Selected Events

January-April 2009

Ohio and the Harz

April 29, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward met 20 U.S. visitors from Blue Ash, Ohio, in the city of Ilmenau in Thuringia's picturesque Harz Mountains. The visit is part of an ongoing Sister City exchange, supported by Consulate General Leipzig which has seen several reciprocal visits of citizens and students since its inception in 1999. more

Earth Day - U.S. Expert Discusses Energy Security in Dresden

April 27-28, 2009. In a slightly belated and somewhat different type Earth Day program, Edward Chow, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Energy Program, engaged audiences on energy issues at events in Dresden. In a meeting with representatives of Saxony's Ministry of Economics, Chow explained the approach of the new administration towards energy issues and environment ... more

American-Russian Meeting on the Elbe Commemorated

April 25, 2009. Civilian and military representatives from the U.S., Russia and Germany laid flowers and wreaths at four monuments in Torgau, to mark the location and date in 1945 when U.S. and Soviet soldiers met. more

America on the Move - 100 Days Obama

April 24, 2009. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward made remarks and discussed President Obama's first 100 days with 25 citizens at an event sponsored by the Junge Union CDU youth organization in Torgau. Member of Parliament (MdB) Manfred Kolbe also took part in the event. more

Targeting English Teachers - 100 Days Obama

April 23 and 24, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig hosted 58 teachers of English at an in-service training conference in Erfurt on. The conference, which was co-sponsored by Thuringia's Center for Political Education focused especially on the first 100 days in office of the Obama administration, but also on immigration to the U.S. and cultural identity in the U.S. as a multicultural society. more

World Book Day in Stassfurt, Saxony-Anhalt

April 23, 2009. The Consulate General presented "Meet US" programs at the Stassfurt public library on the occasion of UNESCO's World Book Day. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward and the Information Resource Director (IRC) director had a working breakfast with Lord Mayor René Zok, city officials and a journalist. more

Targeting English Teachers - Earth Day

April 22, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig hosted 39 teachers from the Western Thuringia region at an interdisciplinary in-service training seminar in Bad Langensalza. At the occasion of Earth Day, special emphasis was placed on Washington's view on global challenges, especially the environment. more

Consulate General Leipzig Celebrates Renovation

April 21, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker, Saxony's Minister for Social Affairs Christine Clauß, and Leipzig Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung cut the ribbon to officially re-open the newly remodeled Consulate. More than 100 guests toured the premises. The United States opened a Consulate in Leipzig in 1826; after closures for World Wars I and II and the Cold War, the Consulate reopened at its present location in 1992. more

Leipzig Librarians Meet "The Hollywood Librarian"

April 16, 2009. The third screening of the "Hollywood Librarian" in the consular district took place at Leipzig's University of Applied Sciences. Regina Bruch from the university and the Consul for Public Affairs James Seward discussed the movie with more than 80 students of the media department and librarians from around Leipzig. more

Students Give Thought to U.S. in Their Futures

April 15, 2009. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward discussed President Obama, life in the U.S. and the career of a diplomat, with recent high school graduates attending classes at a week-long Vacation Academy ("Ferienakademie") at a former cloister located near the town of Grimma, near Leipzig. more

Fallen GI's Honored in Weißenfels

April 14, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward represented the United States and Mission Germany at a ceremony to honor 14 U.S soldiers who died in combat during the capture of the city, April 1945. In 2005, on the occasion of the 60^th Anniversary of the battle, the city of Weißenfels dedicated a plaque that reads, in English and German: "In honor of the 69^th Infantry Division U.S. Army and in memory of those of both sides who died in the battle of 12 to 15 April in the city of Weissenfels". more

Chemnitz Students "Meet Us" For The First Time

April 7, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Political and Economic Affairs, Edith Backman, along with Consulate General staff spoke to 13 students and three teachers from the only German private vocational school located in Chemnitz, Saxony. It was the students' first encounter with an American officer and the United States in general. The visit provided the students, who are preparing for a 4-week internship abroad, with valuable information about cultural differences and information resources about the U.S.  more

Leipzig Consul General Explains Foreign Policy

April 6, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker spoke to some 80 high school students at the annual study day Werte.Wege.Welt at Philipp-Melanchthon-Gymnasium Bautzen. Consul General Brucker's introduction to the tasks of the Consulate General was followed by a lively discussion on foreign policy ... more

