International Geographical Conference in Berehove (Ukraine)


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C H R O N I C L E

Hungarian Geographical Bulletin 61 (3) (2012) pp. 263–271.

International Geographical Conference in Berehove (Ukraine)

It had become a tradition to hold “Rákóczi days” during the last week of March at 
II. Rákóczi Ferenc Kárpátaljai Magyar Főiskola (Francis II. Rákóczi Transcarpathian 
Hungarian Institute) in the town of Berehove (Hung. Beregszász). On 29–30 March 2012 
the Geographical Department of the Institute organized an international geographical 
conference entitled „Social-geographical challenges in the 21st century East and Central 
Europe”. 150 researchers coming from 7 countries (Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, 
Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria) and representing 45 educational and scientifi c establish-
ments held scientifi c discussions in Hungarian, Ukrainian and English languages which 
were the offi  cial working languages at the conference.

The materials of the lectures (776 pages) that had been sent by the participants 
to the organizing committ ee were published in two volumes and handed in to the lectur-
ers during the registration process together with the Berehove Institute’s scientifi c herald 
“Acta Beregsasiensis”.

The conference was opened in the Esztergom auditorium by Ildikó Orosz, who 
is the president of the Institute, then István Tóth, Hungary’s consul general at Berehove 
Consulate, greeted the participants. They were followed by plenary sessions where Prof. 

Opening of the conference



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Participants of the plenary session

Participants of the professional excursion to Uzhhorod



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Miroslav Dnistransky, the Head of the Department, dwelt on the language assimilation 
trends of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine’s regions; Prof. József Nemes Nagy 
outlined the changes in Hungary’s territorial researches; Prof. István Süli-Zakar conducted 
a lecture on the demographic explosion and migration of the Romas in East and Central 
Europe as one of the biggest challenges in 21st century Europe. The plenary session was 
closed by Sándor Fegyir who elucidated the problems of Transcarpathia’s tourism before 
the 2012 European Football Championship.

In the aft ernoon section meetings were held. Due to the great interest shown by the 
participants, four sections (population- and social geography, economic geography, regions 
and borders, tourism) were organized where the researchers presented the results of their 
investigations on 21st century social geography in Europe. The speeches were delivered in 
several languages – each speaker’s presentation was supplemented with the summary of 
his speech in another language. The summaries were translated into Hungarian, Ukrainian 
and English by the members of the organizing committ ee of the Institute.

Next day a professional excursion was scheduled. The participants were taken 
to Mukacheve (Hung. Munkács) Castle and Dobó Cellar in the village of Serednie (Hung: 
Szerednye), as well as Uzhhorod (Hung. Ungvár) which is a regional centre. The excursion 
was organised by the staff  of the Geographical Department, a professional tourist guide 
who presented Transcarpathia’s sights.

The conference and the publication were sponsored by Gábor Bethlen Foundation 
and the Berehove Institute. We thank the sponsors for the support and the participants for 
their contribution to the conference’s success and its high scientifi c level.

Tibor Izsák

Publications for the conference