discover who. subscribe to. documentary to. and i'm a citizen of the world that's certainly because of my own biography i was led breslau during the bombardment i grew up in a small town and libraries were how i got to know the world. i visited north africa as a schoolboy i was always drawn to foreign countries because i had this curiosity about how other people live think and work and it was always worth it yes i'm a citizen of the world.

this is the story of a well the story of the final year in the career of man he has shaped the german cultural landscape of the past decades like few others with his incredible ability to grasp the right moment. as head of the german national library as loued of museum islands. as president of the institute but his last 12 months did not go as planned it was a dramatic. fishel trip to africa after a long flight the president of the good to institute touched down in namibia a full my german colony.

history is everywhere in the capital into. the colossal independence museum tells the story of the long struggle for liberation from colonialism. the most recent chapter of that story is all about restitution returning cultural artifacts. to. the tribal leader hendrik that boy is and then maybe a national hero because of his resistance against german colonial rule. it's symbolic bible and whip when taken by the germans after his death their return was an important 1st step aside it isn't just the removal of objects it's basically

the breaking up of people of personalities of their self-determination and self-confidence this was coming colonialism can't be glossed over this is simply a beginning there's a lot more to be done here so now is the time to get to know each other and to talk to africans in africa about these experiences and to exchange ideas so that these stories can be told of children of lehman was also in the maybe a to visit the local beer to institute in the center of the tech. the team here had spent 2 weeks preparing a major conference about post-colonialism which took place in cata tura a former apartheid era township on the outskirts of the to. it was part of a long term project that brings together museum experts and creative minds from across africa. is it close. but it is cooling off the issue. is that if. there was this. things were coming full circle for

lehmann his very 1st official trip in 2008 was to another former german colony in tanzania he had come with good news the use of austerity were they good to institute in dar es salaam would reopen after a decade. your back to the south. africa has been an important focus for the go to institute ever since 12 years later the self-confidence of a new generation in the world of art and museums was visible at the conference. the role that your. life. fresh concepts such as digitalisation made this conference stand out every year to drink a little bit. because. society in which we find ourselves in today does not agree with the principal's

office or museum so if you can't communicate to an audience who don't understand you know you said the median age of africa is 19. so it's really critical that we stop i think with questions that who are we speaking to how are we speaking to them what platforms i've been using. but then it was fair well to africa the continent that changed how klaus detail a man saw the world. because i've always found it terrible that africa is only associated with negative stories i've experienced so many positive things and i think we simply have to get them across to times good news needs to be given a chance as well falls. that chance would soon come back in germany. a few weeks later the president of the go to institute appeared at the frankfurt book fair. the world's biggest media

trade fair was the perfect stage for a layman to talk about his experiences into the turk that. it's always where he can return to his professional rates as well. in 1980 was appointed director of the national library or more precisely the west german half in frankfurt the other half was in light to germany's 2 national libraries the cold war had even divided the world of books. as in when i became director general of the national library in frankfurt in $88.00 i made my 1st trip to leipsic. i didn't think it was right for us to be separate entities given that we were founded on common goals to plan we talked about that in my pic. he'd gone there to visit the so-called memory of the nation the german

library was founded in 1912 to collect a. all german language publications under one roof in 1949 it became the central library of the workers state and a western counterpart was set up in frankfurt with the same goals. then in 1909 everything changed hundreds of thousands took to the streets in a peaceful resolution flanked by writers such as stephan hi i'm very fond of water transformation it's as if somebody had opened the windows after all these years of stagnation. was. that the people liberated themselves from communist rule and east germany fell apart lehman's informal talks with librarians in lexis suddenly became

a political mission to reunify the institution. but what would become the the german library in like. you're go away there had been a library in there since 1974 and was part of negotiations after the wall fell. on them we sat here in this room. lehmann and his partners sat here at the front i was sitting on one of the chairs at the back somewhere because i can remember it quite clearly well initially there was a brief silence he must have been asking himself how we would react to these invaders but it wasn't an invasion he was pretty clear about that and he said we were working on a common plan and one of the 1st sentences i can still remember was the greater germany that's coming into being here could certainly use a national library with 2 locations. in august 1990 the 2 german states

signed the unification treaty in berlin and the status of the new national library was made official including its 2 location. frankfurt's and lights. thanks. to since 1912 of the books immortalized in oil on the wall opposite a suit of clothes taken by his friend renowned photographer but newton it marks the beginning of a new era as it isn't my 1st of all it's very down to earth this 2nd image suggests that he is striving upwards and you can also see that he has a sense of how an image functions and how to come across well in a new ecological niche. exposed concrete steel and glass below that on 3 floors and underground depository certain 1000 square

