Photo: Daniel Libeskind – copyright Stefan Ruiz
The award winner
“Libeskind receives the ‘Dresden Prize’ for a very special part of his work, which can be referred to as memorial architecture. Like hardly any other architect, the artist created an appropriate architectural framework for remembering the victims of the Holocaust, war and terror in recent decades,” the jury said in their statement.
His approach leaves no room for ignorance and relativisation. The form, the architecture itself sets the course for remembrance. Whether it is the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the 9/11 Memorial in New York, the Imperial War Museum in Manchester or the Holocaust Memorial in Amsterdam. His work also includes the Military History Museum in Dresden, whose architecture has become an anti-war museum and the most important place in Dresden for coming to terms with the consequences of militarism and wars.
Reasoning of the jury
“When everything seems to be over, a war, a genocide, a terrorist attack, what’s left is remembrance,” says the Jury of the Friends of Dresden association. And she goes on: “How we remember could also determine whether history will repeat itself. We need places of remembrance and warning. And they should be like the ones designed by Daniel Libeskind: highly visible.”
Gerhart Baum receives the Honorary Prize
The Elder Statesman of the FDP party, Gerhart Baum, receives the Honorary Prize of the “Friends of Dresden”. The now 90-year-old politician has dedicated his entire life to human rights and peace, according to the reasoning of the jury.
The programme
The laudations and acceptance speeches will be framed by performances by the electro-pop duo ÄTNA from Dresden and cellist Jan Vogler. This will be a premiere, as they will be playing together for the first time. The Dresden Stahlquartett will also be performing.
Date, venue, tickets
The award ceremony will take place in the Semper Opera House at 11 a.m. on 19 February. Tickets are available starting at 5 euros at Schinkelwache on Theaterplatz or by phone +49 (0)351 4911 705) and online at: www.semperoper.de and also at: www.sz-ticketservice.de.