An interesting, but slightly off topic article. I didn't realize how many Russian's live in Berlin and Germany. Also the Russian-East German Friendship association is still alive as the Russian Berlin Cooperation – Union of East and West.
And this interesting quote, "Another key concern of the Haus is the spread and diffusion of the Russian language throughout Germany, which has been in decline recently since the collapse of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR). Apparently, only 1% of people currently studying in schools and universities throughout Germany are learning Russian. "
http://www.culturaldiplomacynews.org/index.php?aid=1307
Russia Haus - facilitating friendship and cultural exchange
This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Russia Haus in Berlin. Essentially the Haus is an institute for cultural exchange, scientific and academic research, and an outlet for the Russian community living in the German capital. Russia Haus has a vital role to play in cementing a renewed friendship between two of the world’s major nations. As Mr. Zhuralev, vice-secretary of the Russia Haus in Berlin, told the members of the ICD Europe-meets-Russia forum, the institute is constantly hosting various events targeted at both German citizens and the Russian diaspora. In fact, Mr Zhuralev went into the minute detail of the specific events that are happening at the Haus all year round. Including, rather bizarrely, the annual meeting of the Berlin-Tokyo city twinning committee.
Russia Haus is largely self-funded through the hosting of events in the building and the renting of space to other organisations, although some basic financial support is provided by the Russian government. Most of the income required to run the Haus is generated through concerts, language courses, schools, ballet lessons, art exhibitions and other cultural projects. The Haus is located on Friedrichstrasse and has many interesting facilities including a 500-seat cinema where Russian films are shown, four exhibition halls and a Russian library with over 60,000 books and leading Russian magazines and academic journals. The Haus acts as a centre for scientific research and the representative office of the Russian Federation here in Berlin. It runs educational, scientific and humanitarian projects. There is strong cooperation regarding science and education and the Russia Haus recently hosted a large medical conference in Berlin. According to Mr. Zhuralev, another key goal of the Haus is to run activities with German citizens. Something he described as a kind of, “human diplomacy, cultural diplomacy with interactions here in Berlin and an exchange of communication.”
A vital function of the Haus is that of cooperation with Russian citizens who are living in Berlin. While hard to estimate, there are approximately 150,000 Russians or people of Russian descent living in the German capital. Mr. Zhuralev stated that Berlin is a city where you can hear the Russian language spoken everywhere and often. He also claimed that Russians make up the second largest immigrant group in Berlin behind that of the Turkish community. Another key concern of the Haus is the spread and diffusion of the Russian language throughout Germany, which has been in decline recently since the collapse of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR). Apparently, only 1% of people currently studying in schools and universities throughout Germany are learning Russian. Promoting the language has taken on a renewed importance. The Haus runs courses in Russian language and culture, facilitates exchange programmes between German and Russian students, and helps the 3 million Russian speaking people currently living in Germany connect to Russian culture and the citizens of the Russian Federation. Mr. Zhuralev suggested that this is sometimes difficult for people, despite living in a modern age of television and the internet.
Mr. Zhuralev stated that the Haus aids the improvement of cultural and human relations through concerts, exhibitions and meetings. With each day having “different events facilitating mutual understanding in our society.” A key focus of the Russia Haus is to ‘reach out’ to young people and especially to children. The Russia Haus helps to support Russian kindergartens, provide arts and cultural projects, host Russian themed Christmas celebrations with characters from Russian fairytales, and has even set up a centre specifically dedicated to bilingual German-Russian children. There is also an annual ‘youth festival’, an essential activity of the Haus, with international activities involving people of many different nationalities.
