Bremen is the reading capital

Plaque was awarded by ZEIT, the Reading Foundation and the German Association of Cities and Municipalities

Thanks to its outstanding commitment on the occasion of the 12th National Reading Day, Bremen was named the “most public reading capital of 2015”. The award goes to cities and communities that take part in the annual nationwide reading day with special reading activities. The plaque was created by Dr. Jörg F. Maas , General Manager of the Reading Foundation, and Kay Stelter , Head of Cultural and Political Events at DIE ZEIT. Previously, library director Barbara Lison and Dr. Claudia Bogedan , Senator for Children and Education of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a greeting.

The jury based its decision on the fact that the city has placed its Bremen Town Musicians, the fairy tale that promotes tolerance like no other, at the center of the reading activities. Initiated under the patronage of the First Mayor and led by the Bremer LeseLust eV association and the Stadtbibliothek , readings were held in Bremen schools, kindergartens, hospitals and especially in refugee accommodation as well as in many public places across the city.

“With Nationwide Reading Day, we want to send a high-profile signal for reading. Most recently, we achieved this with over 110,000 readers and around 2.5 million listeners throughout Germany. Record numbers that could only be achieved because the citizens of Bremen supported us with great ideas and great commitment to reading and reading aloud. I would like to thank you very much for that ,” said Jörg F. Maas. And Kay Stelter adds: “We particularly like that Bremen’s concept has not only inspired many people to read aloud, but has also set an example for openness and integration.”

The competition for the reading capital has been announced since 2013 by the initiators of the nationwide reading day - the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT, the Reading Foundation and the Deutsche Bahn Foundation - together with the German Association of Cities and Municipalities.

March 26, 2016