Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Grand Peace Festival of Augsburg
The Grand Peace Festival of Augsburg has been taking place every year since 1650. The festival has been reminiscent of parity and of denominational equality achieved through the Peace of Westphalia. The Festival is proof of a centuries-old tradition of peace and conflict dealt with in the Bavarian-Swabian city of Augsburg. In recognition of plurality, the peace festival focusses on dialogue in order to solve social conflicts. It promotes mutual respect for cultural and religious diversity and offers a possibility for getting to know each other.
Facts & figures
- Crucial date: 8 August
- Inscription: 2018
- Domains: social practices, rituals and festive events; forms of social self-organisation
- Where to find: Augsburg (Bavaria)
Contact
Friedensbüro im Kulturamt der Stadt Augsburg (Peace Office in the Office for Cultural Activities of the City of Augsburg)
Christiane Lembert-Dobler
@email
www.friedensstadt-augsburg.de
Being the only recognized municipal holiday in Germany, the Grand Peace Festival of Augsburg is celebrated every year starting on 8 August. It serves as a reminder of the long period of suffering during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). The festival is concerned with local as well as global developments that pose a potential challenge to social cohesion in the modern and heterogeneous city of Augsburg. Respecting democratic values, the Grand Peace Festival encourages a constant dialogue and an "agitation for peace". It supports mutual respect for cultural and religious diversity and offers a possibility for getting to know each other. The festival includes several different events that acompany the main festivities on 8 August such as discussion panels, street art or the children‘s peace festival.
The table of events stimulates civic engagement and individual identification with the topic of peace. Anyone can participate and benefit from a variety of formats aimed at strengthening public dialogue and fostering a shared understanding of living together peacefully.
As a result of the Grand Peace Festival, the city established a canon of values that has a positive impact on society throughout the year. The festivities are appreciated nationwide and accompanied by the media. Outstanding personalities like Mikhail Gorbachev have received the Peace Price of Augsburg which is why the festival has also gained international attention.
