Actors on the Ground: Twin-Cities' Activities on Cultural Heritage Protection in Ukraine

The panel discussion, "Actors on the Ground: Twin-Cities Activities on Cultural Heritage Protection in Ukraine," takes place within the framework of our Winter School in Regensburg, Germany, which has a longstanding and intensive city partnership with Odesa, Ukraine. This event will focus on the vital efforts being made to protect cultural heritage amidst the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. Experts and practitioners involved in twin-city partnerships, such as from Regensburg and Odesa as well as Nürnberg and Kharkiv, will share their experience with collaborative initiatives to safeguard historical sites and cultural treasures in Ukraine. The discussion will highlight the role of local communities, international partnerships, and grassroots efforts in preserving Ukraine's rich cultural heritage. Moreover, it delves into the dynamic changes in perceptions of cultural value during these challenging times.

Participants

Antje Rempe

Antje Rempe, born in 1946 in Göttingen, Germany, has dedicated much of her life to fostering cultural exchange between Germany and Ukraine. After teaching Russian and English, she became a key figure in Nuremberg’s twinning partnership with Kharkiv, Ukraine, in 1993. She co-founded the Partnership Association Kharkiv-Nuremberg, which launched cultural, educational, and social projects to strengthen ties between the two cities. One of its key achievements was establishing the Nuremberg House, a center for language learning, intercultural exchange, and community support.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Antje Rempe has been at the forefront of humanitarian aid to Kharkiv. She organizes deliveries of essential supplies like medical equipment, generators, and food, and secures funds for reconstruction efforts. Rempe also manages donations and leads lectures about Ukraine's situation. She remains in close contact with her partners in Kharkiv, continuing her long-standing commitment to the people of Ukraine. For her contributions, she received the Federal Cross of Merit in 2010 and the Nuremberg Citizen's Medal in 2017.

Ivan Liptuga

Ivan Liptuga is the Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism, International Relations, European Integration, and UNESCO Heritage at the Odesa City Council. He is also the president and founder of the National Tourist Organization of Ukraine and the Association "Tourism of Odesa." Ivan represents Ukraine on marketing matters at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in France. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Presidential Council of the World Club of Odessans and as an expert from Ukraine at the Center for the Simplification of Trade Procedures and Electronic Business Operations within the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN-CEFACT). Ivan is an international expert for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a GIZ expert.

Wolfgang Dersch

Wolfgang Dersch was born in Straubing in 1970. He studied secondary school teaching for the subjects sports and English in Regensburg and trombone and jazz trombone at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich. Over the years, he has taught at various music schools, including the municipal singing and music school and the Regensburg Music Academy. As a lecturer, he led the University of Regensburg's Big Band for seven years. As a trombonist, Wolfgang Dersch was an ensemble member of the Regensburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and he also worked as a conductor for many years. Wolfgang Dersch also served for the city of Amberg as a cultural officer from 2004 to 2009 and as head of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Schools from 2009 to 2019.

Since October 1, 2019, Wolfgang Dersch has been a full-time city council member and head of the Department of Culture for the city of Regensburg. He also represents the interests of the city of Regensburg in the Cultural Committee of the Bavarian and German Association of Cities and as a board member of the German Stage Association, Bavarian Regional Association.

Mirja Lecke

Mirja Lecke is chair of Slavic Literatures and Cultures at the University of Regensburg, Germany. She is deputy chair of the project ““Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine”. Her academic interests include postcolonial approaches to culture in the Russian Empire and the so-called post-Soviet realm.

She is the author of Westland (2015), a monograph about the representation of the Western borderlands in Russian imperial literature, and with Efraim Sicher she co-edited Cosmopolitan Spaces in Odesa: A Case Study of an Urban Context (Academic Studies Press, 2023).

This event is part of the Winter School “Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage: EU Diplomacy and Regional Perspectives”. The Winter School is part of the initiatives of the project “HER-UKR: Challenges and Opportunities for EU Heritage Diplomacy in Ukraine“ that is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action and of the Center for Interdisciplinary Ukrainian studies “Denkraum Ukraine” / “Think Space Ukraine” funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA). The event is organized in close cooperation with the following partner universities: the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine), Södertörn University (Stockholm, Sweden), Ilia State University (Tbilisi, Georgia) and in Germany with the Ukrainian Free University (UFU, Munich), the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) Regensburg.