The elderly community is also a very important concern for the Haus. For the older generation, the Moscow School of Modern Plays will perform in Russia Haus. There are also many societies and concerts. In addition, the WW2 memorial services are coordinated by Russia Haus. There will be a meeting with WW2 veterans in Russia Haus on the 9th of May. Delegations will come to Berlin from all over the Russian Federation. Last year, the Haus facilitated a meeting between Russian and United States veterans who were Prisoners of War (POWs) in Germany. The Russia Haus also helps to organize the annual memorial service in Tiergarten. Mr. Zhuralev stressed many times how vital it was for the Russia Haus to support the older Russian and German-Russian population in Berlin. This is partly achieved through activities such as the Dialogue Club, a club that is specifically for Russian citizens living in Berlin. This year will mark the club’s 20th anniversary. There are also coffee mornings were citizens can get together and discuss a range of issues pertinent to them. In addition, Russia Haus provides clubs specifically for women and arts clubs. The Haus is trying to diversify its cultural programmes, appeal to young and old alike, and really reach out to the population of Berlin.
Once a month there are German-Russian friends meetings that take place in a relaxing atmosphere and discuss general issues, as well as politics too. 2009 will mark the 60th anniversary of the German Association of Russian Friends, which has undergone various name changes over the years, becoming the Russian-East German Friendship association and now finally, the Russian Berlin Cooperation – Union of East and West. There are similar friendship associations in more than 70 cities throughout Germany and there are strong connections between the various associations and the Russia Haus.
This is the second stint for Mr. Zhuralev as vice director of the Russia Haus in Berlin. He was also in post here during the 1990s. He noted that there have been many changes in the city and in the relationship between Russia and Germany since then. Mr. Zhuralev believes that Russia and Germany have good relations and that there are historically many positive links between the two nations. Obviously the relationship has been blighted by war at various stages. Yet in spite of this, there are undeniable links between the two countries. Citing the example of Catherine the Great, a famous German-Russian Empress. Mr. Zhuralev pointed out that there have always been strong ties between the two countries, particularly at the highest levels of society. The interest in Catherine the Great persists and in fact, the Russia Haus recently hosted an event exploring her life.
Russia Haus used to employ 50 people during Soviet times but now there are just eight employees who must rely upon the support of volunteers from the local German-Russian community. The staff cut can perhaps been viewed as part of a wider sign of the scaling back of national cultural institutions that has unfortunately occurred on a global level. For instance, the US Government closed down the Amerika Haus in Berlin in 2006 and the United Kingdom Government closed the original British Council building in Hackesher Markt recently.
The Russia Haus cooperates with many partners on a local, national and international level. The main Russia Haus is located in Moscow and there are 60 different centres in other places around the world, including many European cities such as Brussels, Copenhagen, Paris and Bucharest. The Berlin branch of the Russian Haus is the biggest information and cultural institute compared to the other centres. Russia Haus used to focus specifically upon the Soviet Block countries during the time of the USSR and it still maintains this tradition by reaching out to former Soviet states. However, according to Mr. Zhuralev, the Russia Haus also has strong links with Italy, Bulgaria, China, and is appealing to other nations too. It is notable that Russia has its biggest cultural centre here in Berlin. Clearly the Russian Federation understands the importance of the German capital city, a city that lies in the very heart of modern Europe. There is another smaller Russia Haus centre in Dresden. However, Mr. Zhuralev sounded wistful that other countries have a greater presence here in Germany with regards to their cultural institutions. For example, the USA, UK and France all have more of their respective institutions in Germany than Russia. He indicated though that there are currently ongoing discussions about the opening of further new, smaller Russia Hauses in Frankfurt, a city with a large and distinguished Russian community, and Mainz.
