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Ambassador Scharioth and Alliance Française Director Hélène Touré raise the German flag

(© German Consulate General)

The German Ambassador, Dr. Klaus Scharioth, and Anne de la Blache, First Counselor of the French Embassy, celebrated German-Franco friendship with 300 guests at the grand opening of the joint offices of the cultural centers Goethe-Zentrum / German Cultural Center and Alliance Française in Atlanta yesterday.

The festivities started with a flag raising ceremony which was accompanied by the playing of the German and French national anthems. In the spirit of friendship and cooperation, the German flag was raised by Ambassador Scharioth and Alliance Française Director Hélène Touré, and the Tricolore was hoisted by First Counselor de la Blache and Goethe-Zentrum Director Wolfgang Krüger. The large crowd on the sidewalk erupted in spontaneous applause when the two national symbols had reached their permanent place in the Atlanta sky.

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Atlanta Mayor Reed shares the wonderful memories of his Berlin visit with Ambassador Scharioth

(© German Consulate General)

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed joined the festivities and brought greetings from City Hall. "I know that both cultural centers have been here for quite some time but this joint location represents the kind of partnership that we need in Atlanta," Mayor Reed told the guests inside Colony Square Mall. "I am looking forward to getting to know you personally and to working with you during the course of my administration in order to strengthen the ties between the City of Atlanta, between Germany, and between France even further."

The program continued with a warm welcome of the guests by the directors of the two cultural centers which was followed by remarks by Ambassador Scharioth and First Counselor de la Blache who thanked the directors and staff of both cultural institutions for their efforts and hard work and congratulated everyone on the beautiful new premises in this perfect location.

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Ambassador Scharioth addresses the guests

(© German Consulate General)

"I would like to encourage everyone to learn not one but two foreign languages," Ambassador Scharioth remarked as he pointed out to the audience that only if people learn a foreign language, they can begin to fully understand different cultures. "Of course, you should start with German because it is the easier one," he added with a smile. 

Continuing on a more serious note, Ambassador Scharioth shed light on the unique relationship between Germany and France which was officially sealed with the 1963 Elysée Treaty and has evolved into an unprecedented economic, political and cultural cooperation. "The true call of the message is that we all took the French saying, 'You have to know each other to like each other' very literally and that is what we are trying to do today."

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(left to right) Wolfgang Krüger, Hélène Touré, First Councelor de la Blache, and Ambassador Scharioth

(© German Consulate General)

The program continued with the ribbon cutting ceremony which was shown on the large screen for the audience to enjoy. Ambassador Dr. Klaus Scharioth and First Counselor Anne de la Blache jointly declared the premises to be officially open and many of the guests used the opportunity to explore the new location.

It is the first time in the United States that these two cultural institutions, which have many representations in the country, have decided to live and work together under the same roof. "Our organizations have partnered for many years," German Cultural Center Director Wolfgang Krüger said. "Now, with the joint offices, we are able to bring European culture to life for Atlantans in a much more seamless and visitor-friendly fashion."

After several months of extensive remodeling, and an expansion which doubled the previous space, the German-French cultural facility offers a whole new look. The inviting glass-front entrance, displaying the German, French and EU flags, and the beautifully decorated oval reception area welcome visitors in style.

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(© German Consulate General)

A spacious new auditorium comfortably seats 120 guests and opens up to a large terrace looking out at the Atlanta skyline. It will be used for a variety of concerts, lectures, film series, and is also available to other organizations and businesses. "Our guests have already been able to enjoy two pre-opening chamber concerts in this space," Wolfgang Krüger said. "The unanimous opinion is that the acoustics of the new auditorium are wonderful."

Right outside the auditorium, a long hallway offers ample room for a gallery, a new addition to the center that will display works of local artists as well as European art. "Remodeling an office and keeping all the possibilities in mind while still trying to keep the language classes and other programs going was quite a challenge," Wolfgang Krüger pointed out. "But looking at this new synergy and facility, it was definitely worth the effort."

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(© German Consulate General)

The cultural centers also tripled the number of classrooms, currently twelve, for various levels of language classes in German and French. The bright and friendly color scheme of the rooms seems to make everyone feel right at home. "Learning is so much more fun when you have nice surroundings," one of the Goethe-Zentrum students commented.

For more information, please visit the Goethe-Zentrum and Alliance Française websites.