The Sudeten Germans presented cultural prizes at the convention in Regensburg

Update: 26.05.2023 20:56

Regensburg (Germany) – The Sudeten Germans handed out their cultural awards this evening at the start of the Sudeten German Congress, which will last until Sunday in Regensburg. Tina Strohekerová was honored for her literature and journalism, and her work drew attention to the almost forgotten Czech-German writer Josef Mühlberger.

The great Sudeten German cultural award was won by the architect Johannes Probst, who participated, among other things, in the reconstruction and reconstruction of the Theaterplatz square in Saská Kamenice (Chemnitz). Together with his brother Markus, he is also behind a pair of Munich houses that have part of the living space below ground level.

The award for fine arts and architecture went to Heike Schwarzová, who performs under the pseudonym Jo Thoma, who deals with photography, drawings and illustrations. He is also involved in etching, which is a graphic technique in which a drawing is created using acid applied to metal plates. Schwarz also studied philosophy, ethics and law.

“In the author’s working method, the interweaving of art and science is intensely manifested without the risk of the artistic products becoming illustrations of her scientific work,” the Sudeten Germans said, adding that Schwarz’s work points to a multidimensional identity.

Tina Strohekerová was awarded in the category of literature and journalism by the Sudeten Germans, among other things, for taking care of the legacy of the writer Josef Mühlberger. This native of Trutnov, who came from a mixed German-Czech family, was dedicated to breaking down the prejudices of the Sudeten Germans against Czech culture even before the Second World War and positioned himself as an opponent of nationalism, which led him to befriend Max Brod, a Prague writer of Jewish origin who wrote in German.

After the rise of Nazism, Mühlberger faced problems because of his democratic thinking and friendship with Jewish authors, he also faced accusations of homosexuality. To avoid further persecution, he joined the army and eventually ended up in American captivity. After World War II, he lived in Eislingen in Baden-Württemberg, where he translated Bozena Němcová and Jan Neruda, among others. Several of his books have been published in Czech, including the committee of commemorative prose Where I was at home or History of German Literature in Bohemia 1900-1939.

In addition to Mühlberger’s personality, Strohekerová also devoted herself to the Czech dissident Hana Jüptnerová. After her death, she published a collection of photographs and lyrical texts about her entitled Hana oder Das böhmische Geschenk (in Czech as Knížka o Haně).

The Sudeten Germans also awarded the group Mauke – Die Band in the category of caring for the homeland and folklore. This group set itself the goal of preserving and making available to all age groups the culture of the Sudeten Germans from Jabloneck, especially the dialect.

The awarding of cultural prizes traditionally rounded off the opening day of the Sudeten German Congress. On Saturday, the Sudeten Germans will present their highest award, which is the Charles IV European Award. Czech social democrat Libor Rouček and German diplomat Christian Schmidt will receive this award, which is named after the Czech king and Roman emperor Charles IV. Rouček and Schmidt jointly lead the Czech-German discussion forum.