The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. is a German foundation established in 1931 by the
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
merchant
Alfred Toepfer. The foundation is committed to promoting
European unification and ensuring cultural diversity and understanding between the countries of
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
History
The rich industrialist Alfred Toepfer is considered, by the contemporary historiographic criticism, a controversial figure; philanthropist and lover of the arts, he had a significant role in the culture, politics and economic environment of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
from the 30s until the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The activity of Toepfer in between the two World Wars, is well documented by a massive cultural promotion of the ideas of ''common ethics and identity'', obviously symbiotic with
Nazi ideology. Toepfer however, after the war, denied any kind of Nazi involvement completely and categorically.
The substantial abdication of his politic and ideologic past, is recognised by critics nowadays in the important range of prizes instituted by the foundation,
[* ''Die Kulturpreise der Stiftung F.V.S. 1935-1945 he Cultural Prizes of the F.V.S. Foundation 1933-1945'' A documentary presentation by Jan Zimmermann, in the series 'Akzente für Europa' Accents for Europe'Christians-Verlag hristians Publishers Hamburg 2000.] which are:
* The
Herder Prize, established in 1963 and named for
Johann Gottfried von Herder, is a prestigious international prize, dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations, and presented to scholars and artists from
Central and
Southeastern Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and Archipelago, archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of t ...
whose life and work have improved the cultural understanding of European countries and their peaceful interrelations.
* The
Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen.
* The
Robert Schuman Prize for European unity was a prize awarded annually in memory of former French Prime Minister,
Robert Schuman
Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman (; 29 June 1886 – 4 September 1963) was a Luxembourg-born France, French statesman. Schuman was a Christian democrat, Christian democratic (Popular Republican Movement) political thinker and activist. ...
.
The foundation cooperates also with the most important German universities and renowned cultural associations. The
Heinrich Tessenow Medal
The Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal (Heinrich-Tessenow-Medaille) is an architecture award established in 1963 by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. of Hamburg in honour of Heinrich Tessenow. It is awarded by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V. ...
is a prestigious architecture prize, created by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. in 1963 in memoriam of
Rostock
Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
architect
Heinrich Tessenow. The prize is annually assigned by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V. and among the rewardeds are
Giorgio Grassi (1992),
Juan Navarro Baldeweg (1998),
David Chipperfield (1999),
Eduardo Souto de Moura (2001) besides the
Pritzker Prize winners
Sverre Fehn (1997) and
Peter Zumthor (1989).
See also
*
KAIROS Prize
Notes
a. The name of its founder was added in occasion of his centennial birth, in the 1994.
b. The award, first given in 1966, was discontinued in 2000.
References
External links
English-language homepage
{{Authority control
Arts foundations based in Europe
Organizations established in 1931