Overview

The “Exhibition World of Hunting, Budapest 1971” was held at the Budapest Exhibition Area in Budapest, Hungary, from August 27 to September 30, 1971. Organized by the Exhibition Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, it was a special exhibition under the 1928 Paris Convention, recognized by the 63rd General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE) on May 9, 1968. It drew about 1.9 million visits, including some 200,000 from abroad, over 35 days. It was the first World Hunting Exhibition held under BIE auspices and the first BIE-recognized international Expo in the Eastern Bloc.

Theme and subthemes

Under the theme "The Hunt through the World," the Expo stressed conservation, game farming and the economic importance of hunting, fishing and tourism. Two slogans framed its message: "Nature conservation is a conservation of ourselves" and "Peace, friendship, nature, health, recreation and sport."

Pavilions and international participation

The 35-hectare site held 35 national pavilions covering 30,000 square meters, and the BIE notes that 52 countries from four continents were represented. Newly independent East African countries built pavilions to promote safari hunting, an important source of national revenue. A 60,000-square-meter outdoor area hosted horse and dog shows and fishing and shooting competitions, and parallel hunting and fishing events took place in other regions of Hungary. Visitors from across the political divide included Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Legacy

The Expo was the first to apply the trophy-scoring rules of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), adopted in 1952, and several hundred trophies were appraised. That system remains the standard today, and the CIC moved its headquarters to Hungary in 1999. A Wildlife Film Festival and scientific symposiums held during the Expo led to international agreements on wildlife management and conservation.

Expo 1971 Budapest brought participants from both sides of the Cold War to a socialist capital and left a lasting mark on the international rules and institutions of wildlife conservation.