Addressing Diverse Dresden Schools

April 3, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward and consulate staffer Beate Renker were invited to the Vocational School for Hotels and Restaurants in Dresden where they met with a class which had just visited its partner school Western Hills High in Forth Worth, TX, in February 2009. In addition, the consul gave a lecture on President Obama's first days in office and minorities in the U.S. and attended a festive luncheon. more

Targeting English Teachers

April 2, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig hosted 28 English teachers from the Vogtland region in the very south of Saxony at an in-service training seminar in Rodewisch where American professors Paul Rundquist and Crister Garrett introduced the teachers to the full spectrum of American domestic, foreign and security policy. Special emphasis was placed on the first 70 days of the Obama administration. more

Young American Musical Talents Showcased in Leipzig

March 29, 2009. Following a tradition, Consul General Katherine Brucker hosted "Eine kleine Hausmusik." More than 40 influential guests from the Leipzig area listened to two talented young American musicians, Nora Bartosik (pianist) and Joy Song (cellist). Bartosik currently studies at the local "Hochschule für Musik und Theater", while Song is an akademist at the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester. more

NATO at 60 - Security Policy Debate in Leipzig

March 26, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig arranged a discussion between U.S. speaker Donald Abenheim, Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Monterey (CA) and 20 Leipzig-based high-ranking German military officers on current challenges for transatlantic security cooperations. Other special topics were domestic and foreign policy agendas of the new administration, and its expectations of Germany as a major ally. more

Former U.S. Ambassador Recalls "The Miracle of 1989"

March 24-25, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig organized a two-day program in Leipzig and Dresden for Richard Barkley, the last U.S. ambassador to the GDR, who gave a behind-the-scenes Embassy perspective of the events that ultimately led to the fall of the Wall. During a press lunch with media representatives from the entire Leipzig consular district and a public event with an audience of approximately 100 at the Forum for Contemporary History, the audience listened with rapt attention to Ambassador Barkley's accounts of how the people's resolve in the streets had taken the political scene by surprise. more

Encounters With Unknown Composer

March 21 and 22, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig hosted piano recitals with Neal Larrabee in Zella-Mehlis (Thuringia) and Leipzig (Saxony). Larrabee, also a professor at the University of Connecticut, graduated from Eastman and Juilliard School, and was the first American pianist who studied in Moscow in the 1970s. He won numerous international and American competitions including the famous Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward and consulate staff attended and used the opportunity for networking. more

Summer Banishes Winter in Eisenach

March 21, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward represented the U.S. and the Mission at the annual Sommergewinnfest in Eisenach, an ancient rite which celebrates the advent of the summer. High points are a parade and a "debate" between Summer and Winter which Summer inevitably wins. Eisenach and Waverly, Iowa are sister cities. more

Consul for Political and Economic Affairs Witnesses Line Dance World Record

March 21, 2009. Consul Edith Backman and a Consulate intern attended a show of 240 country and western line dancers at Dresden's annual "Hunting-Fishing-Horsebackriding" fair, which attracted approximately 24,000 visitors. The 22 line-dancing groups from various Western groups in Saxony met to create a new Guiness world record for the most line dancers in a single program. more

Consulate Participation in Leipzig Book Fair is "Hot Stuff"

March 12-15, 2009. Names and numbers contributed to the unqualified success of the Consulate's stand in this year's Leipzig Book Fair. The Consulate booth, easily spotted under a large Old Glory hanging from the ceiling, was inundated by visitors from all over Germany (total attendance at the fair peaked at 147.000, up from 129.000 in 2008). more

Consul General Reads At International School

March 12, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker read from her favorite childhood book, The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy, at the Leipzig International School as part of the reading marathon "Leipzig liest." Consul General was welcomed by the school's Commercial Director, Clemens Gerteiser, who introduced her to an audience of about 100 students, grade 7 through 11, and several teachers. more

New American Voices at Leipzig Book Fair

March 11-14, 2009. During Leipzig's Book Fair 2009 (March 11-15) Consulate General Leipzig supported 17 readings with a total of 14 American and seven German authors as well as numerous actors/moderators taking over the German part during the bilingual events. Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Díaz opened the series krautgarden: leipzig.liest.amerika on March 11, while young American and German authors teamed up on March 13 and 14. more

