Berlin Thunder celebrate German-American Day with Ambassador Coats
October 6, 2004. Berlin Thunder General Manager Michael Lang and the Cheerleaders of the Berlin Thunder Dance Team visited the embassy to celebrate German-American Day with Ambassador Coats. As a symbol of German-American friendship they presented Ambassador Coats with a chocolate cake in form of a German-American football field.
German-American Day was first instituted on October 6, 1983, the tricentennial of German immigration to America. Now the president of the United States officially proclaims this day every year. It honors German-American heritage and the unique relationship that has been forged between Germany and the United States since the end of World War II.
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Secretary of Homeland Security Ridge in Berlin
September 17, 2004. Secretary of Homeland Security Ridge arrived in Berlin on September 17 to discuss German-American cooperation in the fight against international terrorism with German Interior Minister Otto Schily. They agreed on improvements in information exchange between the security offices of both countries.
In the evening, Secretary Ridge presented Minister Schily with the Award for Transatlantic Partnership, on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany.
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Berlin's America Memorial Library Turns 50
September 17, 2004. Marsha Coats represented Ambassador Coats at the official commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the America Memorial Library (Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek) in Berlin. The library, a gift from the American people to the people of Berlin, was at that time a symbol of liberty in a politically divided Germany. The German government's Coordinator of German-American Cooperation Voigt referred to it as a "cultural Statue of Liberty" in his remarks. The Memorial Library is now one of Berlin's most-used cultural institutions with 1.5 million visitors yearly.
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Ambassador Coats Applauds Bundestag International Exchanges Program
September 15, 2004. Ambassador Coats attended a retirement party for Dr. Wolfgang Dexheimer, Head of Bundestag Exchange Programs on September 15. Dr. Dexheimer has been active in the Bundestag's international exchange programs since 1969. He was in charge of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program from its inception in 1983 until 1990, and again from 1996 to the present. Ambassador Coats said, "The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program has been successful because of the initiative and commitment of people like you." Over the past 20 years, some 15,000 young Germans and Americans have participated.
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U.S. Embassy Remembers Tragic Events of September 11 at the Amerika Haus Berlin
September 9, 2004. The Israeli-born Marburg artist Dani Danieli presented his four-panel photo painting "World Trade Center" to the American Embassy at the Amerika Haus Berlin on September 9, 2004. The photos of the World Trade Center were taken one day before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Ambassador Coats spoke about the continuing struggle against terrorism and thanked Mr. Danieli for his work of art. The ceiling painting will be displayed in the Amerika Haus.
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American Art and Culture in Germany
Find out about the numerous cultural events featuring American artists and art in Germany. In addition to the unique MoMA exhibition in Berlin - on show from February 20 to September 19, 2004 - U.S. culture is present all over Germany with many diverse projects ranging from film, music and theater to visual arts and design. An upcoming highlight is the retrospective of the American painter Edward Hopper at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne from October 2004 to January 2005.
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