This year is the year of Mihai Eminescu and Grigore Vieru, the head of the Chisinau Culture Division Lucia Culev announced, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Flower laying events, book launches, symposiums, exhibitions, requiems, concerts and festivals will take place in Moldova and abroad starting with January 15. This year, it will be 160 years of the birth of the great classical writer Mihai Eminescu and 75 years of the birth of the greatest contemporary poet in the Romanian language area Grigore Vieru. It will be also one year of the death of Grigore Vieru. Flowers will be laid on January 15, on Mihai Eminescu's birthday, to the monument situated in the square of “Mihai Eminescu” Theater and at the poet's bust in the central park in Chisinau. There will be held music and poetry recitals. Symposiums, exhibitions of books and photographs, interactive conferences and book launches will take place at the Romanian Language House, the Academic Center “Mihai Eminescu” and national libraries on the same day. A commemoration concert will be held at the National Palace. The events to remember Grigore Vieru will start on January 16 at Saint Theodora of Sihla Church, where there will be held a religious ceremony in memory of the bard. The poet's wife Raisa Vieru told Info-Prim Neo that a requiem for Grigire Vieru will take place at the Central Cemetery in Chisinau on January 18, when the poet died. A commemoration concert will be held at the National Palace on February 10 and 11. It will bring together singers from Romania, Italy, Germany and Moldova, including Angela Similea, Tudor Gheorghe, Paul Fuego (Romania), Michael Kleitman, Albina Barsan (Germany), Antoniu Furnari (Italy), Mihai Volontir, Mihai Munteanu, Stefan Petrache, Anastasia Lazariuc, Natalia Barbu, Cristi Aldea-Teodorovici, Mihaela Chisnencu and others. The returns will go to erect a monument to the poet at his grave. The model of the bust was selected on January 11. It will be made of bronze and placed on the Classical Writers Alley on February 14, on Vieru's birthday. The contest to choose the model of the bust was organized by the Ministry of Culture. The bust made by sculptors Victor Macovei and Ruslan Tihonciuc became the winner. Grigore Vieru died on January 18, 2009 in a road accident. He was returning from Cahul town, where he took part in the events held to commemorate Mihai Eminescu together with the Romanian singer Paul Fuego. Commemoration events will take place in Romania, Italy, Spain and other countries.