Culture calendar
July 29, 2011A summer of cinema in Venice and Locarno
Berlin, Cannes and Venice - these three cities host Europe's most famous film festivals in February, May and late summer respectively. This year, Venice is putting on a show from August 31 - September 10. People from all over the world flock to the event to see who will receive the coveted Golden Lion.
Closer to Germany, there is also the Film Festival Locarno, held in the small Swiss town of Locarno. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno has the longest history among film festivals. It is scheduled for August 3-13.
Art festival in Weimar
Weimar is a city of culture - the city of Germany's great writers, Goethe and Schiller. But it is also located not far from the site of one of the largest Nazi concentration camps, Buchenwald. It is a chapter of history that the city needs to face, believes Nike Wagner, director of the Kunstfest Weimar festival, which opens on August 19 with a concert to remember the victims of Buchenwald.
This year, the commemorative speech will be held by French concentration camp survivor, author and former French Resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel. After the opening, the festival will feature three weeks of cultural events from various artistic areas, including dance, theater, art and music.
On August 28, the Goethe Medal will be presented at the Weimar City Palace. It is awarded to people who have made a notable contribution to promoting cultural exchange and the German language. This year's recipients are British author John le Carré, Polish newspaper editor Adam Michnik and French stage director Ariane Mnouchkine.
Masterpieces of Italian art
In August, there is no need to visit the Louvre in Paris to see a famous paining by Leonardo da Vinci. From August 25 - November 20, Berlin's Bode Museum will be home to one of his most famous works, "Lady with an Ermine." Together with the "Mona Lisa," it is one of only four female portraits painted by da Vinci.
Normally on display at the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland, the paining will be on loan at the Bode Museum as part of the "Renaissance Faces. Masterpieces of Italian Portraiture" exhibition, which also includes works by famous names like Botticelli, Bellini, Pisanello and Verrocchio. In December, the exhibition will travel to New York - except for "Lady with an Ermine," which will return to Poland after a brief stay in London.
Musicians in Munich
Musicians from all over the world will flock to Munich toward the end of August, as the 60th ARD International Music Competition is scheduled to take place there from August 29 - September 16. It is Germany's largest international classical music competition, and this year it will include over 400 young talents from 47 countries. They will compete in the areas of oboe, trumpet, piano and organ. The winner in each category receives a prize of 10,000 euros ($14,300), but, more importantly, the competition is a career springboard for young musicians, says Axel Linstädt, the competition's artistic director.
The great outdoors
One thing that people in Germany really like about summer is the chance to spend time outside and make the best of the warm weather before it disappears again. This is the opportunity to read books under trees, sunbathe at the seaside, or just sit in the garden with family. For lovers of hiking, there is a special treat in store, the 111th German Hiking Day.
Despite its name, the Hiking Day actually lasts for several days, and this year it is scheduled for August 8-15 in Melle, near the city of Osnabrück. Different hikes will be offered in the region during this time, as well as a colorful program of exhibitions, concerts and storytelling for children.
Even cinema lovers can indulge in their hobby outdoors this summer, as so-called summer theaters can be found all over the country. For example, in Ludwigsburg, classics like "Wings of Desire" by Wim Wenders and "The Purple Rose of Cairo" by Woody Allen will be screened in a romantic garden setting. It is a great alternative for those who do not feel like spending the precious summer days in dark movie theater halls.
Author: Petra Lambeck / ew
Editor: Louisa Schaefer / Kate Bowen