Dezider Kremmer, winner of the Bíňa egg festival. (source: TASR)
THE WINNER of the 12th year of the national competition in Easter egg-decorating, Dezider Kremmer from southern Slovakia, was surprised and very happy to learn that he had been awarded the main prize for his puffed engraved eggs.
“I can’t believe it,” Kremmer, 58, who is unemployed and lives on a disability pension, told the TASR newswire. “What surprised me mostly was that in a time when Slovak-Hungarian relations are plagued by various problems, the jury of the competition’s organiser – the Orava Cultural Centre (OKS) – knew to appreciate my work,” the man, who is from Slovakia’s Hungarian community, stressed. Kremmer, who hails from the municipality of Bíňa in Nové Zámky district, added that he was the only competitor from southern Slovakia.
“I currently work with eggs of various size: in my quite rich collection there are eggshells of different sizes handled in different methods; quail eggs, hen eggs, duck eggs, geese eggs, but also from an ostrich,” he stated. “Each time, I face a new challenge and inspiration,” he said. He added that he had embarked on the hobby only a few years ago, after a serious illness. He engraves various motifs with an engraving device.
The official results were announced on March 15 at the Orava Cultural Centre in Dolný Kubín, and an exhibition showing the winning works can be seen until April 11. In total, 37 adults and more than 48 children took part in the competition, with the prevailing techniques being waxing, scraping and Madeira technique, but several also display alternative and experimental methods.
