Stiftung Mecklenburg

The Stiftung Mecklenburg is a German cultural foundation dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and communication of Mecklenburg's history and cultural heritage. It was founded in June 1973 in Ratzeburg (Schleswig-Holstein) by members of the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg, an organization of people displaced from Mecklenburg after World War II. Its statutory purpose is to foster Mecklenburg identity through the collection, preservation, care, and mediation of Mecklenburg cultural assets. Until 2009 the foundation was headquartered on the cathedral peninsula in Ratzeburg, a peninsula that had belonged to Mecklenburg-Strelitz for more than 200 years. During the years of German division, the core concern of the foundation's work was to keep alive the memory of Mecklenburg, a region that was inaccessible to many. Today the foundation is a reliable partner for projects of regional culture and history. The foundation holds extensive collections of Mecklenburgica, including objects related to regional history, a substantial art collection with paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sculptures, a collection of Mecklenburg coins, a photographic archive with a significant collection from the Hamburg photo studio A. Mencke (founded by August Mencke) featuring Mecklenburg manor houses and other local views from around 1890, and a postcard collection with nearly 8,000 individual items. A particular focus of the collection is the history of the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg, which was dissolved in May 2012. Since 2009 the foundation has been based in Schwerin, the state capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with its office in a side wing of the Kulturforum "Schleswig-Holstein-Haus." It operates a permanent exhibition in Schwerin that aims to provide an overview of 300 years of Mecklenburg regional history in one hour. Together with the Museumsverband in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern, it has developed the Virtual State Museum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The foundation is funded by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the state of Schleswig-Holstein, and the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, and it collaborates with partners such as the Historische Kommission für Mecklenburg and the Museumsverband. It organizes exhibitions, events, publications, and awards, such as the Preis der Stiftung Mecklenburg. The current managing director is Dr. Florian Ostrop, a historian, who took office at the beginning of 2019.

The Stiftung Mecklenburg was founded in June 1973 in Ratzeburg (Schleswig-Holstein) by members of the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg, an organization representing Mecklenburgers displaced after World War II. It was approved by decree of the Interior Minister of Schleswig-Holstein on 1 June 1973 and constituted itself on 4 August 1973 in Ratzeburg. Gerhard Wandschneider, former district administrator, was elected chairman of the foundation council, with Klaus Prößdorf as his deputy. The Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein appointed Karl Treml, Walter Wegner, and Karl Werner Flint to the council. Peter Heitmann was appointed to the foundation's board. After Wandschneider's death in 1981, Günter Kröpelin, district administrator of Herzogtum Lauenburg, took over the chairmanship of the foundation council for nearly two decades. In 1982, Hans Jürß became chairman of the board. After its founding, the foundation and the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg were given the opportunity in September 1973 to establish a cultural center on the cathedral courtyard in Ratzeburg, in what is now the district museum (formerly the cathedral provost's building, also called the manor house). In 1982 the foundation received new rooms in the old district office at Ratzeburg Market, before moving in 1986 to the so-called Domkaserne, the "Haus Mecklenburg," a spacious domicile on the Ratzeburg cathedral courtyard. From 1986, the East German State Security (Stasi) maintained two enemy-object files on the foundation in the Rostock district administration: one on the foundation itself under the code name "Burg" (MfS BV Rostock AOP 22/92) and one on the Haus Mecklenburg, Domhof 41, under the code name "Dach" (MfS BV Rostock AOP 21/92). As a result of extended long-term funding by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the foundation was able to maintain a full-time management from 1989. Klaus Lüders, a political scientist, served as managing director until April 2004, when the foundation had to dismiss him and a part-time secretary due to lack of funding. Only a half-time employee in the library remained due to protection against dismissal. After German reunification, the foundation's work was conceptually reoriented. The statutes were revised and came into force in 1993 with significant changes. Since then, the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, alongside Schleswig-Holstein and the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, participated in funding the foundation's work and received seats and votes in its bodies. Ten years later, the states discontinued or reduced funding to a minimum. The responsible parties in the foundation's bodies, including district administrator Gerd Krämer as chairman of the foundation council and Jürgen Meier as chairman of the board, had to seek a new perspective. After intensive consultations, the foundation council decided in 2007 to relocate the foundation's headquarters to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by 2010. Several Mecklenburg cities applied; in 2008 the choice fell on the state capital Schwerin. In 2009, the new office was established in a side wing of the Kulturforum "Schleswig-Holstein-Haus." In 2010, the foundation council reconstituted itself in Schwerin on the basis of revised statutes that again oriented more closely to the original version. Henry Tesch, Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, became chairman of the foundation council. A new board was appointed with Helmuth Frhr. v. Maltzahn, Birgit Hesse (district administrator of Nordwestmecklenburg), and Erwin Kudsk (federal chairman of the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg). Helmuth v. Maltzahn took the chair. In the same year, with support from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a new management team began work in Schwerin, with Regine Marquardt as managing director. Since then, the foundation has been active with various projects, exhibitions, and publications in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, cooperating with partners such as the Historische Kommission für Mecklenburg and the Museumsverband in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern. In December 2014, Ulrike Petschulat took over the management. Since the beginning of 2019, the historian Dr. Florian Ostrop has been managing director of the Stiftung Mecklenburg.

• Foundation established in Ratzeburg by members of the Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg.

• Approved by decree of the Interior Minister of Schleswig-Holstein.

• Foundation constituted itself in Ratzeburg.

• Given opportunity to establish a cultural center on the cathedral courtyard in Ratzeburg.

• Günter Kröpelin becomes chairman of the foundation council after Wandschneider's death.

• Hans Jürß becomes chairman of the board; foundation moves to new rooms in the old district office.

• Foundation moves to the "Haus Mecklenburg" on the Ratzeburg cathedral courtyard.

• Full-time management established with Klaus Lüders as managing director.

• Revised statutes come into force; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern joins funding.

• Managing director and part-time secretary dismissed due to lack of funding.

• Foundation council decides to relocate headquarters to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by 2010.

• Schwerin chosen as new headquarters.

• New office established in Schwerin at the Kulturforum "Schleswig-Holstein-Haus".

• Foundation council reconstitutes in Schwerin; new management begins work.

• Landsmannschaft Mecklenburg dissolved; its history becomes a focus of the collection.

• Ulrike Petschulat takes over management.

• Dr. Florian Ostrop becomes managing director.

A non-profit cultural foundation and heritage institution focused on Mecklenburg identity, history, and cultural assets.

• Permanent exhibition on Mecklenburg regional history

  A permanent exhibition in Schwerin providing an overview of 300 years of Mecklenburg history in one hour.

• Virtual State Museum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

  A digital museum project developed with the Museumsverband in Mecklenburg and Vorpommern.

• Mecklenburgica collection

  Includes art, coins, photographs, and nearly 8,000 postcards related to Mecklenburg history.

1. 1STIFTUNG MECKLENBURGstiftung-mecklenburg.de
2. 2Stiftung Mecklenburgwikidata.org
3. 3Stiftung Mecklenburgde.wikipedia.org