VIGO PORT AUTHORITY AND JULES VERNE SOCIETY COLLABORATE TO PROMOTE CULTURAL ACTIVITIES LINKING JULIO VERNE WITH HIS PORT

• The President of Vigo Port Authority, Carlos Botana, met with the Jules Verne Society to explore collaboration avenues and joint efforts to highlight the connection between Julio Verne, Vigo, and its port.

• The 5th Jules Verne World Congress will be held in Vigo in 2028, coinciding with the writer's bicentennial.

President Carlos Botana of Vigo Port Authority held a meeting with the Jules Verne Society to discuss collaboration and mutual initiatives. The Jules Verne Society is a cultural association that celebrates the legacy of Julio Verne and includes over twenty members in Vigo from the fields of science, education, academia, and culture.

Representing the Jules Verne Society in the meeting were its President, journalist and historian Eduardo Rolland; Jesús Souza Troncoso, professor at the University of Vigo; and biologist Julio Astor Camino. These three members are part of the Jules Verne Society in Vigo.

It's worth noting that Julio Verne referenced Vigo and its port in his works even before becoming acquainted with them. For instance, Captain Nemo visits us in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," a novel in which the writer dedicated an entire chapter to our estuary and its surroundings. The French author later visited the city of Vigo twice, drawn by, among other attractions, the Battle of Rande and the Spanish galleons sunk in the Vigo Estuary in 1702, laden with gold and silver. He described the estuary as a "true fjord."

In line with generating port-city events that contribute cultural value and link Vigo's port history with its citizens, the President of Vigo Port Authority met with the Jules Verne Society to identify common ground for collaborative efforts in promoting Vigo's maritime and port-related culture, as well as its connection to Verne.

During the meeting held at Vigo Port Authority's headquarters, members of the Jules Verne Society introduced Carlos Botana, the head of the port authority, to the 5th Jules Verne World Congress, which will take place in Vigo in 2028, coinciding with the writer's bicentennial. The collaboration between the port and the Jules Verne Society will be close, and several initiatives are already in progress to highlight Verne's influence on Vigo and his literary legacy.

Additionally, they presented the lectures about Vigo and its port that the Jules Verne Society will deliver at the World Congress to be held in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) next year in 2024. This congress has previously taken place in cities like Havana, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca.

The meeting concluded as the first of many towards jointly organizing educational events celebrating Julio Verne, Vigo, and its port.