Events – @GermanyinUSA

Day of Germany Unity 2021 – Celebrate with us!

On October 3, we celebrate the Day of German Unity: Thirty-one years ago, East and West Germany were reunited. The United States played a major role on the road to reunification. We thank the American people for their steadfast support.

We have put together an exciting program to commemorate this momentous day in our shared history, so please join with us as we virtually celebrate the Day of German Unity!

Watch our exclusive video highlighting the vibrant German-American friendship.

Germany is a country with an abundance of beauty, wonder and inspiration. Have a look and visit us!

Discover the moving story of East German escapee Sabine Braun.

There is more to discover on our website: Listen to a message from German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas; learn about Germany’s foreign policy; be inspired by Beethoven’s Prometheus Overture; and much more!

Click here to continue the celebration on our website!

International cooperation on green finance: a virtual event

Financial markets will be needed to channel private funding in a volume of several trillion dollars to finance the transition to a zero carbon economy in the coming years. Climate change and the transition causes existential threats to the financial system. Financial institutions and investors as well as regulators need to ensure appropriate risk management and disclosure. Governments and legislators decide on sustainable infrastructure financed by green bonds and define policy frameworks to incentivize private activity and avoid misallocation.

The new Climate Counselor John Morton of the U.S. Department of the Treasury will be in a dialogue with Jörg Kukies, Deputy Minister of the German Ministry of Finance on the topic of International Cooperation on Green Finance. It will be one of the first public events Mr. Morton is appearing in his new function, so it will be exciting to hear how he defines his and the Treasury’s role on the topic. Mr Kukies will present the German Sustainable Finance Strategy recently adopted by the German government as well as ongoing developments in the European Union and in international fora. Together they will discuss ongoing efforts and prospects for international policy coordination in this area, bilaterally between the European Union and United States and at the multilateral level.

Click to register for the webinar.

By Thomas Dohrn, German Embassy

US-German and trans-Atlantic relations in the 21st century

On Tuesday, March 9, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas for a keynote address in honor of the launch of the Fritz Stern chair, followed by a panel discussion considering the current state of U.S.-German and U.S.-European relations and the prospects for reform to best address the challenges of the 21st century.

Watch the Minister’s speech and panel discussion with Ambassador Haber:

Did you know these everyday objects were invented in Germany?

Inventors from around the world are converging on Nürnberg from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 to present their inventions at Germany‘s annual trade fair for ideas and inventions (the Ideen-Erfindungen-Neuheiten-Austellung, also known as iENA). The fair is the largest of its kind; since it was first held in 1948, more than 300,000 inventions were presented to the public – including inline skates, wheeled suitcases and folding bicycles. Inventors from all over the world are expected to display over 800 inventions.

In light of this fair, let’s take a look at some inventions that you may not have known are German!

Aspirin

Many of us depend on aspirin to cure us of our pains. But few may know that aspirin was invented by a German chemist, Felix Hoffman. The Swabian-born chemist initially developed the drug for his aligning father, but got a patent for it in 1899.

Contact Lenses

German ophthalmologist Dr. Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick invented the first contact lens in 1887, which he created from heavy brown glass. And no – the first contact lenses were not comfortable to wear, and they could only be worn for a few short hours at a time!

Coffee filter

The coffee filter was invented by a housewife from Dresden named Melitta Bentz. Using blotting paper from her children’s school books, she removed coffee grounds from her brew, making it less bitter and smoother. She was granted a patent in 1908 and sold 1,200 coffee filters at the 1909 Leipzig Fair.

Jeans

German-American businessman Levi Strauss and his partner Jacob Davis patented the first pair of blue jeans in 1873. Back then, they were considered workwear and worn primarily cowboys and miners. Today, they are quite the fashion statement!

Other popular German inventions are mayonnaise, x-ray machines, the printing press, the accordion, hole punchers, ring binders and the petri dish. Let’s see what new inventions Germans have at this weekend’s iENA fair in Nürnberg!

By Nicole Glass, German Embassy

What is the German Embassy’s Adoption Program?

During 2018-19, the German Embassy in Washington continued its longstanding tradition of involvement with the Embassy Adoption Program (EAP), a cooperative endeavor of the DC Public Schools and Washington Performing Arts. Since its founding in 1974 by Fulbright Scholarship recipient Susan Deerin, EAP has expanded to include over 100 embassies. Having received accolades including the U.S. Department of Education Award for Outstanding International Education Program, EAP is considered a paragon in educating for global competence.

Over the past year partnering with Ms. Octavia Wolf’s 5^th grade class at West Education Campus in Columbia Heights, volunteer teachers drawn from the German diplomatic families presented aspects of culture, traditions and life of their home country. We are grateful to Maren Sanio, Eda Graf und Kerstin Mahnicke for taking the time to develop lesson plans on topics including German Christmas traditions and the importance of avoiding plastic for environmental protection.

