Schwetzingen-Fredericksburg Alliance

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Schwetzburg Spring Events

Here is a preliminary line-up of German-related events in the Spring of 2019. Some of them are organized by the University of Mary Washington (UMW), others are organized by us and co-sponsored by other organizations.

February 19, 7:30 - Dodd Auditorium

Talk: Gari Melchers

Talk on German-American painter Gari Melchers whose paintings can be seen at Belmont in Falmouth. Part of the UMW Great Lives Series

Sunday, March 25, 7:30 - UMW Digital Auditorium

Film: Der ganz grosse Traum - Lessons of a Dream (2011)

An English teacher brings soccer from England to Germany in the late 19th Century by teaching it to his class.- Part of UMW's Modern Languages and Literatures annual Film Series.

SFA Spring Film Series - German Films about Art

Monday, April 8, 7PM

Heinrich Schutz was presumably the first internationally renowned German composer. In the 40 years he spent as court ,,Kapellmeister" in Dresden, he left a strong impression on musical life in Europe. His works in their clear beauty still seem up-to-date, almost modern. However, only his vocal works - a small part of his extensive oeuvre - are known today.
Narrating this documentary are, amongst others, international musical experts from Germany, Venice or Copenhagen - like David Douglas Bryant, Bjarke Moe, Prof. Matthias Herrmann, Dr. Christina Siegfried - as well as conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann, who was the first to record Schutz's complete (known) ouvre.

Monday, April 15, 7PM

One of the world's greatest living painters, the German artist Gerhard Richter has spent over half a century experimenting with a tremendous range of techniques and ideas, addressing historical crises and mass media representation alongside explorations of chance procedures.
The first glimpse inside his studio in decades, Gerhard Richter Painting is exactly that: a thrilling document of the 79-year-old's creative process, juxtaposed with rare archival footage and intimate conversations with his critics and collaborators.
Winner of Best Documentary at the German Film Awards.

The Life and Work of Innovative Artist Joseph Beuys (2018, 108 minutes)

Thirty years after his death, Joseph Beuys still feels like a visionary and is widely considered one of the most influential artists of his generation. Known for his contributions to the Fluxus movement and his work across diverse media -- from happening and performance to sculpture, installation, and graphic art -- Beuys' expanded concept of the role of the artist places him in the middle of socially relevant discourses on media, community, and capitalism.
Using previously untapped visual and audio sources, director Andres Veiel has created a one-of-a-kind chronicle: BEUYS is not a portrait in the traditional sense, but an intimate and in-depth look at a human being, his art and ideas, and the way they have impacted the world.
Nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
"Even if you don't need Beuys justified or explained to you, the movie is an exhilarating portrait of a unique truth-teller." - Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
"Veiel's refreshingly open-ended approach invites you to find your own answers." - Simon Abrams, The Village Voice

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Stollen and KrisKringel Market

The Stollen bakers for our booth at the KrisKringel Market had a great time making this delicious German treat.
Thanks to Doris and Eldon Mullis for opening their house to the Schwetzburg group.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

KrisKringlMarkt Volunteers Sought

The Schwetzingen-Fredericksburg Alliance is consulting on the Fredericksburg Museum's (FAM) KrisKringlMarkt (December8, 2018). Schwetzburg will have its own stand selling baked goods and antique Christmas ornaments as a fundraiser. Moreover, the Museum (FAM) needs volunteers throughout the day and for all kinds of tasks. Everyone can help.
To make the event a success our organizations needs:

Volunteers who can bake cookies, Stollen, and other goods for the market.
Volunteers who will setup and decorate the Schwetzburg booth.
Volunteers who will staff the Schwetzburg booth in two-hour shifts between 10:30am and 9pm.

Please use this form to sign up for shifts.

To support the FAM's overall effort with the market organization, more volunteers are needed. You will find a list here.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

German Events at the University of Mary Washington this Fall

As in years past, the German program at the University of Mary Washington has put together a program for the German Campus Weeks, generously sponsored by the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.
This year, there are two exhibits with corresponding talks:

October 16-31 2018
Combs Hall (Basement)

Exhibition: "The Berlin Airlift"

At the end of the Second World War, U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided and occupied Germany. Also divided into occupation zones, Berlin was located far inside Soviet-controlled eastern Germany. The United States, United Kingdom, and France controlled western portions of the city, while Soviet troops controlled the eastern sector. As the wartime alliance between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union ended and friendly relations turned hostile, the question of whether the western occupation zones in Berlin would remain under Western Allied control or whether the city would be absorbed into Soviet-controlled eastern Germany led to the first Berlin crisis of the Cold War. The crisis started on June 24, 1948, when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. The crisis ended on May 12, 1949, when Soviet forces lifted the blockade on land access to western Berlin.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian

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October 23, 2018
11am - Hurley Convergence Center, Digital Auditorium
4pm - 111 Combs Hall
7pm - 215 Combs Hall

Saving a City

Presentation by Eddie Ide (Berlin Airlift Veterans Association)
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November 1-16, 2018
Combs Hall (Basement)

