The Heat’s on Linz: Vilnius Leads 1:0
Linz vs. Vilnius
Copyright: Ewald Kutzenberger
Linz is slowly getting backed into a corner! In the test of strength between capitals of culture that got underway Monday, February 23, 2009, Vilnius got off to a one-point lead. Lithuanian writer Laurynas Katkus delighted the audience with his texts and emerged victorious over Upper Austria’s Franzobel.
Messrs. Juhann and Jod Linz09 project “Linz vs. Vilnius” is a playoff format based on popular TV casting shows that will determine Europe’s true 2009 Capital of Culture. Representatives of Linz and Vilnius are facing off in a variety of disciplines.First up this past Monday was literature. And despite enjoying home field advantage, Linz came up a little bit short in the voting by audience members. The unofficial kick-off of this Linz vs. Vilnius duel was a World Cup football qualifying match last September that pitted Austria against Lithuania, in which the Alpine Republic suffered a painful setback on the pitch.
So the pressure will definitely be on Linz at the next event on Wednesday, March 4 in the library of the Catholic Theological University, where Cornelius Hell (LIT) and Edmund Brandner (AUT) will battle it out in a comparison of two episodes from the history of the two countries. The good-natured conflict continues of Thursday, April 2. Yet to be decided are superiority in music, language and cuisine.
