Friedrich Schiller Culture House

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The culture house "Friedrich Schiller" (also Schillerhaus , Romanian Casa de cultură Friedrich Schiller ) is a German-speaking culture house in the Romanian capital Bucharest , which was founded in 1957 and is still the most important cultural center of the German minority in Romania .

prehistory

The Bucharest German cultural center "Friedrich Schiller", (Casa de cultură "Friedrich Schiller"), Strada Batiştei 15, was founded on June 1, 1957 on the basis of a resolution by the Bucharest People's Consilium (Rum. Hotărîre al Consiliului Popular Bucureşti). The grammar school teacher Arthur Braedt from Budapest, who had previously worked at the German Lyceum, was appointed the first director. The house of culture existed until the end of 1961 when it had to cease operations. At that time there were also three other cultural centers of ethnic minorities living in the Romanian capital, such as the Hungarian cultural center Sándor Petöfi (4–8 Zalomit street), the Baruch Berea Jewish cultural center (5 Mircea Vodă street) and the Armenian one Stefan Sahumian Culture House (Str. Armeneasa 9–11). These state institutions were able to continue their cultural activities after 1961. In the German cultural center only the library remained open for the next eight years , as a section of the municipal municipal library (Roman Biblioteca Municipală) " Mihail Sadoveanu ".

On December 12, 1969, the German cultural center "Friedrich Schiller" was published in the Official Journal due to a decree of the Executive Committee of the People's Consilium of the Bucharest Municipality (Roman Comitetul Executiv al Consiliului Popular al Municipiului Bucureşti, Decizia No. 1035 / 12.12.1969) (Buletinul Oficial), No. XV / November-December, 1969 - reopened. This marked the beginning of a new era in the cultural sphere of the Bucharest German and German-speaking population.

New opening

After the reopening in 1969, the writer Claus Stephani , editor of the magazine “ Neue Literatur ” , was first delegated to the acting head of the Kulturhaus “Friedrich Schiller” for a month, until Ernst Molling was appointed the new director in 1970. On the part of the state party authorities, Valeriu Bucuroiu (activist in the party committee of Sector I) and Adalbert Millitz (secretary of the council of the working people of German nationality) tried to start the new Schiller House, which soon became a popular meeting place for Romanian German artists , Writers, students and other culture buffs.

Cultural activity

The German library had existed without interruption since 1957. The “Art Gallery Schiller House” (Roman. Galeria de Artă a Casei de cultură “Friedrich Schiller”) was founded as the first new facility in the house - after the German courses had started again. On the occasion of the opening ceremony in February 1970, she presented her first exhibition: a joint show by the Bucharest graphic artist and set designer Helmut Stürmer and the surrealist painter Peter Schweg from Reschitza ( Reșița ). In this gallery , which was then headed by the first cultural advisor Gert Fabritius (graphic artist and book designer), over the years, i. H. by the turn of December 1989, over forty art exhibitions were shown. The big and so far only "National Exhibition of German Artists in Romania", which was organized in 1978 by the sculptor and cultural advisor Ingo Glass in the entire Kulturhaus, became a special event . 77 German painters, graphic artists and sculptors who were still living in the country at the time took part - from Anton Altvater (Sathmar / Satu Mare ) and Hedda Bach-Szervatius ( Cluj-Napoca / Klausenburg) to Horst Zay ( Sibiu / Hermannstadt ) and Günther Zerbes ( Râșnov / Rosenau). In addition to well-known artists such as B. Trude Schullerus , Jutta Pallos-Schönauer , Helfried Weiß , Adelheid Goosch and Karl Hübner for the first time also artists of the youngest generation - Sofia Fränkl , Helga Unipan, Hans Ganesch, Ernst Schuller, Walter Schiel, Franz Fischer and others -, each with one representative work.

Two years after the reopening, the "Poesie-Club" was established in the autumn of 1971 - a literary group of young German-writing authors who temporarily (1971–1973) also brought out an in-house publication, the " Novum - Heft des Poesie-Club ". The initiator of the poetry club was Claus Stephani, who was replaced in 1979 by the third cultural advisor at the Schiller House, the writer Rolf Bossert . Over the years, over 60 mostly young authors have had their say in the Poetry Club at readings and other literary events, including Ilse Hehn , Werner Söllner , Uwe Erwin Engelmann , Frieder Schuller , Erika Jacqueline Schuster, Ildiko Schaffhauser, Rolf Bossert, Franz Thomas Schleich , Richard Wagner , William Totok , Johann Lippet , Dieter Hirsch, Liviu Tofan, Hans Matye, Gerhard Eike, Liana Corciu, Dieter Schullerus, Wolfgang Gottschick and others

In addition to the jazz club , which was founded in 1970 under the direction of the pianist and musicologist Adrian Neagu-Taschler from Schäßburg ( Sighișoara ), the brass music group “Karpatenshow” (directed by Stefan Bretz) was also very popular in Transylvania and the Banat , where she often went on long guest tours.