This year’s EAP engagement with West Education Campus also included excursions, for example to the German Christmas Village in Baltimore and a visit to the German International School Washington. On June 6, at a festive ceremony at the German-American Heritage Museum capping off the school year, the students presented what they had learned about cultural similarities and differences between Germany and the United States. From the students’ enthusiasm it was clear that a new generation of young Americans is excited to take part in the German-U.S. relationship.

By Melanie Knaetsch & Jacob Comenetz, German Embassy

Celebrating German-American Friendship Day at a baseball game in El Paso, Texas

Germans and Americans gathered at the Southwest University Ballpark in El Paso to celebrate German-American Night on May 21. The event, which was organized by the German Air Force Air Defense Center, is part of Wunderbar Together.

Before the baseball game began, singer Morgan Bailey performed the German and American national anthems. The game also featured color guards from both countries, a video introducing the German presence in El Paso and a first pitch by Holger Mahnicke, Head of the Communications and Culture Department at the German Embassy.

The American and German color guards at the Southwest University Ballpark.

The Mayor and Council of El Paso also proclaimed May 21 to be known as German-American Friendship Day.

Lt. Col. Henri Neubert holds the proclamation of German-American Friendship Day in the city of El Paso.

“The City of El Paso appreciates and values our German partners and the cultural and defense alliances they bring to Sun City,” the proclamation reads.

The German military has had a strong presence in El Paso since 1956. Today, there are approximately 80 Germans stationed in El Paso at the German Air Force Air Defense Center in Fort Bliss, which trains service members on the PATRIOT air defense system.

Just hours before the game, eight graduates completed their training at the German Air Defense Center. One of the graduates, Captain Philipp Schönbeck, had the opportunity to be in the color guard.

“It was an honor to be a part of it,” he says. “Not only just for me, but for my whole platoon it was an honor and totally awesome to be a part of.”

While the baseball game was in play, Germans and Americans gathered on the rooftop of the stadium and shared laughter and conversation as the sun set behind the stadium.

Germans and Americans gathered on the rooftop of the Southwest University Ballpark in the spirit of Wunderbar Together.

“What a wonderful opportunity it is to be part of the German-American friendship this evening,” said American Brigadier General Johnny Davis. “This event shows that we have an enduring relationship that is timeless. Having the Germans here at Fort Bliss is just a wonderful experience to meet and greet them each and every single day.”

By Nicole Glass, German Embassy

Looking back at 2018

The year 2018 has been eventful and rewarding. Let’s reflect on a few highlights!

Early in the year, Germany participated in the Winter Olympics, coming in second with a total of 31 medals! In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was sworn in for a fourth term, along with a new government. In April, the Chancellor visited Washington, D.C. for meetings with US President Donald Trump. In June, we welcomed our new Ambassador, Emily Haber, to Washington, where she serves as the German Embassy’s first female ambassador! Throughout the year, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift – a turning point in the German-American relationship. In October, we launched the start of Wunderbar Together, a year-long celebration of German-American friendship with over 1,000 events across the US. A highlight of this initiative was a stunt by a German slackliner from One Inch Dreams, who walked across a highline between two hot air balloons over Monument Valley.

We know next year will be just as busy, with hundreds more events taking place across the US for Wunderbar Together. Next year, we will celebrate 100 years of Bauhaus, the famous art school that opened in Weimar in 1919. We will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – a monumental day in German history.

We wish you a Happy New Year and a great start to 2019!

“Better than Berghain”: German Embassy hosts “Wunderbar Goes Underground” alumni dance party

What do you get when you mix DC’s coolest underground venue, the graffiti-covered abandoned trolley station/arts space Dupont Underground, with one of Berlin’s hottest DJs, psychedelic video projections, and hundreds of dancing friends of transatlantic exchange?

An instant-legend, Berlin-meets-DC club event that was “better than Berghain” in the words of one enthusiastic attendee.

It was only fitting that the German Embassy would “go big” with its annual alumni dance party during the Year of German-American Friendship, better known by its motto “Wunderbar Together”.

With Berlin native DJ Cooper at the turntables, the Urban Artistry dance crew’s hip-hop moves got the crowd into the groove. Attendees relished the chance to revive the exchange experience, capturing the spirit of making new friends, breaking down borders and coming together!

By Jacob Comenetz, German Embassy

Find Wunderbar Together events near you!

You may have heard about Wunderbar Together, a year-long campaign celebrating German-American friendship. With more than 1,000 events in all 50 states, Wunderbar Together may be coming to a town near you!

You can now search for Wunderbar Together events by location, topic or date! Visit www.WunderbarTogether.org to see what’s happening!

Building bridges with German at the 2018 ACTFL conference

German language education and New Orleans? Wunderbar together!
The German Embassy and German language education community in North America was well represented at the 2018 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in Louisiana.

Of the 8,000 ACTFL convention attendees, around 400 are members of the German language education community. These include members of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), as well as representatives of the Mexican and Canadian partner organizations; representatives of the Goethe-Institut in the U.S. and Germany; international scholars of German language pedagogy; and German government representatives, among others. Such a large-scale gathering of DaF (Deutsch als Fremdsprache—German as a foreign language) devotees ensures a lively discussion of the pressing issues in the field.

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