Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier Honors Engagement at the KörberHaus

Where people encounter, community is created. The variety of ways this can take shape was demonstrated on September 10, 2025, in Hamburg-Bergedorf, when German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the KörberHaus to learn about the space and the people involved there.

He was welcomed by Eva Nemela, member of the Executive Board of the Körber Foundation, and Cornelia Schmidt-Hoffmann, head of the Bergedorf District Office. The President’s tour began with a performance by the German-Turkish Menekşe Choir – a musical sign of how encounters here transcend language and origin.

This was followed by a visit to the Bergedorf LernLesehilfe (Reading Support), organized by STEB – Foundation for Engagement in Bergedorf. There, the Federal President got into conversation with four elementary school children and their reading tutors and listened to their stories. Through weekly practice sessions, more than just reading skills are developed – children experience encouragement and discover the joy of reading, while adults enjoy intergenerational exchange.

At the subsequent intercultural cooking event, pots and stories stood side by side. Every month, young people, many of whom have experienced migration or flight, prepare dishes from around the world together with people from the district. Eating together provides an opportunity to get to know each other, share experiences, and make new connections.

At his final stop, the President learned about the program Klicks & Tricks. Here, young volunteers teach older people how to use digital AI applications and show how these can help in everyday life.

At the end of his tour, President Steinmeier thanked the volunteers and emphasized the social importance of places of encounter:

„Democracy needs exchange, needs contact,
needs closeness among people – and closeness
requires encounters. And that is precisely what
the KörberHaus creates in a truly exceptional way.
As we were able to see today in several examples,
this house ideally brings together people from
many generations but also – and this is just as
important – people from very different walks of life,
coming from very different social backgrounds.”

The day demonstrated that meeting places are not just a nice-to-have, but a necessity. They counteract polarization by opening up spaces where diversity does not divide but connect. They make engagement visible, enable participation, and invite people to take responsibility. Places of encounter are workshops of democracy. It is here that we practice on a small scale what holds our society together on a large scale: listening, tolerating differences, finding compromises, and experiencing the joy of community.

The President’s visit honors the work of the committed individuals and partners at the KörberHaus and at the same time sends a signal for our nationwide network of “Third Places.” Whether in vacant shops, cultural centers, or community halls: new places of togetherness can emerge everywhere. Together, we are working to share these experiences, learn from one another, and create the conditions for spaces of encounter to grow throughout Germany.

Captured Moments from the Federal President’s Visit