In May 1974, the "Working Group for the Study romania German culture and literature in the former Romanian was then Altreich (Muntenia, Oltenia, Moldova and Dobrogea)" founded, whose management of the literary scholar Dr. Heinz Stanescu ( chairman ) and NL editor Claus Stephani ( secretary ) took over. Among the speakers of this group who gave scientific lectures in the Schillerhaus in the following years were Alfred Kittner , Elisabeth Axmann , Dr. Roswith Capesius , Dr. Herbert Hoffmann, Juliana Fabritius-Dancu , Ernst Breitenstein, Dr. Klaus Kessler , Hans Fink , Claus Stephani, Paul Schuster-Stein, Gerhard Eike, Emmerich Reichrath , Dr. Horst Fassel ( Iași / Jassy), Manfred Huber ( Sibiu / Hermannstadt) and others

Some of these speakers were also members of the "Folklore Circle of the Schiller House", founded in autumn 1974 and led by folklorists Dr. Roswith Capesius and Claus Stephani was initiated and directed and organized the first “Exhibition of Romanian German folk art from Transylvania , the Banat , Maramures, Bukovina and Sathmarland”. The exhibits were on loan from collectors in Bucharest.

In autumn 1974, the poet and art critic Gerhard Eike (actually Gerhard Hügel) founded an “Aesthetics Club” within the Schiller House, which he himself ran. Eike worked full-time as an editor of the German-language monthly “ Volk und Kultur ”. At around the same time, initiated by the art photographer and photo reporter Edmund Höfer , who worked for the Bucharest German daily newspaper “ Neuer Weg ”, the “Photo Circle of the Schiller House” was created. Here young amateur photographers were instructed and occasionally exhibitions by well-known art photographers were shown. B. by Hedy Löffler, Wilhelm Ernst Roth, Josef Fischer and others

As the German department of the Bucharest People's University (Rum. Universitatea Populară București, Secția germană, Sala Dalles), a scientific group of German-speaking guest speakers was established in the Schiller House in 1974 (honorary director: Claus Stephani), of which Dr. Roswith Capesius, Dr. Herbert Hoffmann, Juliana Fabritius-Dancu, Koloman Müller, Dr. Seville Baer-Răducanu, Dr. Radu Ionescu among others belonged.

A meeting place for young and older women over coffee and cake donated by the house was the “Femina Club” (headed by Kulturhausdirektor Elisabeth Pfeiffer), designed in the tradition of a Transylvanian “wreath”, which regularly met in the redesigned basement room, where the Most of the other events (jazz club, poetry club, theatrical performances, folk dancing and dance entertainments) were held. The “Working Group for Creativity”, which was founded in March 1977 and headed by Prof. Gerhard Selmiciu, also met here and held a colloquium every other Sunday.

Elisabeth Pfeiffer, German teacher at Bucharest Lyceum No. 23 with German as the language of instruction, replaced Ernst Molling in 1974 and was appointed the new director of the Schiller House following the announcement of the expanded management board - a position that only ended after the fall of the Wall (1990). The then expanded management council included: Adalbert Militz (secretary of the council of working people of German nationality), Franz Storch (member of the directorate for questions of co-living nationalities in the council for culture and socialist education), Johanna Henning, Dr. Roswith Capesius, Koloman Müller, Dr. Heinz Stănescu, Gerhard Gräser, Ernst Molling, Claus Stephani, Vasile Mitrea, Rolf-Frieder Marmont and Gerhard Eike.

After the DSTT ( German State Theater Timisoara ) had existed in the Banat for decades and the German department of the Sibiu State Theater in Transylvania, the management council of the Schiller House in Bucharest decided to establish a German-speaking stage. This is how the "basement theater" was created, named after its futuristic design room, of which the well-known film actor Emmerich Schäffer was co-founder, director and main director . This theater group, which included young actors and students with talent for acting, such as Raimund Binder (son of the actress and director Margot Göttlinger ), Michael Bleiziffer, Rudolf Herbert, Bernd Bömches, Ingrid Hessaun, Käth Nasswetter, Brigitte Zay and others, performed in their own house, such as also on guest tours in the Banat and in Transylvania with great success the challenging pieces “Outside front door” by Wolfgang Borchert , “Faith, love, hope” by Ödön von Horváth as well as several cabaret programs.

