These visits to Germany by the
honorary consuls have become a valuable tradition over the past years. The main goal was to provide the participating
honorary consuls with vital background information about political, economic, and cultural realities in Germany.
While in the capital city of Berlin, they met with high ranking representatives in the office of the Federal President, the Bundestag and the Federal
Chancellery. The Federal Foreign Office organized an orientation program. The Berlin itinerary, supported by Berlin Partner, a PR company for the Berlin business community, focused on the capital as a city of culture and international commerce and present developments
in the eastern parts of Berlin.
The participants met with representatives of the innovative
Campus Berlin-Buch, a leading science, health, and biotechnology park. A visit to the memorial Berlin Hohenschönhausen, a
former East German Stasi prison near Berlin, was also included.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia, this year’s program
partner, invited the honorary consuls on a multi-faceted tour of Bielefeld, Gütersloh, Dortmund, Essen und Düsseldorf for a look at the business community,
culture and development of the region. Aside from meetings with high-ranking representatives of the North Rhine-Westphalia
State Ministry, the honorary consuls met with members of the business community, such as representatives of the Dr. Oetker
Company, Bertelsmann Corporation and Bertelsmann Foundation, MST Factory and Zeche Zollverein, a former industrial complex
that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and business and cultural center. The North Rhine-Westphalia State Chancellery
hosted a dinner for the American guests.
This year's visit to Germany was made
possible through the generous financial support of the German-American
Business Council.
This visit offered an opportunity for the consuls to gain
a first-hand impression of the latest political and economic developments in Germany and to
forge bonds with leaders in German business and industry.
There are currently 34
German honorary consuls serving in the United States. All are particularly active and highly
respected individuals in their local communities who were appointed by the Foreign Office to serve as business, cultural,
and consular representatives in their districts.
They provide their services pro bono and do a tremendous job looking after
German interests in different parts of the United States.
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Courtesy of "This Week in Germany", 11/27/05
