Press release - 5 August 2020
Event series “Germany in conversation: How do we want to live together?” to be continued online
Registration is now open for six sessions scheduled for August and September 2020.
The Commission on the 30th Anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and German Reunification has organised online formats to commemorate and celebrate this momentous anniversary in 2020. As face-to-face events have been cancelled since mid-March to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Germany, the event series “Germany in conversation: How do we want to live together?” will be continued online.
Starting on 24 August 2020, six moderated video conferences will take place under the title “Germany in conversation: How do we want to live together? – Online”.
Dialogue with the public is a particular priority of the Commission and has been at the heart of the anniversary plans from the outset. At “Germany in conversation – Online”, residents of twin towns on either side of the former border are invited to discuss the process of Germany’s unification and their common future.
Each session will address a specific topic which the Commission has identified as particularly relevant during its work in the anniversary year. Thirty years after Germany’s unification, questions arise such as how the Day of German Unity should be celebrated in the future, whether there are different East and West German mentalities, and what contribution volunteer work can make in the ongoing unification process.
The Commission will invite those who participated in the six in-person events organised between November 2019 and March 2020 to also join the online discussions. Residents of the cities whose dialogue events had to be cancelled as of March 2020 may register as well. The maximum number of participants per session is 60. Members of the Commission will also join the discussions with the public.
For further information on “Germany in conversation – Online” and registration see: https://deutschland-ist-eins-vieles.de/en/germany-in-conversation/
Topics and dates:
- Unity as a civilian task: How can volunteer work contribute?
24 August 2020 at 19.00 - Day of German Unity: Our national holiday or just a day off?
25 August 2020 at 19.00 - “Typical Easterner, typical Westerner”: What role do old stereotypes and mentalities play after 30 years of German unity?
26 August 2020 at 19.00 - The economy and the welfare state in Germany: Are we prepared for current and future challenges?
31 August 2020 at 19.00 - Fairly distributed? Different roles and influence in Germany after 30 years of unity
1 September 2020 at 19.00 - 30 years of German unity: Where do we stand? Where are we heading?
2 September 2020 at 19.00
Residents of the following twin towns can register:
- Dessau – Ludwigshafen
- Greifswald – Osnabrück
- Schmalkalden – Recklinghausen
- Frankfurt (Oder) – Heilbronn
- Torgau – Sindelfingen
- Ilmenau – Homburg (Saar)
- Rostock – Bremen
- Neubrandenburg – Flensburg
- Gera – Nürnberg
- Güstrow – Neuwied
- Wittenberg – Göttingen – Bretten
- Zwickau – Dortmund
- Finsterwalde – Eppelborn
- Ballenstedt – Kronberg
- Riesa – Mannheim
- Suhl – Würzburg
Additional information regarding the anniversary year and the Commission:
The Federal Government would like to celebrate the 30th anniversaries of the peaceful revolution and German reunification as unifying anniversaries for all of Germany. To this end, it established the Commission on the 30th Anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and German Reunification, which is chaired by Matthias Platzeck, former Minister-President of the State of Brandenburg, and set up an office at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community to support the Commission. Find out more here: https://deutschland-ist-eins-vieles.de/en/commission/
The Commission reflects on the transformation and unification process so far to learn lessons for the further integration of East and West. It has agreed important milestones of the anniversary year commemorating the 30th anniversary of the peaceful revolution and German reunification. Find out more here: https://deutschland-ist-eins-vieles.de/en/milestones/
Press contact:
Office for the 30th Anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution and German Reunification
Geschäftstelle 30 Jahre Friedliche Revolution und Deutsche Einheit
Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat
Alt-Moabit 140, 10557 Berlin
Phone: 030 18 681-10394
PO box:
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