On the literary events organized in cooperation with the GDR guest lecturer Dr. Klaus Hammer and Gerhard Eike were held, among other things, the Peter Handke evening with quotes from the spoken piece "Audience abuse" and from the novel "The Hornets" as well as the recitals Wolf Biermann and Gisela May . For the youngest theater fans there was a German puppet theater in the Schillerhaus since 1977 , which was directed by the deputy director of the Ţăndărică theater, Sergiu Stanciu. Teachers from the lower level of the German Lyceum No. 3 were active as puppeteers. The “folk dance group”, to which twelve students from the German faculty belonged and which was directed by Elisabeth Pfeifer, should also be mentioned.

New beginning

After the political turning point, which began with the fall of the communist regime at the end of 1989, the situation of the Schiller House also changed, not least because of the successive resettlement of the cultural consultants Gert Fabritius, Ingo Glass and Rolf to Germany in the years before Bossert as well as the various managers and employees of the clubs and the cellar theater (Edmund Höfer, Emmerich Schäffer, Gerhard Eike, Elisabeth Axmann, Rolf-Frieder Marmont, Alfred Kittner, Werner Söllner, Claus Stephani and others) and, most recently, Elisabeth Pfeiffer and Marlies Binder-Șeitan .

Afterwards, the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center - funded by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Bucharest Goethe Institute - was largely restructured and Mariana Duliu, a German scholar, was appointed director. Since then, Aurora Fabritius (responsible for coordinating cultural events) and the speakers Andreea Broos, Luminița Cristea, Ancuța Ivănuș, Daphni Mihăilescu and Meda Popeea have been among the new full-time employees of the house. Liliana Țârcomnicu-Iordache took over the management of the newly established children's and youth library.

Since then, lectures and other events (mostly in Romanian), concerts with brass music (conducted by Hans Groza), film screenings (Touristik-Club), exhibitions by visual artists, German and English courses have been part of the cultural program of the Schiller House. Among the painters and graphic artists whose work has been shown here since 2007 were Martha Bibescu (actually Marthe Bibesco , Marthe-Lucie Bibesco de Brancovan), Lelia Rus-Pîrvan, Cristina Ilinca, Ana Mirela Anghel, Tudor Plăieșu, Cristian Sergiu Ianza, Sorin Adam and Alexandrina Popescu. At various celebrations there were literary lectures and readings with Nora Iuga , Christel Ungar-Țopescu and Hans Bergel , who was invited as a guest from Munich.

Literature (selection)