A further function of the Russia Haus is to promote regional and business cooperation, and to present and market Russian cities and regions to Germany. The Haus tries to include as many different parts of the Russian Federation in its activities as possible. The month of May will see many activities take place in the Haus, including an exhibition of Russian icons, an art exhibition, concerts, and the 25th anniversary celebrations of Russia Haus and the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Dialogue Club. There is also a year round exhibition of multi-language communication and culture including 250 plus exhibitions of artwork from more than 30 different countries. For more detailed information consult the Russia Haus website at http://www.russisches-haus.de/
Mat Noblett
And this interesting quote, "Another key concern of the Haus is the spread and diffusion of the Russian language throughout Germany, which has been in decline recently since the collapse of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR). Apparently, only 1% of people currently studying in schools and universities throughout Germany are learning Russian. "
http://www.culturaldiplomacynews.org/index.php?aid=1307
Russia Haus - facilitating friendship and cultural exchange
This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the Russia Haus in Berlin. Essentially the Haus is an institute for cultural exchange, scientific and academic research, and an outlet for the Russian community living in the German capital. Russia Haus has a vital role to play in cementing a renewed friendship between two of the world’s major nations. As Mr. Zhuralev, vice-secretary of the Russia Haus in Berlin, told the members of the ICD Europe-meets-Russia forum, the institute is constantly hosting various events targeted at both German citizens and the Russian diaspora. In fact, Mr Zhuralev went into the minute detail of the specific events that are happening at the Haus all year round. Including, rather bizarrely, the annual meeting of the Berlin-Tokyo city twinning committee.
Russia Haus is largely self-funded through the hosting of events in the building and the renting of space to other organisations, although some basic financial support is provided by the Russian government. Most of the income required to run the Haus is generated through concerts, language courses, schools, ballet lessons, art exhibitions and other cultural projects. The Haus is located on Friedrichstrasse and has many interesting facilities including a 500-seat cinema where Russian films are shown, four exhibition halls and a Russian library with over 60,000 books and leading Russian magazines and academic journals. The Haus acts as a centre for scientific research and the representative office of the Russian Federation here in Berlin. It runs educational, scientific and humanitarian projects. There is strong cooperation regarding science and education and the Russia Haus recently hosted a large medical conference in Berlin. According to Mr. Zhuralev, another key goal of the Haus is to run activities with German citizens. Something he described as a kind of, “human diplomacy, cultural diplomacy with interactions here in Berlin and an exchange of communication.”
A vital function of the Haus is that of cooperation with Russian citizens who are living in Berlin. While hard to estimate, there are approximately 150,000 Russians or people of Russian descent living in the German capital. Mr. Zhuralev stated that Berlin is a city where you can hear the Russian language spoken everywhere and often. He also claimed that Russians make up the second largest immigrant group in Berlin behind that of the Turkish community. Another key concern of the Haus is the spread and diffusion of the Russian language throughout Germany, which has been in decline recently since the collapse of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR). Apparently, only 1% of people currently studying in schools and universities throughout Germany are learning Russian. Promoting the language has taken on a renewed importance. The Haus runs courses in Russian language and culture, facilitates exchange programmes between German and Russian students, and helps the 3 million Russian speaking people currently living in Germany connect to Russian culture and the citizens of the Russian Federation. Mr. Zhuralev suggested that this is sometimes difficult for people, despite living in a modern age of television and the internet.
Mr. Zhuralev stated that the Haus aids the improvement of cultural and human relations through concerts, exhibitions and meetings. With each day having “different events facilitating mutual understanding in our society.” A key focus of the Russia Haus is to ‘reach out’ to young people and especially to children. The Russia Haus helps to support Russian kindergartens, provide arts and cultural projects, host Russian themed Christmas celebrations with characters from Russian fairytales, and has even set up a centre specifically dedicated to bilingual German-Russian children. There is also an annual ‘youth festival’, an essential activity of the Haus, with international activities involving people of many different nationalities.
