International Association of German Culture

International Association of German Culture ; (IVDK)
legal form	Non-profit organization
founding	1991
Seat	119435, Moscow , st. Malaya Pirogovskaya, 5, from. 51, ( Russia )
main emphasis	Self-organization, language promotion and strengthening the identity of the German minority in Russia
Action space	Russia, worldwide
Chair	Heinrich Martens (President)
Website	RusDeutsch.eu , International Association of German Culture

The International Association of German Culture (IVDK) (Russian: Международный союз немецкой культуры, МСНК) is a non-profit organization of Germans in Russia with its headquarters in Moscow . The IVDK was founded in 1991 and represents the interests of the Russian-German meeting centers in Russia at the federal level. Interregional councils of meeting centers have been established in the federal districts of Russia for coordination. These should contribute to strengthening the self-organization of the Russian Germans. The activities of the IVDK focus on questions of cultural-historical self-image, language promotion and the strengthening of the identity of the German minority in Russia. Heinrich Martens has been chairman of the IVDK since it was founded .

Members and Activities

The association's community members also include national organizations of Germans in Belarus, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Estonia as well as some German societies in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Festivals, cultural days, exhibitions, seminars and scientific conferences are held primarily for the purpose of preserving the cultural identity and community of Russian Germans. In addition, books, newspapers and magazines on the history and culture of Russian Germans are published.

The German-Russian government commission for the affairs of the Russian Germans has met since 1992 with the participation of the representative representatives of the Russian Germans. This commission, of which Heinrich Martens (IVDK) also belongs, is the most important instrument in the regulation of measures in both countries. The aim is to improve the social, economic and cultural situation of the German minority in Russia.

IVDK vs. FNKA

In the course of the self-organization of the German minority in Russia, the IVDK does not act without criticism or competition. While the IVDK concentrates primarily on the cultural affairs of Russian Germans and carries out numerous projects with state funding from Russia and Germany , the Association for " Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Russian Germans" (FNKA) has been aiming for a complete rehabilitation of Russian Germans since 1997. Professor Viktor Baumgärtner , FNKA founder and major Moscow entrepreneur and politician, calls for the restoration of "historical justice" and German autonomy on the Volga. Together with some of Baumgärtner's opponents from the regional cultural autonomies, Heinrich Martens organized a congress in April 2009 and was elected as the new FNKA President. The legality was recognized by the Ministry of Justice, but the dispute between the two associations was not settled.