New American Voices at Leipzig Book Fair

March 11, 2009. On the evening of the official opening of Leipzig's book fair, MIT-professor and Pulitzer prize winner Junot Díaz launched the krautgarden: leipzig.liest.ameria, a German-American literary festival embedded into the book fair reading marathon. While Consul General Katherine Brucker and Information Resource Center (IRC) staff attended the official opening ceremony of the book fair, Consulate General Leipzig and German publisher Fischer staged the reading for Díaz in Europe's largest students club Moritzbastei. more

Multilingual "Leipzig liest" Reading

March 11, 2009. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward read at public library Volkmarsdorf , an diverse district of Leipzig, for about 30 5^th grade high school kids from Wilhelm Busch's "Max and Moritz." The reading was a Consulate General contribution to the Leipzig reading program which takes place during the book fair. The head of the public library, Dr. Arne Ackermann, welcomed the students at the library, which opened its first intercultural collection in 2008. more

Consul General Participates in Reading Series Featuring Prominent Leipzigers

March 6, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker read passages from President Obama's book "Dreams From my Father", at the midday "Buchmesse schmeckt" ("A taste of the book fair") which takes place in the run-up to the actual book fair. The annual series, now in its 4^th year, features prominent representatives of Leipzig's cultural, business and political scene reading from their favorite books. more

Leipzig Journalist Round Table on the Obama Administration and the Media

March 5, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig arranged a roundtable with 25 journalists from (MDR) for Jon Ebinger, an acclaimed journalist, media consultant and TV news producer who also teaches at George Washington University. Ebinger assessed the media coverage of the Obama administration, its relations with the media as well as the Administration's use of new media all the while providing his audience with a wealth of invaluable information and insights as a Washington-insider and U.S. media expert. more

Consul General Katherine Brucker's First Visit To German National Library In Leipzig

March 4, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker visited the Leipzig German National Library (DNB) to meet with director Michael Fernau. He introduced the Consul General to the history and tasks of the German National Library und provided a brief tour with emphasis on the reading rooms and new construction sites while Katherine Brucker talked about the Consulate's task and services. more

Consul General Visits Libraries in Saxony

March 3, 2009. In two articles, the March 2009 edition of the magazine for libraries (BIS-Bibliotheken in Sachsen) voiced its appreciation for Consul General Katherine Brucker's engagement with libraries throughout Saxony. The first article describes her participation at the "Leipziger Bibliotheksfest" in 2008, shortly after arriving in Leipzig, her presentations, readings, "Meet US" programs, and the Consulate's participation in the annual Leipzig Book Fair. more

Consulate General Leipzig Reaches Out To Geography Teachers

March 3, 2009. The U.S. Consulate General Leipzig organized for the first time a workshop for some 40 geography teachers from the region. Joining forces with the Saxony Regional School Authorities (Sächsische Bildungsagentur) and Germany's Geographical Library, affiliated with the Leibniz Institute, the program highlighted the U.S. national park system, a popular topic in the geography curriculum. more

"The Heights" Continues To Soar In Dresden

March 1, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward enjoyed a remarkably accomplished performance of "The Heights" with three young American actors from high schools in Columbus, Ohio, sharing the limelight with German high school students from Dresden. The play is a joint project of Dresden's "Theater Junge Generation", New connections/National Theater London, and Davis Performing Arts for Youth Columbus/Ohio, with support from the U.S. Consulate General in Leipzig. more

Leipzig Consul General Co-Opens 17th Kurt Weill Festival

February 27, 2009. Leipzig Consul General Katherine Brucker represented Chargé d'Affaires John Koenig, co-patron of the 17th Kurt Weill Festival, at the opening ceremony of the 2009 Weill Festival under the theme "Round about Weill." Brucker delivered a speech and was a featured speaker alongside Saxony Anhalt Minister of Education and Culture, Prof. Jan-Hendrik Olbertz, Thomas Markworth, President of the Kurt Weill Society, and the Lord Mayor of Dessau-Roßlau, Klemens Koschig. more

