Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva, Spouse of Russian President, Officially Opened 61st Edition of Keukenhof International Flower Exhibition

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Mar 19, 2010, 09:18 ET

LISSE, The Netherlands, March 19, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Accompanied by HRH Princess Maxima der Nederlanden Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva, spouse of the president of the Russian Federation has officially opened the 61st edition of Keukenhof international flower exhibition in Lisse, The Netherlands. She was especially invited because this year's central theme is 'From Russia with love'. The opening ceremony was the baptizing of a newly bred tulip. Keukenhof 2010 is open for the public until May 16th.

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Part of the programme was the opening speech, held by Peter d'Hamecourt, an authority on Russian society and former correspondent of various media, and a performance by the Nederlands Dans Theater. Walter Jansen, chairman of the Board of Directors, elucidated recent strategic developments in the park, in particular the vision on the area surrounding the 32 hectares of the exhibition. Completion of the procedure is in its final stage.

Mr Jansen called the revitalization of the catering facilities "of major importance. Our partner Albron and Keukenhof now anticipate on the demands of the modern, international customer. The introduction of the Discovery Tour fulfill his needs as well, as research proved."

Theme Russia

Since this decade the Keukenhof outings are based on central theme, a.o. expressed through an impressive flower mosaic. According to the management the choice for the 2010 theme 'From Russia with love' was more or less logical, but challenging on the other hand. Giant Russia is beautiful, mysterious and boast a special history. The immediate cause, however, was the growing importance of Russia for the Dutch export of flower bulbs. In return Keukenhof expects a booming interest of visitors originating from the country. In 2009 some 9,000 guests from Russia passed the entrance.

The confrontation of the Keukenhof visitor with the 2010 theme will start at the main entrance through a proud Russian man, playing with his children on the Red Square in front of the Kremlin. Along Russian landscapes as well as traditional matroeskas the tour leads to a giant picture of the Pokrov- or Saint Basil Cathedral. The ambassador of the Russian Federation has finished this monument in October 2009.

http://www.keukenhof.nl

SOURCE Keukenhof