Woidke and Kretschmer are demanding strong funding for Sorben Foundation!

Woidke and Kretschmer are demanding strong funding for Sorben Foundation!

In a joint call, Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD, Brandenburg) and Michael Kretschmer (CDU, Saxony) asked the Federal Government for long -term financing of the foundation for the Sorbian people. This letter was signed on Friday, June 13, 2025, in the Federal Council in Berlin, as rbb24 . The Sorbian people, which is one of the recognized national minorities in Germany, are located, especially in Lusatia, and has around 60,000 people. Despite the existing property rights, the Sorbian language is less and less spoken, which is why the support of the foundation is of great importance for the preservation of Sorbian identity.

Woidke emphasized the essential role of the foundation in the preservation of the Sorbian language and cultural customs, while Kretschmer sees these cultural elements as part of the Saxon identity. The current financing, which takes place through the federal government, the states of Brandenburg and Saxony, is based on an agreement that expires at the end of the year. However, there has been no legally secured financing model.

background and financing of the foundation

The foundation for the Sorbian people was founded on October 19, 1991 and has committed itself to securing and developing the Sorbian language and traditions. It is an autochthone minority in Germany that lives in Upper and Lower Lusatia. The foundation received legal capacity on August 28, 1998 by a state contract between the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. Since then she has organized numerous cultural projects, competitions and exhibitions and provided media offers to promote Sorbian identity, such as zalozba.de

The Foundation Foundation is divided into shares of 3/6 by the federal government, 2/6 by Saxony and 1/6 by Brandenburg. Annual amounts document the support of the foundation over the years, starting with DM 32,000 in the first financing agreement up to 23.9 million euros annually in the fourth agreement, which expires at the end of 2025. For the period from 2022 to 2031 there are additional structural average available that are available to the Sorbian matters in Brandenburg.

cultural relevance and challenges

Woidke and Kretschmer emphasize the urgency of a reliable financial basis for the foundation in order to continue to promote Sorbian language and culture in the future. This is particularly important because the Sorbian language has been spoken less and less in recent years. Experts therefore call for increased use and training of teachers for teaching in minority languages, especially in connection with the regional languages ​​that are protected in Germany. In addition to Sorbian, this also includes Danish and Low German, such as the Deutschlandfunk Notes.

The continued uncertainty about the Foundation's future Foundation is criticized by Dawid Statnik, the chairman of Domovina. He has been calling for sustainable planning security for years, which is essential for maintaining the cultural identity of sorbs. The projects that are necessary to preserve the Sorbian language and culture can only be continued through reliable support.