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Frankfurt, 30 September 2016 – On Tuesday 18 October His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and His Majesty King Philippe of the Belgians will jointly open the Dutch-Flemish Pavilion at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair, where the Netherlands and Flanders will be guests of honour. Her Majesty Queen Mathilde will also be present. The Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, Geert Bourgeois, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Jet Bussemaker and the Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth, Media and Brussels, Sven Gatz will join the delegation.

Under the slogan Dit is wat we delen (‘This is what we share’), Flanders and the Netherlands will present over 70 authors at the Book Fair and various other venues in and around the city of Frankfurt. In the run-up to the Fair, over 300 German translations of literary and other works will be published in Dutch. These translations will encompass a multitude of genres, by a wide range of classic and contemporary authors.

The Dutch-Flemish Pavilion covers a surface area of 2,300 m2. The design was inspired by the vast, open landscapes and expansive coastlines of Flanders and the Netherlands. The Pavilion was designed by The Cloud Collective, a Dutch consultancy. It houses a theatre, a cinema, exhibitions, a literary virtual reality experience and a workshop that will produce a unique publication every day.

The Frankfurt Book Fair will run from 19 to 23 October. With 7,000 exhibitors and over 280,000 visitors, this five-day event is the largest trade fair in the world. Every year, it draws almost 10,000 journalists. On weekdays the fair is open to international book trade professionals, and at the weekend to the general public.

About the Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with 7,100 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, around 275,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and approximately 10,000 accredited journalists – including 2,000 bloggers - in attendance. It also gathers key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Book Fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurt Book Fair organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. With its Business Club, the Frankfurt Book Fair offers essential services and an ideal setting for the activities of publishers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, experts and visionaries. The Frankfurt Book Fair is a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. www.book-fair.com

Contact for the media:
Press & Corporate Communications, Frankfurt Book Fair
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com
Jördis Hille, PR Manager, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-271, hille@book-fair.com
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