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The former President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, was bid farewell on Tuesday (27 May) with a ceremony at the Neues Museum on Berlin's Museum Island after 17 years in office. Marion Ackermann was inaugurated at the same time. Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer, Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer and the new Berlin Senator for Culture Sahra Wedl-Wilson, representing the Governing Mayor of Berlin, honoured the formative years of Hermann Parzinger's presidency in front of 400 invited guests. According to the speeches, he had modernised the SPK and made the Foundation's unique network of museums, libraries, archives and research institutes fit for the future. With the reform now being finalised, the new SPK Act and the new financing agreement signed by the federal and state governments, the Foundation is well positioned. Parzinger had completed numerous building projects, emphasised the scientific importance of the SPK and contributed to its internationalisation. His successor Marion Ackermann is an internationally highly respected cultural manager who brings the necessary experience, foresight and networks.

Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer: "For almost two decades, Hermann Parzinger has fulfilled the office of President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in an outstanding manner. He has always been more than just its president - he has been a constant in this institution, its guiding force and source of inspiration, a client for major projects, a problem solver in difficult situations and a guiding star in the European museum landscape. Thanks to Herrmann Parzinger's dedicated contribution, the reform of the Foundation is now on the verge of a successful conclusion. For this - and for so much more - Herrmann Parzinger has my respect and my great thanks. His successor, Marion Ackermann, is taking over the management of a great institution, the most important and largest cultural organisation in Germany, and will fill the new structure of the Foundation with life in the future. Her knowledge, experience, creativity and assertiveness will lead the SPK into a bright future and make it even more competitive internationally."

"The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is the greatest treasure of Germany as a cultural nation. Hermann Parzinger has ensured that this is understood everywhere in this country. He not only emphasised the federal nature of this foundation, but also lived it. If the SPK is now modernising itself, if it receives more money for the quality of its institutions, if it enjoys the highest level of trust from national and international partners, then that is Hermann Parzinger's work. For me personally, he remains one of the most influential cultural managers this country has ever had," says Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer.

Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin: "The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is one of the most important cultural institutions in our country. Under the leadership of Professor Hermann Parzinger, it has developed visibly over the past 17 years and gained a higher profile both nationally and internationally. With great professional expertise, a clear compass and a keen sense of the challenges of the times, he has led the foundation with confidence and commitment - always with a view to society, the future and responsibility towards history. As a scholar, researcher and publicist, Hermann Parzinger never merely managed his passion for culture and history, but lived it - with openness, courage and a deep conviction that culture unites. The cultural metropolis of Berlin says thank you - for 17 years of commitment, foresight and personal dedication."

David Chipperfield explained: "It has been a wonderful privilege to work with Hermann Parzinger. He has had a profoundly positive impact on the institution of the SPK and the projects we achieved together. We deeply appreciate the generosity of his energy and intellect, as well as his guiding support and friendship." - "It was a great privilege to work with Hermann Parzinger, who had a profoundly positive impact on the institution of the SPK and the projects we achieved together. We appreciate his tireless energy, his intellect, as well as his support and friendship."

Hermann Parzinger: "Compared to 200 years of Museum Island, which we are celebrating these days, 17 years are just the blink of an eye. But for me, they have been exciting and inspiring years. And we have achieved a lot during this time - not just new buildings. For me, it was about turning debates and controversies into something new in a productive way. That was the case with the Humboldt Forum, it was the case with the reform of the Foundation, and we also achieved a lot in terms of expanding our international connections. The SPK has changed because the world has changed. And we have invited the world to join us. I am very proud that we have succeeded in keeping this large foundation - supported by the federal government and all 16 federal states - together and modernising it. We should not separate what belongs together, but together we must make it fit for the future. The SPK also stands for the Federal Republic of Germany as a cultural nation, it wants to be a guarantor for the freedom of art and science and use all its power for the cohesion of our democratic society."

Marion Ackermann paid tribute to the outgoing President and thanked him for the three months they spent together. With regard to the SPK, she explained: "In the future, the focus will be on how we can tell a new and contemporary story about the role of the SPK as a representative of Germany, or more precisely: of federal-democratic Germany - with all its artistic and cultural achievements, in all its diversity" and emphasised: "Strengthening education and mediation will be essential for the success of the coming years and essential for the future viability of the foundation."