Winners of the cultural award of the district
have been determined

One social group that was particularly affected by the Corona pandemic, and to a lesser extent still is, are the cultural associations and cultural workers. In the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg, too, some of the associations had to fear for their existence last year - events that had already been planned were cancelled, contractual obligations still had to be met, income could not be recorded. And at least of them were entitled to Corona compensation payments from the state or federal government.

"We reacted quickly to the emergency situation of this important group, which contributes significantly to a high quality of life in our rural area," explained District Administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat. From a special programme to secure the work of cultural associations, 17 cultural associations received a total of 19,000 euros to compensate for demonstrable damage incurred as a result of the Corona pandemic. "Very different associations have taken advantage of our grant and were grateful to be supported at least at the local level," said the District Administrator.... whether it was the Volkmarsen Music Association, the Waldecker Toy Museum in Massenhausen, the Flechtdorf Monastery Support Association, the Geismar Local History and Culture Association or the Hatzfeld Castle and Local History Association.

It was also important to the district to maintain the awarding of the district culture prize, which was announced in rotation in 2021. Dr Kubat: "This is also part of active cultural promotion - the recognition of special achievements, which are often made over decades and contribute to the diverse, high-quality cultural life in Waldeck-Frankenberg". He had therefore very much regretted that comparatively few cultural workers had been nominated for the 2021 Culture Prize. The pandemic had obviously led to a certain uncertainty here, and the almost complete cancellation of cultural events in 2020 had probably been weighted too heavily.

Nevertheless, it had not been easy for the culture award jury to filter out those applications that had shown themselves to be a little more worthy of an award than other nominations. "Behind every application there is an impressive cultural work," the District Administrator emphasised, adding that every individual or group nominated deserved recognition for their cultural commitment. In the end, the decisive factor for the jury was the aspect of sustainability, a cultural added value beyond the usual level and an effect on the entire district.

Against this background, three prize winners will receive the 2021 Culture Prize of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district: local historian Bernhard Bock from Burgwald for local history, district choir director Horst-Werner Bremmer from Frankenau-Altenlotheim for music and the miners' association and miners' choir Adorf e. V. for local history and music. A total of 2,500 euros in prize money will be awarded. The award ceremony will take place on 12 November 2021 in the Wandelhalle in Bad Wildung, of course in compliance with the then current pandemic rules. Dr. Kubat concludes: "In the coming years, we will continue to use the District Culture Prize to show how much we appreciate our voluntary cultural workers.