Rače Cultural Association

Contact

Kulturno umetniško društvo Rače

http://www.kudrace.si/

Rače Cultural Association (KUD Rače) is situated in the town of Rače in northeastern Slovenia. It was established in 1949 and has operated without interruption since that time. It exists to service the cultural needs of the town and wider local community, and to preserve various aspects of national and regional cultural heritage.

The association is housed in Rače Castle, which dates from the early 16th century and has undergone successive waves of renovation since 1983. It is consistently referred to as one of the best-preserved lowland castles in Europe.

History

The association was formed by members of the local church choir after worship was banned in the chapel of Rače Castle by the communist authorities. While the choir was joined at various points over the years by a theatre group, cinema club and library, it remained the sole constant of the association until the late 1980s, when it was joined by the Fantje na vasi vocal ensemble. Since then, it has expanded to include a handicrafts group, several choirs and other vocal ensembles, a theatre group and, in 2019, a literary club. The association currently has 80 active members and stages around 140 concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events a year.

KUD Rače has also gained something of a national (and international) profile through its seasonal concert series, which were inaugurated in 2002 and attracts high-profile artists from Slovenia and abroad.

External links

• Interview with KUD Rače president Tone Žuraj, Večer, June 2019 in Slovenian
• Municipality of Rače-Fram official website
• Presentation and history of Rače Castle