The elderly community is also a very important concern for the Haus. For the older generation, the Moscow School of Modern Plays will perform in Russia Haus. There are also many societies and concerts. In addition, the WW2 memorial services are coordinated by Russia Haus. There will be a meeting with WW2 veterans in Russia Haus on the 9th of May. Delegations will come to Berlin from all over the Russian Federation. Last year, the Haus facilitated a meeting between Russian and United States veterans who were Prisoners of War (POWs) in Germany. The Russia Haus also helps to organize the annual memorial service in Tiergarten. Mr. Zhuralev stressed many times how vital it was for the Russia Haus to support the older Russian and German-Russian population in Berlin. This is partly achieved through activities such as the Dialogue Club, a club that is specifically for Russian citizens living in Berlin. This year will mark the club’s 20th anniversary. There are also coffee mornings were citizens can get together and discuss a range of issues pertinent to them. In addition, Russia Haus provides clubs specifically for women and arts clubs. The Haus is trying to diversify its cultural programmes, appeal to young and old alike, and really reach out to the population of Berlin.
Once a month there are German-Russian friends meetings that take place in a relaxing atmosphere and discuss general issues, as well as politics too. 2009 will mark the 60th anniversary of the German Association of Russian Friends, which has undergone various name changes over the years, becoming the Russian-East German Friendship association and now finally, the Russian Berlin Cooperation – Union of East and West. There are similar friendship associations in more than 70 cities throughout Germany and there are strong connections between the various associations and the Russia Haus.
This is the second stint for Mr. Zhuralev as vice director of the Russia Haus in Berlin. He was also in post here during the 1990s. He noted that there have been many changes in the city and in the relationship between Russia and Germany since then. Mr. Zhuralev believes that Russia and Germany have good relations and that there are historically many positive links between the two nations. Obviously the relationship has been blighted by war at various stages. Yet in spite of this, there are undeniable links between the two countries. Citing the example of Catherine the Great, a famous German-Russian Empress. Mr. Zhuralev pointed out that there have always been strong ties between the two countries, particularly at the highest levels of society. The interest in Catherine the Great persists and in fact, the Russia Haus recently hosted an event exploring her life.
Russia Haus used to employ 50 people during Soviet times but now there are just eight employees who must rely upon the support of volunteers from the local German-Russian community. The staff cut can perhaps been viewed as part of a wider sign of the scaling back of national cultural institutions that has unfortunately occurred on a global level. For instance, the US Government closed down the Amerika Haus in Berlin in 2006 and the United Kingdom Government closed the original British Council building in Hackesher Markt recently.
The Russia Haus cooperates with many partners on a local, national and international level. The main Russia Haus is located in Moscow and there are 60 different centres in other places around the world, including many European cities such as Brussels, Copenhagen, Paris and Bucharest. The Berlin branch of the Russian Haus is the biggest information and cultural institute compared to the other centres. Russia Haus used to focus specifically upon the Soviet Block countries during the time of the USSR and it still maintains this tradition by reaching out to former Soviet states. However, according to Mr. Zhuralev, the Russia Haus also has strong links with Italy, Bulgaria, China, and is appealing to other nations too. It is notable that Russia has its biggest cultural centre here in Berlin. Clearly the Russian Federation understands the importance of the German capital city, a city that lies in the very heart of modern Europe. There is another smaller Russia Haus centre in Dresden. However, Mr. Zhuralev sounded wistful that other countries have a greater presence here in Germany with regards to their cultural institutions. For example, the USA, UK and France all have more of their respective institutions in Germany than Russia. He indicated though that there are currently ongoing discussions about the opening of further new, smaller Russia Hauses in Frankfurt, a city with a large and distinguished Russian community, and Mainz.
A further function of the Russia Haus is to promote regional and business cooperation, and to present and market Russian cities and regions to Germany. The Haus tries to include as many different parts of the Russian Federation in its activities as possible. The month of May will see many activities take place in the Haus, including an exhibition of Russian icons, an art exhibition, concerts, and the 25th anniversary celebrations of Russia Haus and the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Dialogue Club. There is also a year round exhibition of multi-language communication and culture including 250 plus exhibitions of artwork from more than 30 different countries. For more detailed information consult the Russia Haus website at http://www.russisches-haus.de/
Mat Noblett