Hansian Goethe Prize

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The Hansische Goethe Prize was awarded annually from 1949 to 1959, then every two years until 2005, to personalities from European countries "who have distinguished themselves through outstanding humanitarian achievements in the spirit of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ." The prize was endowed with 25,000 euros and was awarded by the foundation of the Hamburg businessman Alfred Toepfer (1894–1993), the Alfred Toepfer Foundation FVS .

In addition, from 1973 to 2005 the foundation awarded a " Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Medal in Gold" for the same services or for "services to the preservation of European cultural heritage". Previous recipients of this award include Siegfried Lenz , the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice; Rolf Liebermann , Hamburg; Max Wehrli , Zurich; Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon , Lugano / Madrid; Viktor Frankl , Vienna, and Pietro Citati, Rome.

Until her death in November 2010, Birte Toepfer , the wife of Heinrich Toepfer, the youngest son of the founder, was the chairwoman of the board of the Alfred Toepfer Foundation . The members of the board of trustees for the award were: Nikolaus Lobkowicz , Eichstätt (chairman), Bernhard Böschenstein , Geneva (deputy chairman); Klaus Bohnen, Aalborg / Denmark; Luigi V. Ferraris, Rome / Italy, State Councilor; Ortrud Gutjahr, Hamburg; Jerzy Holzer , Warsaw / Poland, Ludo Simons , Antwerp / Belgium.

Discussion about Toepfer in the "Third Reich"

Because of Toepfer's activities in and for the Third Reich , the Hansische Goethe-Preis 2005 was rejected by the theater director Ariane Mnouchkine . The city of Strasbourg had previously distanced itself from the Prix ​​Strasbourg in 1996 , another award from the Alfred Toepfer Foundation FVS. In particular, the Basel science historian Michael Fahlbusch criticized Toepfer's funding of Nazi cultural and border policy as a “cultural fifth column ”.

The foundation regretted Mnouchkine's rejection and at the same time referred to the report of an “independent scientific commission” chaired by historian Hans Mommsen , which examined Toepfer's activities during the Nazi era . After three years of research, in December 2000 the conclusion was reached: Toepfer “never shared the central goals and motives of the leading National Socialists. Racism and anti-Semitism were far from him. [...] But Alfred Toepfer never fought the National Socialist dictatorship. He has shown no solidarity with those who were excluded and persecuted by her or any sympathy with circles of resistance against Hitler. "But it is" in any case a mistake to bring Toepfer into direct or indirect connection with the criminal activities of the Nazi regime " .

Mommsen attacked Fahlbusch's theses, but the legitimation remains controversial to still award culture prizes for “outstanding humanitarian services that unite people” in his name. The founder himself did not live up to this claim, as he also distinguished Nazis in the Third Reich and he came to terms with the Nazis both politically and politically.

The foundation decided to stop awarding the two Goethe prizes and to stop offering other prizes.

Award winners

literature

  • Susanne Hornfeck (arr.): The Hansische Goethe-Preis. 1949-1999. Alfred Toepfer Foundation FVS, Hamburg 1999.
  • Georg Kreis , Gerd Krumeich , Henri Menudier, Hans Mommsen , Arnold Sywottek (eds.): Alfred Toepfer. Founder and businessman. Building blocks of a biography. Critical inventory . Christians, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 3-7672-1373-7 [report of the "Independent Scientific Commission"].

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Toepfer never pushed to the NSDAP" In: Die Welt edition of April 19, 2004
  2. ^ The culture prizes of the FVS Foundation 1935–1945 , H-Soz-u-Kult , May 3, 2001