IN THE
GREAT FAMILY, IN A FAMILY
NEW AND FREE, WITH A
KIND AND QUIET WORD.”
Taras Hryhorovych SHEVCHENKO (1814-1861)

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Zvonimir Atletic

 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

STRUCTURE
Following the above developed programmatic content of the future SLAVONIC HOUSE the below stated inner structure of the
building has been developed, which will perfectly correspond to and optimally support the mission needs of the entire project:

SLAVONIC HOUSE floor plan:

SH Projekt
Slavonic Cultural &
Conference Centre Interna- East-West Slavonic & International
(SCC) tional Youth RestauranT
New Total Organisa- discus-
Structure Projected Slavonic tions & sion Interna-
Concert & Meeting Slavonic Bar
Compan- Forum tional
Conference Rooms & Restaur- Terraces
ies (EWYDF) Restaurant
Hall ant
& Bar
(4th Floor -
(160 m2) (160 m2)
planned)
3rd Floor 220 m2 220 m2
2nd Floor 362 m2 231 m 2
131 m2
1st Floor 422 m2 265 m2 157 m2
Groundfloor 503 m2 156 m2
116 m 2
231 m2
Basement 150 m2 150 m2
156 m2 265 m2 231 m2 220 m2 116 m2 538 m2 131 m2
TOTAL 1.657 m2
421 m 2
231 m2 220 m2 785 m2

SLAVONIC HOUSE thematic space repartition:

Restaurant Terrace II

East-West Young Discussion Forum

(EWYDF)

International Organisations & Companies

Restaurant Terrace I

Restaurant & Smoking Room Slavonic Cultural & Conferences Centre

(SCC)
SLAVONIC HOUSE Offices

Kitchen &
Slavonic Concert & Conference Hall Slavonic Bar & Restaurant Slavonic Bar & Restaurant
staff rooms

Storage
Concert & Storage
The European Club (ECL) The European Club (ECL)
Conference Hall Restaurant & Bar

50
SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Photocredits: © A. Louvet
51 Inside image SLAVONIC HOUSE – Slavonic Cultural & Conference Centre – Conference Room
 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

A BIG STORY OF CREATIVITY

IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The SLAVONIC HOUSE – a pillar and an incubator of the SLAVONIC EUROPE Move-
ment and of its INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR SLAVONIC COOPERATION - will be
one of the big stories written by people in the 21st century.

It represents the sense of interaction and the power of solidarity of human beings
and shows the rise of the Slavonic culture towards new horizons in modern times
testifying – in the middle of Europe and the mankind in turmoil – a moment of re-
flection and creativity brought forward by the Slavs in order to find their own place in
the current international constellation.

The idea of Slavonic identity and togetherness, however, will only persist and be a le-
gitimate one, if the Slavs have something new to give to the world – something which
is enriching and contributes to the world’s progressive positive evolution towards
HUMANITY and FRATERNITY (BRATRSTVÍ). It is in this broad evolutionary context
that SLAVONIC EUROPE, as an international cultural movement, and the SLAVONIC
HOUSE, as its central pillar and innovative project, strive to add proactively to an
overall European consolidation as well as to the inner driving force of a better and
finer civilization over the globe.

Thanks to a particularly numerous Slavonic population and highly receptive inter-

national public in Brussels, the SLAVONIC HOUSE Project is already now welcomed
with enthusiasm and a high degree of curiosity within the Brussels and Belgian in-
ternational community: It is strongly positioned as an original, ambitious and timely
undertaking.

On top of that, the SLAVONIC HOUSE project enters fully into the new European
Quarter urban arrangement strategy of the City of Brussels and the Brussels – Ca-
pital Region and comes just in time in the middle of a Europe which needs cultural
bridging initiatives more than ever before.

“TAKING A NEW STEP,

UTTERING A NEW WORD,
IS WHAT PEOPLE FEAR
MOST.”
Fyodor Mikhailovich DOSTOEVSKY (1821-1881)

© shutterstock.com Bega

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The Founder

David CHMELIK is the founder and president of the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement
and of its beating heart, the SLAVONIC HOUSE.

Born in 1968 in Kladno/Czechoslovakia, he studied classical philology (Latin &

ancient Greek) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich/Germany and ma-
thematical economics at the universities of Berlin (FU) and Bonn (RFWU)/Germany.
He carried out his final diploma thesis in economics as an empirical comparative
analysis of the „Consumption behaviour of large populations within the European
Union“ at the European Commission in Luxembourg (EUROSTAT) and obtained sub-
sequently his diploma degree in economics from the university of Bonn in 2003.

From 2005 to 2016 he served as a per-

manent official at the European Com-
mission in the Directorate General of
Budget being seconded in the frame-
work of the Czech EU Presidency in
2008-2009 to the Vice Prime Minister of
the Czech Republic to the government
in Prague.

David CHMELIK – holding two natio-

nalities, Czech and German, and having
the command of seven languages, i.e.
Czech, Slovak, German, English, French,
Latin and Ancient Greek – puts creativity
in the middle of his activities: Being also
a composer, author and designer, his
approach is holistic and must combine
all creative strands of an individual with
profound knowledge and wide experience in order to obtain – as the ideal outcome –
an organic entity, which is the only condition under which a men made construction,
independently of its kind, size and scope, can last and succeed.

As founder and president of the Belgian-German Club in Brussels (BGC) in 2011 and
of the European Club Prague (ECP) in 2012 David CHMELIK led these two organisa-
tions through diversified annual programmes during 4 years marrying arts, science
and current societal topics in each of their individual events.

In autumn 2015, he kicked off the SLAVONIC EUROPE Movement in Brussels and in
spring 2016 he launched the worldwide unique SLAVONIC HOUSE Project: Having
the explicit objective of fostering and strengthening the Slavonic togetherness in
Europe and around the world on cultural grounds David CHMELIK sees his innov-
ations at the same time as contributions to an alternative European unification at-
tempt between East and West based on culture as the connecting power – a new
Slavonic bottom-up approach to societal integration at international level.

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 SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

„THE NECTAR OF LIFE IS SWEET

ONLY WHEN SHARED WITH OTHERS.“
Adam MICKIEWICZ (1798 - 1855)

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SlavoniC House · EAST-WEST EUROPEAN DIALOGUE

Photocredits © shutterstock.com Andrzej Sliwinski

55 Tatra Mountains (Poland)
SLAVONIC
HOUSE
The Slavonic Headquarters Brussels

Rue de la Loi 78
1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
Tel.: 0032 472 34 01 09
info@slavonic-house.org

www.slavonic-house.org