The Eastern German Teachers Visitor Program - A Public-Private Partnership

February 27, 2009. U.S. Embassy Berlin, U.S. Consulates Hamburg and Leipzig conducted a joint debriefing for the most recent group of the Eastern German Teachers Visitor Program (EGTVP). The EGTVP is a public-private partnership project that introduces ten teachers from Eastern Germany to U.S. politics, society, culture and the educational system. more

Leipzig Consulate Celebrates Black History Month In Bad Frankenhausen

February 26, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward and Consulate staff traveled to Bad Frankenhausen, Thuringia, for two discussion rounds on "The Struggle for Civil Rights - From Lincoln to Obama."  The morning presentation was viewed by some 90 students and seven teachers and joined by Mayor Matthias Strejc at the local Kyffhäuser Gymnasium. more

Immigrant Artist Extols Creative Freedom In U.S.

February 21, 2009. Croatian-American artist Goran Tomcic presented a discussion and slide show about his art for about 20 avant-garde art enthusiasts at Leipzig's Delikatessenhaus art gallery. Tomcic emigrated to the United States shortly after the break-up of Yugoslavia. more

Columbus And Dresden Youth Connect On Stage

February 19, 2009. Consulate General staffer Beate Renker traveled to Dresden to meet with three American youths from Columbus, Ohio, and their German counterparts who will be rendering the first English-speaking performance of "The Heights," a contemporary play for young actors. The project is a joint cultural production between the Theater Junge Generation in Dresden and the Davis Performing Arts Program for Youth from Dresden's American sister city Columbus (Ohio). more

John Cage Lives - For 639 Years!

February 5, 2009. At the invitation of the Lord Mayor of Halberstadt (Saxony-Anhalt), Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs James Seward took part in an unusual musical event in Halberstadt. Organ enthusiasts, musicologists, and the city are sponsoring the performance of an organ piece by avant-garde American composer John Cage (1912-1992) called "Organ2/ASLP (As Slow As Possible)". more

Leipzig Celebrates Black History Month

February 5, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker carried out a "Meet US" program at Leipzig municipal library, one of Consulate's America@Your Library partner. After being welcomed by library director Dr. Ackermann, Brucker talked about American presidency to 40 high school students - 11th and 12th grade - and their English teachers. more

Can There Be Peace In The Middle East?

February 4, 2009. Dr. Markus Kaim (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, SWP), addressed the Middle East conflict in Leipzig with 10 political science majors from Chemnitz University, who will represent the state of Israel at the 2009 National Model United Nations project in New York City. In the analytical discussion, Kaim warned against overestimating the influence of external forces in bringing about a political solution and underscored the importance of some kind of political will to bring peace to the region. more

American-Style Fundraising/Volunteerism in Leipzig

February 2, 2009. Consul General Katherine Brucker joined some 100 guests for the Ronald McDonald-Haus New Year's event. It began with a city tour by tram that delivered guests to the reception site. At the invitation of Michael Lindner, head of Leipzig's Ronald McDonald's house, the Consul General addressed the audience, stressing the importance of individuals and businesses contributing to Ronald Mc Donald house, in whatever way they can. more

Meissen Students “Meet Us” At Intercultural Open House

January 31, 2009. At the invitation of the Sächsische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, Consulate General Leipzig set up an all-day U.S. classroom at Franziskaneum high school. Activities included presentations, followed by lively discussions in English and German of mutual stereotypes under the provocative title "Americans eat hamburgers and Germans drink beer." more

"American Studies??? - Job And Career Opportunities"

January 30, 2009. Leipzig Cultural Affairs Assistant Beate Renker was one of the panelists at a conference in Leipzig which addressed the job prospects of American studies majors. The forum was organized by B.A. students from the American Studies Department with which Leipzig Consulate General maintains close working relations. more

Is Obama A New Kennedy?