meters of books. frankfurt's long planned new german national library building was completed in 1997. degrees. the chancellor himself attended the inauguration and cole was an avid bookworm. after the ceremony he wanted to see the books so we went into the underground stacks. barely made it out again because cole was so fascinated he kept pulling out different books. i said mr chancellor we should really get back to our guests that didn't interest them at all. i think we were in the stacks for 3 hours. that was call it always had time for books and for the library with. one year until last

election later cole was no longer chancellor he handed power over to get hot schroeder. the seat of government in parliament moved from bond to berlin and a man took on a new role as president of the pression cultural heritage foundation on the suresh told of the new millennium it was germany's most important cultural position. it brought with it the chance to reshape the face of the nation's capital with the help of a little political goodwill. the next change of government in berlin would also be good to leave. in 2008 he became president of the good institute chancellor angela merkel paid him a personal visit when he took office it was a 1st and also a sign of the growing global significance of cultural diplomacy or does it was important for us that the chancellor made such

a clear signal so soon after i began my time as go to institute director in munich who was so 3 encounters and all positive i want my male independent spirit and independence has always been important to me i don't belong to a political party so i can always speak personally and based on facts that probably wasn't a bad thing to trust. in 2019 renowned german violinist and as a female scooped one of the world's biggest up prices the premium imperioli awarded by the japan art association. lehmann has been an international advisor to the prize for years. in the heart of tokyo set among the parks and palaces near the famous mazie shrine lies the may seek a. and con this traditional site for formal celebrations hosted the awards ceremony

though it's not good at all so the 2nd one you know they got this must. lay mom was quite at home in the highly formal setting the prince and princess are touchy were present on behalf of japan's imperial dynasty. in the service excellence is distinguished goes well to around 125000 euros the world's richest star prize is awarded in 5 categories and is a fee motor which lehmann's choice in 2019. was a really calm presence in the middle of everything running things and giving everyone the feeling that they were at the center of proceeding in the bible in fact it was he who was probably at the heart of it all holding the reins. winter in germany and the everyday routine as they go to institute at the cultural

institutions headquarters near the center of munich it's time for the so-called presidential breakfast. it's a way for a layman to ensure that internal exchanges can happen free from a strict top down hierarchy that something 50 years of leadership experience has taught him. the 500 go to institute employees work in the building the architecture is an example of german post-war modernism it reflects the self image of the institution which was founded in 1951. practicality clear lines transparency it's all more than just a facade. being president of the go to institute is an honorary post which laymen views as vital to defending democracy. we're seeing an oversimplification of things or protect our t.

and our disagreements and that worries me for us racism is a dangerous threat that impacts our own credibility that's why we also want to have a stronger presence within germany in terms of cultural education. in 2020 thailand's to institute 20 to celebrate its 60th anniversary with a large programme of events lehmann's trip there had been planned for a long time. but then coronavirus struck and fears of a pandemic grew. when a man decided to go ahead with the visit martha niemeyer the head of the institute in bangkok breezed a huge sigh of relief. the far lampung railway station could almost be a piece of europe in central bangkok. the city's transportation hub for over

a century it was modeled on frankfurt's train station. basically began my career in frankfurt and i come here to bangkok and what do i see it's a little smaller but it has the architecture and the atmosphere of frankfurt central station it's an odd feeling because it's just like at the beginning here i am in my final year working for the go to institute and here is frankfurt train station again this time in bangkok it's very emotional. but. the historic waiting room turned into a pop up concert hall the good institute had invited young musicians from bangkok and cologne to perform pieces by johann sebastian bach and john cage amongst other composes it was an unusual experience. as for the commuters.

my. lame man who had turned 80 a few days before soaked up the atmosphere. i am. my. wife and that it was time to celebrate the day to institute plays an important role in cultural life in the thai capital feel good i say she is keen to make its presence felt in asia especially at such a critical time and those here appreciate it. the guests had no idea that juta kovac 19 this will be one of the last parties in bangkok for a long while. when a man travels his wife lisa usually goes with him on officially and at the couple's

own expense she's his most important confidant. superfoods how this could move and a lot of time with my husband we get going at 7 in the morning we have evenings together we spend an hour having dinner we talk about everything he listens to me and of course i hear about the fascinating things he's doing and everything that's going on the information goes both ways it's absolutely equal and so i don't miss out on anything absolutely. lisa lehman remains in the background and yet she is still very present the tumescent university she was the 1st woman to study geo physics in minds half a century ago. this gives there is a one consistent dynamic in my life that i'm very satisfied and happy with my wife . we have our golden wedding anniversary and all of those things behind us and this

