Next TEH Meeting

The project Engine Room Europe has been funded with the support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. TEH has received operational grants from the City of Lund and the Swedish Arts Council. TEH Leaders Lab has been funded with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The TEH Coordination Office is hosted by Mejeriet, Lund.

WELCOME TO TEH MEETING 73
Tabačka, Košice, Slovakia
10–13th May 2012

1. About the meeting

The meeting will be held at Tabačka Kulturfabrik in Košice, Slovakia, on 10–13th May 2012. The theme of the meeting is Overcoming Borders to Independent Cultural Development. The meeting is supported by TEH:s three-year network project Engine Room Europe.

About Košice and Tabačka
Košice is the second largest city in Slovakia with population of around 250 000. It is situated in the east of Slovakia, near the borders with Ukraine and Hungary. For a long period of time the city was a part of Hungary. This foreign influence is still present and adds to the cultural diversity that can be found in the city. In 2013 it will hold the title European Capital of Culture. Tabačka is an independent culture space that has been open since 2009, however the NGO running the centre has been active since 2004. The building is an old tobacco factory and is located at a 3 minute distance from the historical centre of the city. Activities range from concerts to theatre, artistic residencies, workshops and community projects. The main objective of the space is to be open to new ideas and projects. Please take a look at Tabačka's website

2. Programme

Download the Meeting Programme here. Please note that this is not the final version of the programme.

TEH:s network project Engine Room Europe offers an Open Forum day on Friday, 11th May. From creating the agenda to constructing an action plan, the day, which is facilitated by professional trainers, will be developed by the participants themselves. Get ready for a dynamic session of idea generation and creative solutions!

Also, with the aim to introduce the unique position of Tabačka and Košice in the crossroads of East and West, we put a spotlight on independent culture in Slovakia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Saturday afternoon will offer a session about "cross Schengen" cooperations with lively presentations and Q&A with cultural managers, experts and representatives from countries on both sides of the Schengen border.

The meeting offers plenty of opportunity to meet, mingle and network - at Working the Net on Thursday, the Swap Market on Friday and the barbecue on Saturday evening. The Sunday excursion will take us to one of the beautiful mountain resorts outside Košice. Bring your best walking shoes! Flights to Bratislava and Prague leave around 19.00 on Sunday, we will be back in time to catch these flights. The Sunday excursion costs €15 extra, lunch is included.

TEH is actively working to make the Meetings more sustainable. Therefore, green actions at TEH Meeting 73 are prepared in collaboration with Friends of the Earth.

TEH General Assembly
The TEH General Assembly will take place in the morning of Saturday 12th May.

3. Accommodation, registration fee and payment

Hotel Yasmin is situated just across the road from Tabačka, which means that it takes 2 minutes to walk there. It is a four-star hotel painted in gold. There is a free fitness studio and a sauna/spa you can use for a small fee. You can have a look at the hotel here.

The meeting fee will be updated soon!

The address of the hotel is:
Hotel Yasmin
Tyršovo nábrežie 1
040 01 KOŠICE
SLOVAKIA
Tel: +421 55 795 11 00
Fax: +421 55 795 12 22
Email: reservation@hotel-yasmin.sk

After you register for the meeting, please contact Hotel Yasmin to confirm your accommodation. Next, you will receive an invoice from Tabačka. The deadline for payment of the registration fees is April 30th, 2012.

For the bank transfer of the registration fees, please use the following bank details:
IBAN: SK 8331000000004350202321
SWIFT: LUBASKBX
BANK: VOLKSBANK
BANK ADRESS: Mlynska 29, Kosice, Slovakia
Name of Account: Obcianske Zdruzenie Bona Fide

4. Miscellaneous
The currency in Slovakia is Euro. The weather is standard central European. In May, the temperature is expected to be around 20°C with a lot of sunshine. As for the use of Visa, Slovakia is a member of the European Union and the Schengen area. That means other that EU members can enter the country freely. Normally, Visas are quite rare when it comes to travelling to Slovakia. However, if you come from East or South Slovakia, you should consult this website that provides all information.

5. Contact

For more information, please contact Marian Söderholm at the TEH Coordination Office: marian[a]teh.net / +46 766 189 099 or Lukáš Berberich at Tabačka: lukas[a]tabacka.sk

6. Meeting Registration

Please go to Meeting Registration and sign up - early birds get a discount before 1st April! Deadline for registrations is 15th April. The number of places at TEH Meeting 73 is limited. Therefore, TEH Members have priority. TEH Friends and Guests are welcome subject to space. If you are not a TEH Member, Friend or Guest and would like to attend the meeting, please contact the TEH Coordination Office.

7. How to get to there
By train
Please think about your ecological footprint and consider this option! There are not many direct international connections to Košice. In most cases it is necessary to look for a suitable combination of trains. However within Slovakia, the trains to Košice leave almost every hour. Please use this web to see your connections. You can also choose the option of combining trains and buses.

By plane
Košice has its own airport with connections to Prague, Bratislava and Vienna. You can also fly to Budapest airport and take a train to Košice, which is 260 km away. After landing, there is a direct train that is very cheap but leaves only twice a day: 06.00 and 18.00. It takes 3,5 hours and leaves from train station located in the centre of Budapest. Much easier and comfortable is to use shuttles that leave directly from the airport and stop in Košice. Shuttles: here and here.

Another way is landing in Vienna, but that is much further. The current problem is that the railway is being repaired and for this reason the direct connection from Vienna to Košice is cancelled. That is why you will have to combine other means of transportation, which complicates your trip. The easiest way is to take a train to from Vienna to Bratislava and then another one to Košice. The third option is landing in Bratislava. From there, you can take a direct bus to the train station and take a train to Košice. The train from Bratislava to Košice leaves almost every hour and the journey is 6 hours long.

By car
The roads in Slovakia are not in best shape. A direct highway connection is still missing and you will have to use smaller local roads. However Slovakia has many navigation signs, which makes it quite hard to get lost. If you want to use the Slovakian highways, you have to buy a vignette at any gas station. A 10 day one would be the best option - it costs 10€. Parking is possible in front of the Hotel Yasmin for free or in its garage for maximum 10€ per day. Warning: Slovaks are quite aggressive drivers.

How to get to Tabačka
Address:
TABAČKA Kulturfabrik
Gorkého 2
040 01 KOŠICE
SLOVAKIA

Tabačka is located opposite the Hotel Yasmin and Jumbo Centre. You can get there with the buses No. 16, 22, 25, 27, 29, 36 or with the trolleybuses No. 71 or 72. The bus stop is called NÁRODNÉ NÁMESTIE.

Taxis in Košice
There is a taxi that will drive you anywhere in the city for 3€. You can order it, calling this number: 00421 907 234 263. However, this comes at a price. Sometimes they have too many calls from people, so they drive recklessly and dangerously. That is why, another recommendation is one that is safer, but may cost a bit more. It is called Central Taxi and this is the number for it: 00421 948 670 670.

Parking near Tabačka
It is possible to park in front of the Hotel Yasmin for free or in its garage for 10€ per day. But as Tabačka is in a walking distance from the city centre and the hotel is just across the road, you could hopefully move around by foot.

Welcome to TEH Meeting 73 at Tabačka!

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