January 29, 2009. The question obviously struck a note with audiences in Leipzig, who listened to U.S. correspondent and author Christoph von Marschall talk about his book: "Barack Obama - the black Kennedy". At a consulate arranged luncheon hosted by Consul General Katherine Brucker, contacts representing the military, media, business, politics, and academia took the opportunity to query Christoph von Marschall about issues ... more

Meet The Author - Stewart O'Nan

January 28, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig introduced one of America's best known contemporary literary voices to an audience of about 120 guests at Leipzig's House of Literature (Haus des Buches). In cooperation with this cultural institution and O'Nan's German publisher, the author presented his latest novel Songs for the Missing in a bilingual reading. more

Spotlight On Obama At American Chamber New Year's Receptions

January 27, 30, 2009. Leipzig Consul General Katherine Brucker gave the keynote speech for the American Chamber of Commerce New Year's receptions in Thuringia (January 27) and Saxony (January 30). Capitalizing on strong interest in and curiosity about President Obama, and what it means to Americans to have elected an African-American as president, Brucker drew on important milestones in the civil rights movement, and included personal observations of the vestiges of racial discrimination in the United States. more

Presenting The U.S.:  The Big And The Local Picture

January 26, 2009. The regional newspaper Volksstimme Magdeburg devoted half a page to US-related themes combining a larger piece on Abraham Lincoln's 200^th birthday with a profile of Leipzig Consul General Katherine Brucker, which was headlined: "Choir Singer, bicyclist, Consul General." more

Concert Underscores Leipzig-Houston Connection

January 26, 2009. In recognition of a Leipzig Consulate General grant Consul General Katherine Brucker and consulate staff were invited as guests of honor to the Gewandhaus for a sold-out concert of the Leipzig Academic Orchestra. Together with the orchestra, visiting conductor Franz Anton Krager, a resident of Leipzig's sister city Houston, performed music by Dvorak, Elgar and Bernstein. Consulate's engagement was especially highlighted by greeting remarks of Consul General Katherine Brucker ... more

Central German "Elevator Pitch Night" Contest in Leipzig

January 26, 2008. Consul for Political and Economic Affairs, Edith Backman, represented the Consulate General at the 9^th "Elevator Pitch Night", which took place under the patronage of Leipzig's Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs and Employment, Uwe Albrecht. In this competition, the contestants have only three minutes to make a marketing "pitch" in English - the length of an elevator ride - which is subsequently honored by a jury. more

Magdeburg Dialogue Center Selects High School Grantees

January 24, 2009. Leipzig Consul for Political and Economic Affairs Edith Backman joined Bundestag deputy Dr. Uwe Kuester and two other jurors in selecting this year's exchange students of the German American Dialogue Center (GADC) in Magdeburg. more

Inauguration 2009: The World Watched, and So Did We

January 20, 2009. More than 400 Obama fans flocked to two separate events of the Leipzig Consulate General celebrating the inauguration on January 20. The Consulate cooperated with the Leipzig American Studies Department on a multimedia forum at the university library featuring an expert panel on location – including Consul General Katherine Brucker – as well as Internet link-ups with Professor Ben Alpers and students at the University of Oklahoma and former congressional researcher Professor Paul Rundquist in Washington. more

The USA in Glauchau

January 16, 2009. Leipzig Consul General Katherine Brucker addressed about 80 11th and 12th graders from the Georgius-Agricola Gymnasium at a Meet US event at the Glauchau public library, a participant of the America@your library (A@YL) program. Topics included tasks and duties of the Consulate, Katherine Bruckers' diplomatic career and the inauguration of president-elect Obama. more

Targeting English Teachers - Obama Euphoria At Saxon Schools

January 15, 2009. 43 English teachers from all over Saxony came to Chemnitz to participate in a Consulate General sponsored annual teacher in-service training. In the run-up to the upcoming inauguration, U.S. speaker Prof. Paul Rundquist, formerly with the Congressional Research Service, introduced his audience to administrative and domestic policy issues, while Prof. Crister Garrett, Director American Studies Institute, Leipzig, covered American foreign and security policies. more

From Martin Luther King To Obama - Targeting English Teachers And Students

January 13, 2009. Consulate General Leipzig hosted a total of 130 English teachers and high school students from the Dessau (Saxony-Anhalt) region at a teacher seminar and the high school "Philanthropinum." In the run-up to the upcoming inauguration, U.S. speaker Prof. Paul Rundquist (formerly with the Congressional Research Service) introduced his audiences to the full spectrum of election-related issues ... more

Making ESTA a Top Priority

December 20, 2008-January 12, 2009. Leipzig Consulate General arranged interviews for Consul General Katherine Brucker in all three states in her district to reach the widest possible audiences on the implementation of ESTA, the new electronic system for travel authorization. more