A festive poster exhibition in the Museum of Ulm in summer 2018 completed the European project “Danube Women City Guide”. The international Danube Festival – a feast of encounter and exchange of people from all countries along the river Danube – provided the perfect location for the presentation of the result of the project: The book “Danube Women Stories“ – produced in a venture of German, Austrian, Hungarian, Serbian and Romanian civil society organisations, making visible women’s achievements in cities of the Danube regions.

State Secretary Theresa Schopper and Mayoress Iris Mann emphasized in their opening ceremony of the exhibition the importance of cooperation in strengthening the visibility of women in the Danube region and in strengthening social cohesion.
Because of the increased public awareness towards the Danube during the Festival and the many intercultural encounters within the 10 festive days the interest in the project results was quite high. The SWR invited Sabine Geller, the editor in chief of danube connects and Raluca Nelepcu, a journalist from Temeswar, for an interview about the project; Radio FreeFM, oktoTV in Vienna and different media in Romania and Budapest also reported about the book; Deutsche Welle – Germany’s international broadcaster – planned a radio interview about the project. Due to 100 years of women’s right to vote 2018 and 2019 media have an intensified interest in women stories.

Women in Danube cities: a new cultural route?
Many of the 50 women from five Danuban countries portrayed in the book shared common interests, faced similar challenges or even careers alike as the stories of personalities past and present show. Like the most beautiful woman at her time, Hedy Lamarr from Austria, or the brave political activist Sophie Scholl in Germany, the brilliant scientist Mileva Maric in Serbia or the unsung model for the statue of liberty in Budapest Erzsébet Gaál in Hungary. The stories are beautifully illustrated by young artist Natalija Ribovic, who herself is a travelling commuter between different Danube cities.
The realisation of the book project “Danube Women Stories” was financially supported by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation in the frame of their programme “Perspektive Donau”. The book serves as a starting point for a new cultural route along the river Danube – a journey of successful and engaging women, interesting for men, too.
The touring poster exhibition “Danube Women Stories” will now proceed to new cities. First to Regensburg in Germany, after that to Linz in Austria and finally to Bratislava in Slovakia – and further Danube cities are welcome to become a part of this project and cultural route in the future.

Find more information in our website and on the blog of the project online: http://women.danube-stories.eu
Danube Women Stories, edited by danube books, Ulm