What was burning behind Frank-Walter Steinmeier when he spoke in Leipzig’s St. Nicholas Church on Tuesday evening was actually a candle. The Federal President came to open the German Historians’ Day, the first to take place live again since 2018. In his speech, he covered the broad panorama of the current crises, from right-wing extremism and populism to Putin and his war against Ukraine. What all of these dangers have in common is lies, the falsification of reality. This brought him to the motto of this year’s Historians’ Day: “Fragile Facts”. In these times, when democracy is under siege like rarely before, the defense of reason, enlightenment and science is more important than ever. Steinmeier came to express his appreciation for science. Nevertheless, the opening remained a lump in the throats of many.
German Historians’ Day in Leipzig: The Questioned – Culture
