Our First Thirty Years
26 October 1974 – 26 October 2004

“It is difficult to go over thirty years of activities in very few paragraphs. However, as I want to show you to what extent our commitment has been successful, I will tell you our story, the story of Mitteleurope, not only by using words, but also by giving some examples of what we did.

6 May 1976: the earthquake devastated Friuli leaving dust, ruins and thousands of victims behind it. Thanks to awareness-raising actions in the Austrian Republic, I managed to open a building site in the upper Torre Valley and, in June 1976, we already started to restore brick houses in the village of Musi di Lusevera.

The Association continued to give its strong support in several aid initiatives such as, for example, the coordination of financial support allocated by the Tyrol region. Thanks to our friendly relations with the Vorarlberg region, a group of young people from Carnia also went to Austria on holiday at the local authorities’ expense for thee years.

These are just some of the initiatives coming to my mind. Though being sad, these memories pay a tribute to all those who have been working for Mitteleurope with generosity and solidarity.

4 November (1976, 1977, 1978...): as a young man, I used to go and put flowers under the crosses bearing “foreign” names in semi-abandoned war cemeteries. I was seen as somebody “strange”, somewhat peculiar. I even dared declare that the Berlin wall would not last much long, and I still kept on using the name of St. Petersburg for the beautiful town of Leningrad.

Time showed that forward-looking young man had been right, and that annoyed the “insiders” even more. Nothing strange, just think of the Latin  motto “nemo propheta in patria”.

I therefore decided to devote all my intellectual (and economic!) resources to international relations. As stubborn and persistent as I am, I prepared and engaged in an act of parallel diplomacy which could prove our Association was a serious and reliable one, hoping to be useful.
I was afraid not to be up to the task, but that did not dampen my youthful enthusiasm. After the first state visits in Vienna and Munich I was no longer afraid; I was embarrassed when sometimes   Budapest, Prague or Bratislava “consulted” me, but that made me feel more and more excited as I was given the task to represent my region (Friuli) and Italy.

Mitteleurope Cultural Association developed and distinguished itself on many international occasions. It also started collaborating with prestigious universities, where it became increasingly appreciated through conferences, relations and debates.
Clearly, I cannot forget the key role played by the most important figures of the Italian culture and journalism who, by writing about us, increased our credibility in the national and international cultural scenario. I will only name the most famous ones, such as Claudio Magris, Indro Montanelli, Leonardo Sciascia, Fulvio Tomizza, Vittorio Feltri, Cesare Marchi, Giuseppe Berto, Quirino Principe, Ernst Trost and Leonhard Paulmichl. (see the Press Review)
                                                                                                       

Paolo Petiziol