The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. is a German foundation established in 1931 by the

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

merchant Alfred Toepfer. The foundation is committed to promoting

European unification Pan-European identity is the sense of personal identification with Europe, in a cultural or political sense. The concept is discussed in the context of European integration, historically in connection with hypothetical proposals, but since t ...

and ensuring cultural diversity and understanding between the countries of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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 (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

from the 30s until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. 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 Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

. 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 Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, '' Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohrun ...

, 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 (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (a ...

whose life and work have improved the cultural understanding of European countries and their peaceful interrelations. * The

Shakespeare Prize The Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. First given by Alfred Toepfer in 1937 as an expression of his Anglophilia in the face of tense internatio ...

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. The foundation cooperates also with the most important German universities and renowned cultural associations. The Heinrich Tessenow Medal is a prestigious architecture prize, created by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. in 1963 in memoriam of

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, ...

architect

Heinrich Tessenow Heinrich Tessenow (7 April 1876 – 1 November 1950) was a German architect, professor, and urban planner active in the Weimar era. Biography Tessenow is considered together with Hans Poelzig, Bruno Taut, Peter Behrens, Fritz Höger, Ernst ...

. The prize is annually assigned by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V. and among the rewardeds are

Giorgio Grassi Giorgio Grassi (born 1935) is one of Italy's most important modern architects, and part of the so-called Italian rationalist school, also known as ''La Tendenza'', associated most famously with Carlo Aymonino and Aldo Rossi that emerged in Ital ...

(1992),

Juan Navarro Baldeweg Juan Navarro Baldeweg (11 June 1939, Santander) is a Spanish architect and professor at the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM). He is currently retired from architectural practice. Baldeweg studied at the San Fernand ...

(1998), David Chipperfield (1999),

Eduardo Souto de Moura Eduardo Elísio Machado Souto de Moura (; born 25 July 1952), better known as Eduardo Souto de Moura, is a Portuguese architect who was the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2011 and the Wolf Prize in Arts in 2013. Along with Ferna ...

(2001) besides the Pritzker Prize winners Sverre Fehn (1997) and

Peter Zumthor Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. E ...

(1989).

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

History

See also

Notes

References

External links