  • 50 years of the Schiller Culture House. In: Siebenbürgische Zeitung (Munich), 2.7.2007.
  • Arthur Braedt: That's how it started. In: Südostdeutsche Vierteljahresblätter (Munich), 1/1984, p. 33 ff.
  • Ildiko Schaffhauser: “I know what I want. Conversation with Kurt Fritz Handel in his exhibition in the Bucharest cultural center 'Friedrich Schiller' ”. In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/11, Nov. 1978, p. 12.
  • Ruth Lissai: Joy in the play of colors. Aurelia Lola Dumbrăveanu in the Schiller House. In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/9, Sept. 1978, p. 15.
  • I (ldiko) Sch (affhauser): Rich artistic show in the Schiller House. The third edition of the exhibition "Contemporary Romanian Small Sculpture" (The sculptor Anton Eberwein). In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/11, Nov. 1978, pp. 13-14.
  • Brigitte Nussbächer: Pictures from the adopted home. Conversation with Ernst Schuller in the Schiller House. In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/7, July 1978, pp. 12-14.
  • Ruth Lissai: Schillerhaus - home of fine arts. Thoughts on an exhibition (Hans Hermann, Friedrich Bömches, Christine Renard, Günther Zerbes, Helga Unipan, Johann Untch, Johann Kaiser). In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/7, July 1978, pp. 12-14.
  • Brigitte Nussbächer: Contacts with colleagues. Conversation with Hans Ganesch (self-exhibition in Bucharest's Schillerhaus). In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 30/6, 1978, pp. 10-11.
  • Monica Barcan; Adalbert Millitz: The German nationality in Romania. Kriterion Verlag: Bucharest, 1977. Pages 115–117: The “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center in Bucharest (literary circle, poetry club, cellar theater, art gallery of the “Schiller” house, feminine club, aesthetic club, jazz club, etc.)
  • (Gerhard Eike): “trace social development lines”. Poetry evening in the "Schiller House" (with Werner Söllner , Ernst Kulcsar, Heinrich Lauer ). In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 29/11, Nov. 1977, p. 46.
  • Brigitte Stephani: Unique artistic documentation. Juliana Fabritius-Dancu shows Transylvanian traditional costumes watercolors in the Schiller House. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 29/8715, May 24th, 1977, p. 3.
  • EP: Chatted from school. How is the Schillerhaus preparing for the festival? In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 29/2, Febr. 1977.
  • Painting exhibition Franz Fischer (Reschitza). June 14 - July 15, 1976. Gallery in the Kulturhaus “Friedrich Schiller”, Bucharest (poster, folded sheet & invitation).
  • (Claus Stephani): Progressive Transylvanian artists of the interwar period. M. Barner, O. Czekelius, H. Kloess, H. Konnerth, H. Mattis-Teutsch, E. Honigberger, E. Reissner, K. Scheiner, W. Teutsch, W. v. Hannenheim, G. Csaky-Copony, H. Zintz. May 28 - June 28, 1976. Loans from the collections of Carl Engber (Hermannstadt) and Claus Stephani (Bucharest). Gallery in the cultural center “Friedrich Schiller”, Bucharest (poster, folding sheet & invitations).
  • The Schiller-Kulturhaus and the Kriterion Verlag. In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 27/1, 1976, p. 118.
  • Claus Stephani: A number of big names. Notes on an exhibition in the Bucharest Schillerhaus. In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 27/7, July 1976, pp. 109-110.
  • (Gerhard Eike): “Bucharest Spring” in contemporary Romanian painting. 3.5. – 9.5.1976. From the collection of the Simu Museum. Gallery in the cultural center “Friedrich Schiller”, Bucharest (poster & folding sheet).
  • Program of the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 27/7985, January 12, 1975, p. 4.
  • Brigitte Stephani: cellar theater and rich club activity. Audience - a constant concern / conversation with Prof. Elisabeth Pfeifer, director of the Bucharest German House of Culture. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 27/8062, April 12, 1975, p. 3.
  • Program of the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 26/7963, December 15, 1974, p. 3.
  • Brigitte Stephani-Nussbächer: Mediator role - a prerequisite. On the work in the Schiller House: October 1973 - July 1904. In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 5/8, 1974, pp. 112–113.
  • This week in the Schiller House. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 26/7945, 24.11.1974, p. 6.
  • Program of the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 27/7921, October 27, 1974, p. 4.
  • Program of the cultural house "Friedrich Schiller" for the week 13. – 19. October. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 26/7909, 23.10.1974, p. 4.
  • (Emmerich Reichrath): Meeting in the Schiller House. Management council met / Elisabeth new director. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 21/7903, October 6, 1974, p. 3.
  • Slide lecture in the Schillerhaus, Bucharest. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 26/7900, October 3, 1974, p. 6.
  • Eduard Eisenburger: Signs of the homeland: pictures, reports, contemporary documents about the Romanian Germans. Dacia Verlag: Cluj, 1974. pp. 65–69: Treffpunkt Bucharest.
