'Human dignity is inviolable ...' - a cautionary declaration of love to the German Basic Law
City library: Musical reading on 24 May, 7 p.m., event hall, TIETZ
On Friday 24 May at 7 p.m., actor Roman Knižka will read literary, philosophical and humorous texts as well as minutes of meetings of the Parliamentary Council, letters, telegrams, newspaper articles and much more in the TIETZ event hall to mark 75 years of the Basic Law. It will be accompanied musically by the Opus 45 wind quintet, scrutinising the Basic Law from its origins to the present day. What is its foundation, what was its legacy? What significance does this foundation have for us today?
Admission is free, a donation is requested.
Background:
Three years after the end of the Second World War, the Parliamentary Council convened in 1948 to give the new West German state, the Federal Republic of Germany, a democratic constitution: the Basic Law. The Parliamentary Council consisted of 61 men and four women. They had different world views, many of them had been politically persecuted during the Nazi era, refugees or survivors of concentration camps.
The Basic Law is characterised by the horrors and crimes of the Nazi era. The fundamental rights of the individual should take centre stage: Democracy, the rule of law, the separation of powers and the protection of human dignity and fundamental rights. The preamble to the Basic Law states: "Conscious of its responsibility before God and mankind, inspired by the will to serve the peace of the world as an equal member of a united Europe, the German people, by virtue of its constituent power, has adopted this Basic Law ..."
How would we formulate this preamble today? What does the Basic Law mean for each and every one of us 75 years after its creation? Are we living the Basic Law?