On the 9th of April, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer – an honorary citizen of Wroclaw, the leading theologian of the 20th century and a man who became a victim of the Nazis.
‘Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a significant personage, whose impact on contemporary Christian thought is difficult to overestimate. His brave views concerning, among others, non-religious Christianity, the place of the Church in society or political engagement, which were supported by his dramatic example of life and martyrdom, exerted a huge influence on the successive generations,’ say the organisers of the 5th Festival of Protestant Culture.
Bonhoeffer Days
This year’s edition of the Festival of Protestant Culture bears the subtitle ‘Bonhoeffer Days’. Its rich program contains, for instance, scientific conferences, exhibitions, concerts, meetings devoted to popular scientific and cultural topics and a ceremony at the monument to Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Wroclaw.
The festival is organised under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Wroclaw, His Excellency Bishop Ryszard Bogusz from the Evangelical-Augsburg Church and the General Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany Elizabeth Wolbers.
They will help Roma people in Ukraine and Moldova
The organisers emphasise that the festival also has a social dimension. During Bonhoeffer Days and for two weeks after them, old secondhand corrective eyeglasses that are no longer used will be collected and then transferred via missionaries – optometrists to inhabitants from Roma communities in Ukraine and Moldova. The organisers invite everyone to bring eyeglasses to all events organised during the festival and – after the conclusion of the festival – to the office of the EST Educational Centre.
Program of Bonhoeffer Days, the 8th-13th April
8th of April, Wednesday
- 10:00 a.m. ‘Perspectives on Bonhoeffer’, International Conference of the EST Educational Centre, św. Jadwigi 12
- 6:00 p.m., ‘Bonhoeffer towards violence’ – a reflective musical meeting of the EWST Educational Centre, św. Jadwigi 12
9th of April, Thursday
- godz. 9 "9:00 a.m., ‘Bonhoeffer yesterday and today’, International Conference in the Evangelical Parish of Divine Providence in Wroclaw, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 29
- 1:00 p.m., official laying of flowers at the monument to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the square near the Minor Basilica of St Elizabeth, an official meeting in the Wroclaw Town Hall
10th of April, Friday
- 11:00 a.m., a walk in the footsteps of Wroclaw theologians. Meeting point: monument to Dietrich Bonhoeffer near the Minor Basilica of St Elizabeth
- 6:00 p.m., a concert of Cappella Ecumenica, the Evangelical Parish of Divine Providence in Wroclaw, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 29
11th of April, Saturday
- 6:00 p.m., a concert of Mate.O, Christian Community in Wroclaw, ul. ks. Brzóski 1
- 6:00 p.m., screening of the film ‘Die Weisse Rose’ [The White Rose], Edyta Stein House, ul. Nowowiejska 38
12th of April, Sunday
- 10:00 a.m., reconcilement and peace – mass in the Evangelical Parish of Divine Providence in Wroclaw, ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 29
- 11:00 a.m. ‘Being for others’ – a meeting with missionaries, mass in the Dom Modlitwy (Prayer House) community of the Baptist Church, ul. Łukasińskiego 20
- 1:00 p.m., free examination of eyesight and collection of eyeglasses, Dom Modlitwy (Prayer House) community of the Baptist Church, ul. Łukasińskiego 20
- 6:00 p.m. ‘Bonhoeffer and interreligious dialogue", Jewish Information Center Cafe, ul. Włodkowica 7
13th of April, Monday
- 6:00 p.m., ‘The truth will set you free’ – a meeting over coffee in the Antiochia Pentecostal Church in Wroclaw, ul. Sępia 2-6
During the entire Festival, in Edyta Stein House, it will be possible to watch the exhibition ‘White Rose’, which is devoted to the Weisse Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany.
From Wednesday till Sunday an exhibition of the Krzyżowa Foundation for the European Agreement will be presented in the Town Hall. During all events, secondhand eyeglasses will be collected in order to be donated to the needy children and adults from Roma villages in Ukraine and Moldova.
Entrance to all events is free.