  • Editing of the German department of the Bucharest People's University (“Schiller” house). In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 25/10, 1974, pp. 126–127.
  • (Horst Schuller Anger): Kaleidoscope. Bucharest. About “Interferences between Romanian and Swabian folk art in Dobruja” in the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. In: Karpatenrundschau (Brașov / Kronstadt), No. 42, October 18, 1974, p. 4.
  • The “Working Group for Research into Progressive Romanian-German Culture and Literature in the Former“ Old Reich ”, founded in May 1974,” In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 25/10, 1974, p. 128.
  • The Bucharest German “Poetry Club”. In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 25/8, 1974, p. 125.
  • (Horst Schuller Anger): Kaleidoscope. Bucharest. A working group to research Romanian German culture and literature in the former Altreich. In: Karpatenrundschau (Brașov / Kronstadt), No. 27, July 5, 1974, p. 4.
  • A "working group for research into Romanian German culture and literature in the Altreich". In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 25/8, 1974, p. 125.
  • (Elke Sigerus): Working group in the Schiller House. "Working group for research into Romanian German culture and literature in the Altreich". In: Die Woche (Sibiu / Hermannstadt), 7/344, July 26, 1974, p. 6.
  • Daily mirror. Lecture on peasant art in the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 26/7810, June 19, 1974, p. 1.
  • Gerhard Eike: In focus: Bucharest. Summer in the Schillerhaus. In: Karpatenrundschau (Brașov / Kronstadt), 6th year, No. 28, July 13, 1973, p. 9.
  • (Elke Sigerus): Poetry Club reopened. In: Die Woche (Sibiu / Hermannstadt), 5/223, March 31, 1972, p. 7.
  • Claus Stephani in the Schiller-Kulturhaus: “On the way from Munich to Palermo”. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 24/7114, March 21, 1972, p. 6.
  • The progressive Romanian German press in the years 1918–1921. Documentary show. April 1 - April 30, 1971. Gallery in the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center, Bucharest (poster & folding sheet).
  • (Helga Reiter): An exhibition "German-speaking democratic press in Romania, 1918-1921". In: Neue Literatur (Bucharest), 22/6, 1971, p. 117.
  • (Elke Sigerus): Exhibition in the Schiller-Kulturhaus. In: Hermannstädter Zeitung (Sibiu), 4/177, May 14, 1971, p. 7.
  • (Mircea Herivan): La Casa de cultură "Friedrich Schiller" din Bucureşti. In: Scînteia (Bucharest), 40/8777, 6.5.1971, p. 2.
  • G (erhard) E (ike): Documentary exhibition in the Schillerhaus: Romanian German progressive press. In: Volk und Kultur (Bucharest), 23/5, May 1971, p. 8.
  • (Eduard Schneider): Romanian German press (...). In: Neue Banater Zeitung (Timișoara / Temeswar), 15/2634, May 11, 1971, p. 4.
  • Herbert Hoffmann: Graphics and documents. To the Hans Mattis Teutsch exhibition in the Schiller House. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 23/6786, March 3, 1971, p. 5.
  • The avant-garde artist Hans Mattis-Teutsch . Graphics and documents, loans from a private collection. 15.2. – 15.3. 1971. Gallery in the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center, Bucharest (poster & folding sheet).
  • Gert Fabritius: Review and Outlook. New exhibitions in the Schiller-Kulturhaus. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 23/6750, January 20, 1971, p. 4.
  • Cultural. Bucharest. An exhibition with children's drawings in the Schillerhaus. In: Hermannstädter Zeitung (Sibiu / Hermannstadt), 4/184, July 2nd, 1971, p. 2.
  • ( Elisabeth Axmann ): Mattis-Teutsch in the “Schiller” house. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 23/6775, February 18, 1971, p. 6.
  • Herbert Hoffmann: Small folk art show in the Schiller Culture House. In: Hermannstädter Zeitung (Hermannstadt / Sibiu), 3/152, November 27, 1970, p. 7.
  • Icons and clay pots from Transylvania and other parts of the country. Bucharest collectors are exhibiting. 3.11. – 28.11.1970: Gallery in the “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center, Bucharest. Expoziția de artă populară. București: Imprimeria Fondului Plastic, 1970 (poster, folded sheet & catalog, 3 ills.)
  • Christa Richter: Collectors exhibit. Folk art objects in the Schiller House. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 22/6697, November 17, 1970, p. 3.
  • “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. Paul Schuster-Stein on "Hegel's Dialectic". Claus Stephani on Romanian and Scandinavian folk art. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 22/6690, November 8, 1970, p. 3.
  • “Friedrich Schiller” cultural center. Slide presentation about Denmark. In: Neuer Weg (Bucharest), 22/6679, October 27, 1970, p. 3.
  • Bucureşti. Mic îndreptar. Editura Meridiane: Bucureşti, 1960. Pages 31–32: Cluburi. Case de cultură și săli de conferințe (cultural centers, clubs and lecture halls). Casa de cultură germană “Friedrich Schiller”, Casa de cultură maghiară “Petöfi Sándor”, Casa de cultură armeană “Ștefan Sahumian”, Casa de cultură evreiască “Baruh Berea”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Books were his constant companions. Accessed June 17, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ http://www.casaschiller.ro/

Coordinates: 44 ° 26 ′ 18.7 ″  N , 26 ° 6 ′ 13.1 ″  E