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The first phase of construction at our new project location for the multiplication of painter training in Ukraine has been completed and the location has officially opened its doors.   All classrooms and facilities needed for theoretical and practical training, complete with a warehouse, offices for master craftsmen and bathroom facilities are now ready to use. The modernized vocational training program meets Western standards and will admit 28 students. During a second construction phase next year, the rooms for master painter training will be renovated and fully furnished. This project will be financed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

This year, the renowned award goes to German-language rappers and hip-hop artists “Die Fantastischen Vier”, whose name means “The Fantastic Four” The “Fantas”, as they are also known, have been enjoying tremendous success and entertaining audiences since 1989. The campaign “Sprechen Sie lieber mit Ihrem Kind” (Why don’t you talk to your child?”) that hopes to sensitize parents to the needs of their children was recognized with the Initiative Award. The Institutional Award went to the Federal Office of Languages. Click here to read more about the honorees (in German).

In the great room of the German Foreign Ministry building in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov presented the awards for exemplary German-Russian collaboration projects. The German-Russian Forum provided the backdrop for the award ceremony, which concluded the German-Russian year of community and regional partnerships. The Eberhard-Schöck-Stiftung received an award for its German-Russian vocational student exchange projects. Roland Seiter, a member of our Board of Trustees, accepted the award on behalf of the foundation alongside our Russian partner, represented by Yuri Biktuganov, the Sverdlovsk Minister of Education.

Within the context of the German-Ukranian thornconcept project for stonemasons, another summer building event was hosted in Lviv, Urkaine. Both in the courtyard of the Ivan Trush College for Applied and Fine Art and on a building in the Old Town, directly adjoining the historic “Black House” on market square, damaged building elements were either restored or replaced with newly carved pieces. Here, the public always takes a great deal of interest in the work and the background of the project.

In addition, the group designed and carved two pillars to symbolize the German-Ukranian partnership. These will remain in the courtyard. As always, an array of cultural activities rounded out the events. The participants had the opportunity to explore the vibrant town, its art and its history. The MozArt festival, which took place at the same time, provided an additional opportunity to enjoy the arts. In September, the Ukranian stonemasons will in turn visit their counterparts in the Palatinate area of Germany.

On the European Day for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, set against the impressive backdrop of the Imperial Baths in Trier, Germany, former and future participants of the Intercultural Dialogue Project for Stonemasons showed off their craft. Between the many informational booths, the small workshop served as a lively draw for many visitors. Graduate stonemason Dirk Brügemann-Bulgakov, who headed the Ukranian side of the project, was available to answer any and all questions the visitors had. The next phase of this joint project with thornconcept.eu will launch on July 18 in Lviv, Ukraine, where German and Ukranian stonemasons will once again work hand in hand.