Arbeitsgruppe Kultur of the Petersburger Dialog

The Arbeitsgruppe Kultur (Working Group on Culture, AG Kultur) of the Petersburger Dialog (Petersburg Dialogue) supports the development of relationships between Russian and Germany in the cultural sphere. The president of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz is its German chairman.

Hermann Parzinger standing and speaking at a lectern

Hermann Parzinger, cochairman of the Culture Working Group of the Petersburg Dialogue, at the German-Russian meeting in 2010 © Petersburger Dialog e.V.

The AG Kultur of the Petersburger Dialog regularly provides new impetus for German-Russian cultural relations. It initiates projects in the areas of film, exhibitions, music, and preservation of cultural heritage. It also supports existing networks and projects.

The Petersburger Dialog is an open German-Russian discussion forum that has existed since 2001. It seeks to support understanding of the civil societies in both countries and expand collaboration in all areas of society. The Petersburger Dialog meets once a year, alternating between Russia and Germany. It is under the patronage of the current heads of government of the two countries.

Every working group in the Petersburger Dialog has one German and one Russian cochairperson. Hermann Parzinger is the German chairman of the AG Kultur and and a member of the German steering committee of the Petersburger Dialog. Parzinger’s predecessor as president of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, also held those offices. The chairman of the AG Kultur on the Russian side since its founding is the director of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Prof. Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky.