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St. Petersburg / Chemnitz (dpa / sn) - At the German Week in St. Petersburg, Saxony will be promoting Chemnitz as the Capital of Culture year 2025 in the coming days.
It is about making the idea better known in Russia, maintaining contacts and inviting artists to work together, said the interim managing director of Kulturhauptstadt GmbH, Christoph Dittrich, of the German press agency on Wednesday.
"We very much trust that the power of this cultural exchange and dialogue will work in the interests of a good humanistic and democratic character," he said, referring to the political situation in Russia.
According to the State Chancellery, Saxony is presenting itself as the partner state of the German Week with around 30 events in the fields of culture, business and science. This includes readings, workshops and concerts. Because of the current corona pandemic, a number of events are taking place online. However, a delegation from Saxony also travels to the Neva, which includes Dittrich.
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) referred to close contacts between Saxony and Russia for more than 300 years - beginning with the meeting between August the Strong and Tsar Peter the Great.
"Cultural, economic and scientific exchange are important in order to maintain a dialogue with one another even in difficult times like these."
The head of government was due to come to Moscow on Wednesday, where, among other things, he was also planning political talks.
The trip had been criticized in advance in view of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the dealings with the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny.
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One focus of the German Week is on the city partnership between Dresden and St. Petersburg, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Among other things, a concert evening with bands from Saxony and a technology forum for companies are planned.
In addition, the children's film "Fritzi - a turning miracle story" about the Monday demonstrations in Leipzig and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 will be presented.
A panel discussion is planned for the German Week on Saturday for the Capital of Culture year.
The day before, the project manager of the Pochen Biennale, Benjamin Gruner, presented Chemnitz and the “Autodidacts Garages” project with guests in a lecture performance.
The film "Garagenvolk" - a documentary about garage communities in Russia - by Natalija Yefimkina will also be shown.
The German Week is organized annually by the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg with the Goethe Institute and the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce.
The opening is on Thursday evening.
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German week
Trailer for the film "Garage People"