The Augsburg High Peace Festival is celebrated annually on August 8 as a public holiday. In December 2018, it was added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage alongside other cultural forms.
It had already been included in the Bavarian State Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of twelve “cultural forms of expression” at the beginning of 2018.
“With this award, the UNESCO Commission is honoring a centuries-old tradition that creates a sense of identity for all Augsburgers and is still supported by a broad civil society commitment today,” says Thomas Weitzel, Head of Cultural Affairs.
“Ultimately, of course, we intend to use the application process that has been initiated to inscribe it on the list of intangible world heritage, as there is no other similar holiday in the world dedicated to peace.”
The Augsburg Peace Festival originated in 1650 on the occasion of the restoration of free Protestant religious practice after the Thirty Years' War. Since the 20th century, the festival, which is now deliberately interdenominational and interfaith and currently hosts over 60 events, has focused on mutual respect for others and peacekeeping. As Germany's only municipal public holiday, the Augsburg Peace Festival is the central social festival event. Weitzel emphasizes that the move is particularly important in view of the supra-regional perception of the peace festival. The city's special holiday on August 8 is an expression and symbol of conflict resolution that has served as a reminder of peace in a city society for centuries. “In view of the challenges of migration and diversity, the peace festival also carries the core task for us today of negotiating a conflict-free coexistence and shaping it anew every day,” says the cultural officer.
Inclusion in the list of intangible cultural heritage is a non-material recognition that is not linked to any financial support.
Further information on the nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage can be found here.
You can find out more about Bavaria's intangible cultural heritage here.
