Intercultural Week 2023

From 1 pm: Opening party
Venue: Town Hall Square
Bad Arolsen's Mayor Marko Lambion and District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst open the Intercultural Week at the Town Hall in Bad Arolsen. The drumming group "Ngoma" provides a good rhythm at the opening. Visitors can get into conversation about the initiative "Open for Diversity - Closed against Exclusion". The Youth Migration Service (JMD), the counselling centre "JUMP - Jugend mit Perspektive" (Youth with Perspectives), Wirtschaft Integriert (Integrated Economy) and the Migration and Integration Centre will be on hand to provide advice and information. Of course, food and drink will also be provided.

"Plan-B"
Authentic and honest, with the urge to move people on several levels, that's how Plan-B's signature can be described. Alternative German rock is created, in the combination of rhythm & lead guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and polyphonic vocals. This makes for catchy melodies with an earworm character.

"Singing Ukrainians - співучі українки"
Liubava Sinchuk, Kristina Vasina and Viktoria Hlushchenko have been living in Bad Arolsen since April 2022. With Ukrainian songs, they want to move people's hearts, support their compatriots in their new homeland and introduce everyone to Ukrainian culture. Любава Сінчук, Христина Васіна та Вікторія Глущенко живуть у Бад-Арользені з квітня 2022 року. Українською піснею вони хочуть зворушити серця людей, підтримати своїх співвітчизників та ознайомити місцевих жителів з українською культурою.

"Flag for Tolerance"
Together with wind artist Reta Reinl, the Network for Tolerance would like to design a flag for tolerance and diversity for Bad Arolsen with the citizens of Arolsen. As part of the project "Showing the flag for a diverse and cosmopolitan Waldeck-Frankenberg", over 400 flags were designed in free workshops at schools in the district, showing the idea of tolerance and diversity. #flaggefortolerance

"Shaping the FutureFairly"
Fair Week 2023 will take place from 15 to 29 September on the theme of "Climate Justice" under the motto "Fair. And not a degree more." will take place parallel to the Intercultural Week. The "One World Group Bad Arolsen" offers a sales stand with fair goods including a raffle. #forafairworld

Education and information mobile on refugee assistance & integration of Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e. V.
Social care presents its work from the initial reception centre. With play and make-up activities, sports activities and first aid education, the programme will be multi-faceted. From 24.09 to 30.09.23 the education and information mobile will be at the church square in Bad Arolsen from 2:30 to 5 pm.

"Arriving in Germany with the Goethe-Institut"
Venue: VHS Raum, Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
In a mini-course, German is practised and free online exercise materials from the Goethe-Institut are presented. All important topics are discussed, such as finding a job, a flat or childcare. All information can also be found on the web portal "My Way to Germany"! The free mini-course is open to everyone who already understands and speaks a little German.

Varied weekly market
Venue: Kirchplatz
Opening hours: Saturdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Spa concert - Musikverein Vellmar e.V.
Venue: Trink- und Wandelhalle, Prof.-Klapp-Straße 14
The Musikverein Vellmar e.V. plays lively music from different genres and thus provides varied entertainment. In addition, there will be coffee and delicious cake on site.

3 to 3:30 p.m.: Theatre performance "Out of the box"
Venue: Bahnhofstraße 36
Is racism in everyone? The Bad Wildung theatre group "Thespiskarren", directed by Patrizia Schuster, has developed its own play on such questions. The eponymous exhibition of the "Network for Tolerance" serves as the stage set and performance venue. The play encourages reflection and rethinking.

From Tuesday 26.09.2023 the exhibition "Out of the box" will be on display at the Christian-Rauch School until 06.10.23. On request, pupils from other schools can also visit the exhibition in the foyer of the Christian-Rauch School (secretary's office: 05691/2081, post@christian-rauch-schule.de).

3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: "Open Tuition Days"
Venue: Music School, Rathausstraße 1-3
Period: 25 to 29.09.2023
Contact: 05691/40131, info@musikschule-bad-arolsen.de

What does a lesson at the Bad Arolsen Music School look like? From Monday to Friday, visitors can request a short insight into the various lessons at the music school. On 30.09.2023, those interested will also have the opportunity to try out instruments on their own from 3 to 5 pm. The music school is not barrier-free.

6 pm: Exhibition opening: "RIGA. Deportations - crime scenes - culture of remembrance"
Venue: Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
Opening hours: Tues. 26.09.23 and Thurs. 28.09.23 from 3 to 6 p.m.; Sat. 30.09.23, Sun. 01.10.2023, Tues. 03.10.2023 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun. 08.10.23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wed, 11.10.23 from 3 to 6 p.m.
Retired Colonel Jürgen Damm (Honorary Chairman of the Hesse branch of the German War Graves Commission) opens the exhibition together with Mayor Marko Lambion. Since 2000, the Riga Committee, founded by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V., has been taking care of the memory of the Jewish people murdered in Riga. Interested citizens are cordially invited!

