December 19, 2024
Happy holidays and a healthy, peaceful New Year!
An eventful year for the foundation is coming to a close. Together, we’ve launched many new formats and programs over the past few months, through which we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming numerous guests. We would like to thank all our partners for collaborating with us on these exciting projects, and we thank our visitors and workshop participants for their interest and the valuable exchanges we’ve had! We look back with pleasure on exciting encounters in Karlsruhe, Leipzig, and many other places.
Time for a quick look back
The year 2024 was marked by the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law. Under the theme for the year „In Good Shape? The Future of the Rule of Law"" The foundation has organized numerous events and projects:
In February, we opened with „Sprawiedliwość – Justice“ the first Exhibition at the foundation's offices, where they displayed photographs depicting the justice system in Poland.
Together with detektor.fm, we developed the interactive podcast format „In Good Shape? Tomorrow’s Constitution“. The live podcast recordings in Leipzig encouraged the audience to join the discussion. The ten episodes have already been released via Viewed 60,000 times. We marked the anniversary of the Basic Law in May with a Festival Week with a wide variety of events in Berlin, Leipzig, Karlsruhe, and Pirna. At the „Young Constitutional Discussions“ In August, teenagers and young adults gathered at Karlsruhe’s market square to discuss the future of the Constitution with guests from the judicial and political spheres.
The popular format of our „Truly Urban!“ City Walking Tour“ It attracted numerous participants and, due to its popularity, will continue to be offered in Karlsruhe next year and will also launch in Leipzig!
This was the first time we participated in the Leipzig Light Festival as part of a collaboration: At a reception held at the foundation’s offices, the artists behind one of the light installations provided a glimpse into their work.
You can also find a detailed review of the past two fiscal years, 2022 through 2024, in our printed Activity Report, which you can also view on your mobile device as a flipbook.
A New Director and Welcome News Regarding the Construction Projects
2024 also brought personnel and structural changes: Since July, Dr Cord Brügmann new director of the foundation. With this appointment, the board of directors is once again complete, along with Deputy Director Dr. Stephan N. Barthelmess.
Bettina Limperg, President of the Federal Court of Justice, was reappointed as chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, with Dr. Günter Krings, Member of the Bundestag, serving as vice chair. Both Foundation Committees – the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board – support our work through close collaboration and ongoing commitment. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the members of the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board for their consistently trusting cooperation.
Outlook: The 2025 Annual Theme
What does the Foundation expect, what do you expect in the coming year?
With its new annual theme, „Power!,“ the 2025 Foundation will focus its programs on the connections between law, the rule of law, and power. In a newly designed Pop-up exhibition Visitors can get involved and talk about their experiences with the law and the rule of law. The exhibition will first stop in Leipzig and Karlsruhe, and later travel to other locations in Germany. Another new feature is the regular talk series, „Let’s Talk About Law“, in which we discuss recent court rulings and fundamental legal issues with a variety of guests and provide insights into legal professions. Starting on February 12, 2025, in Karlsruhe, this talk series will take place regularly at both of the Foundation’s locations. The monthly City tours Trips through Karlsruhe will resume on April 10 and will also run starting in the spring in Leipzig On tour once a month with „Recht stadtlich!“ We will also continue our successfully launched professional development programs, the „Theme Days,“ in the coming year and are planning, among other things, an excursion to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in March, as well as a Theme Day on the correctional system in the Leipzig area.
Also, be sure to mark June 28 on your calendar: At the Open House At our foundation headquarters in Karlsruhe, you can get to know the team, the foundation, our program, and our work!
We, the entire foundation team, are looking forward to 2025 with excitement, as it promises to bring inspiring events and encounters. We cordially invite you to attend our events and join us in a discussion on current topics and your own experiences with the law and the rule of law.
