1000-Year Anniversary of the Diocese of Bamberg

The official dedication of three sculptures by the German-Japanese artist Kazuo Katase, Israeli artist Micha Ullman and Portuguese artist Rui Chafes took place in Bamberg on 18 May 2007. The dedication ceremony in Bamberg's St. Michaelskirche was followed by a viewing tour of the three sculptures, first to the former vineyard on the St. Michaelsberg where Kazuo Katase's work Wand(e)lung is displayed, then to Micha Ullman's Nabel der Welt set into the flagstone surface of the Domplatz, and finally to Rui Chafes' piece Stärker als der Tod in the St. Stephanskirche.

The dedication ceremony in Bamberg marked the beginning of a sculptural project for which various artists in Germany and abroad created works of art that commemorate the close historic ties to the Diocese of Bamberg.

The art project continued in eight more cities within the diocese and three cities abroad, namely Chichester (England), Stettin (Poland) and Villach (Austria). Internationally renowned fine artists had been commissioned to create artworks for each of these cities, including a piece by Jaume Plensa for Ansbach, a sculpture by Jan Koblasa for Forchheim, a work by Kay Winkler for Fürth, another by Bernar Venet for Bayreuth, an artwork by Kiki Smith for the St. Elisabethkirche in Nürnberg, and a wood installation by Rolf Wicker for the Fortress of Rosenberg in Kronach.

The Bamberg artists' residence Villa Concordia was established in Bavaria in 1997 with the goal of strengthening cultural ties to other European countries and supporting European unity. The Villa Concordia regularly grants scholarships to artists in Germany and other European nations in the fields of art, literature and music. In recent years, it has hosted a series of exhibitions in Bamberg featuring large sculptures by a number of renowned sculptors (e.g., Fernando Botero and Bernhard Luginbühl).

The Diocese of Bamberg has always strived for contact and exchange with other European cities since its founding 1000 years ago. In commemoration of its millennial anniversary in 2007, the Bamberg artists' house Villa Concordia has organized three international conferences at which artists examined the location and history of the diocese.

Artistic director: Bernd Goldmann
Artists: Tony Cragg, Isa Genzken, Micha Ullmann, Jan Koblasa, Jaume Plensa and others

Venues and schedule:
Bamberg, Nürnberg, Fürth, Ansbach, Kronach, Bayreuth, Coburg, Erlangen, Villach (A), Basel (CH), Luxembourg (L), Bobbio (I), Stettin (PL) March 2006 - July 2007