2 to 4 p.m.: "Games from all over the world - We are building a Bao game"
Venue: Rauchstraße Protestant Day Care Centre, Rauchstraße 22
Games from all over the world will be on display. Some of them can be tried out by the children. Together we will make a Bao game from Africa. Of course, children and families from other day care centres are also welcome!

4 to 8 p.m.: "Games for ALL generations and cultures"
Venue: Youth Centre "COME IN", Birkenweg 11
Parlour games, card games and exercise games are offered in the rooms of the new youth centre. Playing connects, is fun and builds an atmosphere of community! The youth centre "COME IN" is free of charge and barrier-free.

6 to 7:30 p.m.: After-work guided tour
Meeting point: City model at the castle
Evening guided tour through the historic baroque city. The guided tour lasts approx. 90 minutes. It is free of charge and no registration is required.

7:30 pm: Aeham Ahmad - concert and reading - "And the birds will sing"
Venue: Bernhard von Haller-Haus, Kirchplatz 3
Contact and registration: 05691-6245670, stadtbuecherei-bad-arolsen@gmx.de

Aeham Ahmad became known worldwide as "the pianist from the rubble". Amidst the bomb craters of a refugee camp in Damascus, he played the piano to comfort people and distract them from the horrors of war. In the autobiographical book "Und die Vögel werden singen" (2017), he impressively tells his story. Alternating with musical pieces, excerpts from his book will be read.

Organisers are the Friends of the Christine Brückner Library e.V. and the Protestant Parish of Bad Arolsen. Admission is free. You can register in person at the Christine-Brückner-Bücherei, by e-mail or by telephone.

Varied weekly market
Venue: Kirchplatz
Opening hours: Saturdays and Wednesdays from 08 am to 1 pm

2 to 5 p.m.: Taster afternoon at the museum
Venue: Christian Daniel Rauch Museum, Schlossstraße 30
The Christian Daniel Rauch Museum opens its doors to all interested visitors on this afternoon! People of all generations and nations are cordially invited to look around and get to know the diversity of 19th century sculpture. The museum is barrier-free and can be visited free of charge.

6 to 8 p.m.: Round Table - Volunteering in Bad Arolsen
Venue: Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
Contact and registration: ehrenamt@lkwafkb.de

Volunteering is the glue of society. The city of Bad Arolsen and the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg would like to analyse and strengthen the local association and volunteer structures together with the associations. What are the wishes, concerns and needs of volunteers? Representatives of the associations or institutions are cordially invited to the round table!

7:30 p.m.: Which associations are there locally?
Venue: Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
Some associations present themselves and their work. Interested parties are cordially invited!

7:30 pm: Film screening with tasting: "The Kitchen Brigade"
Venue: BAC Theatre, In den Siepen 6
Contact: 01711080941, bac-theater@gmx.de
Ticket-Line: 05691/5009092

The BAC Theater e.V. and the Weltladen in Bad Arolsen cordially invite you to the film screening with tasting. Admission costs € 5.00 and the premises are barrier-free.

Top chef Cathy wants to open her own restaurant, but due to a lack of money, she ends up with Lorenzo Cardi after numerous job interviews and applications. He runs a home for underage refugees. Canned ravioli is on the menu, mould is rampant in the pantry. It is nothing less than culinary hell. But Cathy makes the best of the precarious situation. In "The Kitchen Brigade", the focus is on young refugees who can discover new perspectives.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Exhibition "A Monument Made of Paper"
Venue: Schloßstraße 10
Contact: 05691/6290, visitorgroup@arolsen-archives.org

How do you find missing persons when millions are searching and what happened is becoming ever more distant? The exhibition "A Monument Made of Paper. The History of the Arolsen Archives" provides insights into the eventful history of the search for missing persons and the documentation of Nazi crimes, which has been going on for seven decades. The exhibition, which is free of charge and barrier-free, is open to the public. Registration is required for the one-hour guided tours at 10:00 and 14:30.

3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Open Day - Kaulbach School
Venue: Kaulbach School, Große Allee 71

"Fairy tales in different languages"
Fairy tales exist in all cultures and languages. They are among the most frequently translated texts in the world. Pupils present a fairy tale in different languages. Which fairy tale is it?

"Diversity at Fairtrade - Delicious food from all countries"
At the meeting of former international KBS students, there will be a delicious culinary offer and the opportunity to talk to the students on site. The proceeds of the Fairtrade raffle will be donated to Ukraine. The focus here is on friendship between different cultures.

