Dresden/London, 30th January 2015
DRESDEN TRUST’S DUKE OF KENT RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL PEACE PRIZE OF DRESDEN
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the British and American bombing raids in Dresden, HRH The Duke of Kent is being awarded the “Dresden Prize” by the Friends of Dresden Deutschland at Dresden’s Semper Opera House on 14th February 2015.
Twenty-two years after Britain’s Dresden Trust answered a ‘Call for help’ to rebuild Dresden’s ruined historical centre, the Trust’s Royal Patron is being honoured with an international peace prize.
In responding to the invitation to receive the Prize, the Duke described it as a tribute to all supporters of the Dresden Trust, who raised over £1 million to restore the city’s famous baroque Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady): “The award recognises their achievements and indeed the achievements of all people of good will in the United Kingdom and Germany, who have worked over the last sixty years to bring reconciliation between our two countries. Their success is an example to the rest of the world of what can be achieved through building trust and friendship,” the Duke said.
Dr Günter Blobel, Vice-Chairman of the Friends of Dresden Deutschland and President of the Friends of Dresden in New York, said the Prize recognises the prevention of conflict and violence: “Reconciling countries previously at war with each other can be a strong, effective means of contributing to the timely de-escalation of conflicts or avoiding them entirely.”
Previous recipients of the award included Mikhail Gorbachev and Daniel Barenboim.
Dresden Trust Medal for Mayor of Dresden Helma Orosz
On 12th February at the Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross), the Royal Patron of the Trust, HRH The Duke of Kent, will honour the Mayor of Dresden, Frau Helma Orosz, with the Dresden Trust Medal for her furthering of reconciliation and understanding of the city’s history. At the same event, Eveline Eaton, Chairman of the Dresden Trust, will present the Mayor with a “symbolic cheque” as a down-payment for the Trust’s new project together with the City for the creation of a green area with trees and benches in 2016. The event on February 12th will coincide with the opening of the Dresden Project art-exhibition by Monica Petzal, a Dresden Trust Board Member, whose show will later in 2015 go to Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Museum for the 75th anniversary of the German bombing.
About the Dresden Trust:
The Dresden Trust is dedicated to healing the wounds of war and furthering harmonious relations between the people of Britain and Germany. In response to an appeal from Dresden, the Trust commissioned the manufacture in the UK of the Golden Orb and Cross on top of the cupola of the Frauenkirche. One of the craftsmen involved was the son of a pilot who took part in the bombing.
The Trust today seeks to fulfil its mission of reconciliation through educational and cultural initiatives, memorials and visits. Under the Trust’s Dresden Scholars Scheme, about 300 boys and girls from Dresden have received scholarships to attend independent schools in Britain since 2000.
To mark the 70th anniversary, The Dresden Trust published a new book: A Trust For Our Times: The Story Of The Dresden Trust by Alan Russell, its Founder and Honorary President.
See also: www.dresdentrust.org