Exhibition: Totally East - Life in East Germany

In 2018 the Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Eastern Germany and OSTKREUZ Agentur der Fotografen are jointly sponsoring the exhibition "Totally East" about everyday life in East Germany. It features photos by the renowned photographer Harald Hauswald and texts by Stefan Wolle, Scientific Director of the GDR Museum in Berlin.
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November 5, 2018
4pm, Combs Hall 237

A (Personal) History of East Germany in Eight Objects

Presentation by Prof. Marcel Rotter (UMW, German Program)

Marcel Rotter, who grew up in East Germany, will illustrate the different aspects of the exhibition with eight everyday objects that exemplify life in East Germany.
What was the significance of bananas, the apartment block, the Trabant car (pictured on the right), or the Protestant Church in the daily life of East Germans?

All events are generously sponsored by Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Friday, August 31, 2018

Fall 2018 Film Series "Germany Sees the United States"

We partnered with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library and present our first German Film Festival: "Germany Sees the United States."

Join us on these three evenings in October. Professor Marcel Rotter (University of Mary Washington) will give brief introductions to the movies and facilitate discussion afterwards.

All screenings take place in the Theater Room of the Fredericksburg Branch (1201 Caroline Street) at 7pm

October 2, 2018 - Out of Rosenheim (1987)

Also known as "Bagdad Cafe" Watch the trailer here.

German tourist Jasmin Münchgstettner (Marianne Sägebrecht) has a big fight with her husband (Hans Stadlbauer) and stomps off in the middle of a desert highway. Similarly, short-tempered Brenda (CCH Pounder), owner of the dilapidated Bagdad Cafe, has a fight with her husband, who also drives off.

Jasmin arrives at the Bagdad Cafe, suitcase in tow, and asks for a room at the adjacent motel, both of which are located in the middle of nowhere in the California desert. Jasmin stays a while, befriending Brenda's children and Rudi Cox (Jack Palance), a washed-out set designer from Tinsel-Town (Hollywood) and cafe regular.

Jasmin, whose typical German fastidiousness can't tolerate disorder and dirt, starts cleaning and organizing her motel room and the café; while smooth-talking Rudi wants to paint Jasmin's portrait in a series of portraits, each more risqué than the last.

Also a skilled magician, Jasmin begins entertaining the infrequent customers. Word of this gem in the desert spreads throughout the trucker community, and soon the café is packed, drawing the attention of the local Sheriff, Arnie (Apesanahkwat).

October 11, 2018 - For Eyes Only

East Germany's answer to the James Bond movies:

1961, West Germany. Hansen is a man who escaped from the German Democratic Republic and now works for an American company called Concordia. In fact, Hansen is an agent of the Stasi, and Concordia is the headquarters of Military Intelligence Division in Germany, from which countless saboteurs and spies have been sent over the border to wreak havoc in East Germany. The United States plans to invade the country, after staging an internal uprising as a provocation to intervene. The plans are held by Collins, Hansen's superior. The latter intends to steal them, but has to evade the suspicions of security officer Rocker, who knows there is a leak. He is assisted by his chauffeur, František, who discovered his covert identity but intends to help him, in order to return to his homeland Czechoslovakia. The two manage to steal the safe with the invasion plans and cross the border to the East, pursued by the police and army. The plan is uncovered and the invasion has to be canceled.

October 16, 2018 - The Sons of the Great Bear

The Sons of the Great Bear is the story of Tokei-Ihto, a Dakota tribesman who is trying to keep the white men from stealing his tribe’s land. His arch-rival is Red Fox (Jirí Vrstála), a white scout who has taken part in Indian initiation rituals and pretends to be part-Indian when it suits his needs (although this is not explained in the movie). When it is discovered that there is gold on the tribe’s land, the government decides that it is time to relocate the Dakotas to someplace more favorable. Tokei-Ihto tries to convince his chief that the white men can’t be trusted, but the chief doesn’t listen, with predictable results.

Monday, September 26, 2016

German-related events at the University of Mary Washington this fall

Dear Schwetzburgers,
This year's German Campus Weeks "Germany meets the U.S." focus on Jewish Life in Germany Today. Please see below a list of our events and activities. http://cas.umw.edu/ge…/studies-in-german/events/germanyinus/
The movie titles are also linked to previews. All movies (subtitled) are free and open to the public.
Make sure to join us at our literary reading and gala on October 24 in the Chandler Ballroom. Tickets are going for $10 and include the reading with Esther Dischereit, a German Buffet Dinner, and door prizes. Email me (rotter @ umw.edu) if you would like to participate.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Visit in Schwetzingen

As always, our delegation was greeted with overwhelming hospitality. We were treated to visits in and around Schwetzingen, met Schwetzingers from all walks of life, and had the privilege to attend the Asparagus Fest that coincided this year with the 1250th anniversary of Schwetzingen's first mention in an official document. Below, you will find some impressions of the Spargelfest (Asparagus Fest). More pictures can be found on our Facebook Page