"Singing International"
The A1 language class sings international songs.

"A world trip through the countries and cultures of the class" - exhibition and interactive input
The pupils of H8b introduce themselves and their respective countries of origin. All visitors receive a passport when entering the classroom. The different cultures are to be experienced with one's own senses so that this trip around the world becomes an extraordinary experience.

9 to 11 a.m.: Multilingual city tour
Meeting point: Rathausplatz
The R9b of the Kaulbach School cordially invites you to four multilingual city tours. Visitors will be guided through Bad Arolsen in Kurdish, Turkish, Tigrinya or Amharic.

4 to 6 p.m.: Intercultural play for young people - "Das Mädchen Wadjda"
Venue: Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
Ticket office: Touristik-Service Bad Arolsen, Große Allee 24
The Volksbildungsring Bad Arolsen e. V. cordially invites you to the play "Das Mädchen Wadjda".
Das Mädchen Wadjda ("The green bicycle") after Haifaa Al Mansour is an intercultural children's play suitable for everyone aged 10 and over. Wadjda wants nothing more than the green bicycle from the shop around the corner. However, girls in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to ride bicycles. How is she supposed to find enough money to make her wish come true? Then Wadjda thinks of the school's highly remunerated Koran competition. In the end, everything turns out quite differently than expected, but Wadjda never loses her courage.

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Drum workshop for young people aged 12 to 16
Venue: Youth Centre "COME IN", Birkenweg 11
Contact and registration: 05691/801241, jugendzentrum@bad-arolsen.de
Drum workshop with Papillon Placktor and his Togolese drums. The COME IN Youth Centre is free of charge and barrier-free.

Varied weekly market
Venue: Kirchplatz
Opening hours: Saturdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

12 to 2 p.m.: (Food) culture(s) meet
Venue: Hannes Bio & Genuss, Bahnhofstraße 36
The local association "Bündnis 90/Die Grünen" invites you to try international dishes. 10 Arolsen families from different countries have prepared dishes; they are collected in German as well as in the respective mother tongue in a small recipe book to take away. Tables will be set up in front of Hannes' Bio-Laden on Zimmerplatz and there will be an opportunity to talk to each other while eating. Everyone is cordially invited.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: "Square of Tolerance"
Venue: Zimmerplatz Bad Arolsen
With Nadine Gebauer, coordinator of "youngcaritas - Dekanat Waldeck", the Network for Tolerance invites you to design a bench. The benches are symbols for tolerance, community and diversity and are meant to invite people to reflect and exchange. They have already been created nationwide. Children and adults are warmly welcome!

2:30 to 4 p.m.: "City tour - the classic"
Meeting point: City model in front of the Residence Palace
The city tour lasts about 90 minutes. It is free of charge and no registration is required.

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Taster day at the music school
Venue: Music School, Rathausstraße 1-3
Contact: 05691/40131, info@musikschule-bad-arolsen.de

Interested people have the opportunity to try out instruments on their own. Experienced teachers are available for information and advice. Learning a musical instrument is fun and enriches your whole life! The music school is not barrier-free.

"Favourite poems from around the world"
Venue: Christine-Brückner-Bücherei, Fürstenallee 22
Period: 23 to 30.09.2023
Opening hours: Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Christine-Brückner Library opens its doors and presents multilingual poems from all over the world during the Intercultural Week. A book table on the topic of "Flight and Integration" opens up new spaces for thinking.

Varied weekly market
Venue: Kirchplatz
Opening hours: Saturdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Open Tuition Days"
Venue: Music School, Rathausstraße 1-3
Period: 25 to 29.09.2023, 3 to 6 p.m.
Contact: 05691/40131, info@musikschule-bad-arolsen.de

What does a lesson at the Bad Arolsen Music School look like? From Monday to Friday, visitors can request a short insight into the various lessons at the music school. On 30.09.2023, those interested will also have the opportunity to try out instruments on their own from 3 to 5 pm. The music school is not barrier-free.

Exhibition "RIGA. Deportationen - Tatorte - Erinnerungskultur"
Venue: Bürgerhaus, Rathausstraße 3
Opening hours: Tues., 26.09.23 and Thurs., 28.09.23 from 3 to 6 p.m.; Sat., 30.09.23, Sun., 01.10.2023, Tues., 03.10.2023 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun., 08.10.23 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wed., 11.10.23 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Retired Colonel Jürgen Damm (Honorary Chairman of the Hesse branch of the German War Graves Commission) opens the exhibition together with Mayor Marko Lambion. Since 2000, the Riga Committee, founded by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V., has been taking care of the memory of the Jewish people murdered in Riga. Interested citizens are cordially invited!