stability is really important to me. otherwise i couldn't do all the things i do. the 2 of us are mike us mall company name. the name and settle for their return trip to germany. on march 28th thailand implemented a state of emergency to covert 19. as knockdown measures were introduced to bangkok it's good to institute test so close to the public it's the same for the other $157.00 of them around the world corona has brought the world of good institutes to a halt this also means that their main source of income has disappeared language courses make up almost 40 percent of the 440000000 euro budgets in germany the

president and buddha fighting to keep the cultural institute. only speaking to m.p.'s ministers the foreign office which has been very helpful and supportive and i do think it's good that i'm still here in this crisis that i'm available this year just because of my connections and experience which are important in these times i think i would have suffered if i had only been able to experience this phase as an onlooker that. the german government reacted to the crisis quickly and granted the go to institute imagine ca developed to 70000000 euros it's a sign of the importance accorded to the cultural institute's worldwide network and to its most experienced cultural diplomat. he was one of the most influential individuals in shaping developing and even creating international cultural relations in europe. that's his legacy which we're very thankful for also august

and these ideas have been incorporated into our policies for europe 2 will also never forget his relentless dedication and his ability to take a stand especially in difficult times before. because it institutes around the world prepare for the new normal in times of corona all events and services now take place online. now. just. as spring in berlin came and went summer arrived the president had far fewer possibilities to remain active in his last few months in service in late summer 2020 women returned to berlin's museum island which he had so passionately reformed and shaped around the turn of the millennium in his capacity as president of the pression cultural heritage foundation new and old come together here to create a truly unique space. in the noise museum the modern stack case is

a reminder of the many challenges lehmann had to face at the end of the 1990 s. . the grand ensemble of 5 museums on the island was in dire need of redevelopment but also on the list of unesco world heritage sites. there was no other way but to renovate modernize recreate and rearrange the museum island turned into a major construction site with laman increasingly becoming the main architect for the country's cultural landscape. in $99.00 the museum directors all agreed on the master plan for the museum island which is still in effect today with airbus orders so yes surely that's also been mild clouds we could construct the noise most sambo museum an outer not so nagasaki according to schedule without stretching our budget on. the newest museum is the heart of this

big scale renovation project jaring the 2nd world war it had been damaged and parts of it were destroyed architects david chipperfield reconstructed the museum. show pieces the so-called nubian room decorated with my teeth romantic. architect to the pression king in the mid 19th century. a man would show this room to every person he was hoping to win over the support. because it's a beautiful room the proportions are good natured greece is here oracle terra cotta the great philosophers. but it's also a mysterious room a magical place. when there is a magnet and i was a little shameless and using this magic to rally support for the museum island concept or financially to. the right. who was

head of berlin's public museums was always a name on site the 2 were together for a decade to implement them master plan. he was brilliant strategically he was relentless and would never tire of taking members of parliament to the museum island to show them around them what he's great at motivating others he's truly what you might call a cultural diplomat and he's a genius when it comes to committees detail women would enter a meeting and at the end he had convinced everyone in the room of his opinion he was very elegant and efficient. or there's everything. the museum island which brings together cultures from across the globe is perhaps the sight of a man's most significant professional accomplishments he he likes to reflect on his life's work klaus detail a man's life he career so closely connected to german postal history is coming to

an end. now this ability to know what is the right thing to do and when is the right moment to do it but there was also this feeling of he's the right person to deal with what's happening now. and for decades counts detail a man with the right person he crossed buddhas and was at home in the world of culture be it in germany or around the globe others are now following in his footsteps for example with the home boat forum an international cultural center and museum housed in the reconstructed burnin palace. so is this cultural diplomat the last of his kind as interim i wouldn't say i'm a dinosaur that's going extinct i really hope that this type of person won't die out which will always need people who want to connect and i believe that there will be more and more of this type of person who can motivate others and has a sense of team spirit. i don't think i'll be the last of my kind quite the

opposite if i can be an example then by showing that we can achieve a lot by interacting with others allies and.

half. the squad as soon as it sinks. to understand the world better we need to take a closer look at. the experience knowledge tomorrow just. strong deep documents.

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this is d w news live from berlin and the results are in for venezuela's parliamentary elections president nicolas maduro socialist party wins control of the national assembly the opposition boycotted the vote as a sham but as more power from other little means for the nation also coming up germany's corona virus infections go up despite a limited lockdown numbers remain stubbornly high in a region known for its festive spirit it announces even tighter restrictions head of the holiday. and.