Cultural traditions aimed at strengthening the partnership of Russia with different countries are developing. In 2010, events were held with great success as part of the cross year of Russia and France, in 2011 - Russia and Spain, and in the current 2012 - the Year of Russia and Germany opens.
The Cross Year of Germany and Russia began in Moscow in June 2012. As part of the opening, a large-scale event was organized in the Russian capital: the exhibition "Russians and Germans". A concert of the German-Russian Orchestra was also held and a huge puzzle of the painting by the German artist Albrecht Durer was assembled. In Germany, events will begin in August.
The Year of Russia in Germany will open with three events: the Festival of National Culture, international children's and student forums. All events will take place under the motto "Russia and Germany - building the future together!"
The first event will be held August 24, 2012 in Bonn, it will be an international children's forum. It will include a gala concert of children's groups from Germany and Russia, which will be held on the square in front of the city hall. The program promises to be saturated. It is planned to organize master classes in Russian crafts, a football match will be held between the youth teams of Germany and Russia.
Berlin will host the Constellation of Russia Festival of National Cultural Traditions (August 28-30). Participants in the event will lay wreaths and flowers at the monument to the Soviet soldier in Treptower Park. A photo exhibition “Small Indigenous Peoples of the North” will be opened, and a gala concert will be organized in the final part of August 30 in the central square of Berlin “Gendarmenmarkt”. More than twenty Russian musical groups will take part in it, including the Pyatnitsky State Academic Choir, Igor Moiseyev Folk Dance Ensemble. Also, folk dance ensembles of the Russian regions, in particular, Chechnya, Kalmykia, Bashkortostan, will perform.
The third event, which will open the Year of Russia in Germany, will be a student forum with the participation of more than fifty Russian and German universities. According to the deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, the forum will help to establish closer contact between students of the two countries.
All events will be held with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Germany, and admission to them will be free.
According to Mikhail Shvydky, the special representative of Vladimir Putin for international cooperation in the field of culture, in Germany, unfortunately, a rather unpleasant image of our country has developed, which should be changed by organizing such cultural events. “Russia is perceived as an exporter of natural resources, but we want and can achieve more, ” said Mikhail Efimovich.
The Year of Russia in Germany will pass until the summer of 2013. Further activities organized by this project can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
