Laureates
Since 2005 the Emperor Otto Prize has been awarded to individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the process of European unification and the promotion of the European idea.
1989/90 was one of the great turning points in European history. At the end of the 20th century, Europe was given the historic opportunity to unite peacefully after decades of conflict and division and to overcome the post-war order. For a good forty years, the Iron Curtain symbolised the division of Europe and the world. But the protest movements in Central and Eastern Europe and their call for freedom and popular sovereignty brought it down.
Europe is strong together. This is one of the lessons of 1989/90: only a Europe capable of acting can meet the global challenges of today and tomorrow and effectively defend its values and interests. The EU is a factor of stability and a guarantor of peace, freedom and successful economic development.
The Emperor Otto Prize contributes to the further integration of our continent. The prize sends a clear message: Europe needs courageous and determined personalities who are committed to the European community and to living together in tolerance, diversity and understanding, so that we can all live together in peace and freedom.
Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic – Laureate 2023
The President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, was honoured with the Emperor Otto Prize 2023 by Mayor Simone Borris on 30 August. With this award, the prize committee and the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation honour her European stance and her constructive commitment to the rule of law, peace and freedom.
Straightforward and tenacious for human rights
Former German President Joachim Gauck gave the laudatory speech for the award winner. Prime Minister Dr Reiner Haseloff and the Vice-President of the European Union Parliament, Dr Katarina Barley, were among the more than 550 attendees in Magdeburg Cathedral. Both addressed the guests at the award ceremony.
„This year, we are honouring the President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, with the most important prize of the City of Magdeburg for her outstanding commitment, her European attitude and her straightforward and persistent commitment to human rights and the rule of law,” said Mayor Simone Borris during the ceremony. “Zuzana Čaputová stands for these values with full conviction. As a cosmopolitan and convinced European, Ms Čaputová enjoys international recognition and takes a clear stance, including against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine! She has become a leading figure for a democratic Slovakia characterised by liberal values.“
With the Emperor Otto Prize, the city commemorates the achievements of Otto the Great and honours personalities and institutions that have rendered outstanding services to the promotion of the European idea and are committed to dialogue, peace and understanding. The convinced European Zuzana Čaputová thus fits in particularly well with the previous winners of the Emperor Otto Prize.
The prize committee’s citation states, among other things:
„In turbulent and difficult times for Europe, characterised by major crises such as those we are currently experiencing, Zuzana Čaputová was and is a committed and passionate campaigner for fundamental values such as the rule of law, peace and freedom, both in her country and in Europe. She sees the defence of democracy as one of the main tasks for European politicians of her generation. In conservative Slovakia, she is a courageous and passionate advocate for equal rights for homosexuals and ethical minorities and is tirelessly committed to climate protection. She gives a voice to those who are not heard in society and is a role model for politically active women.“
The ceremony in Magdeburg Cathedral was traditionally held at the place that is most closely associated with Emperor Otto the Great. In the 10th century, he elevated Magdeburg to a leading centre of power that could compete in importance with cities such as Aachen, Rome and Constantinople. Otto I helped Magdeburg achieve world renown.
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The guests of honour walk across the cathedral square to the cathedral
The Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra provided the musical backdrop to the ceremony
Dr Katarina Barley, Simone Borris, Zuzana Čaputová, Joachim Gauck, Dr Reiner Haseloff
Mayor Simone Borris during her welcoming speech
Keynote speaker Dr Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament
Laudator, former Federal President Joachim Gauck
National and international guests attended the ceremony
The laureate, surrounded by media representatives after the ceremony
The award winner, President Zuzana Čaputová
The Emperor Otto Medal, designed and crafted by Prof Bernd Göbel
Entry in the Golden Book of the City of Magdeburg
The award ceremony in the presence of Dr Katarina Barley, left, and former Federal President Joachim Gauck, right
Picture credits: Photographer Stefan Deutsch
Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania – 2020 award winner
The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis was honoured with the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg on 14 October 2020. The ceremony took place in the presence of many high-ranking representatives from politics, business, science, culture and society in the Cathedral of St Mauritius and Katharina at the burial place of Emperor Otto the Great. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gave the laudatory speech for the award winner.
„By awarding the Emperor Otto Prize 2020 to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the prize committee of the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation and the City of Magdeburg are honouring a convinced European who, in times of difficult conditions, is committed to the cohesion and further development of the European community and provides important impetus,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper in his welcoming address. In his speech at the award ceremony, he also expressed his thanks and appreciation to the award winner for his commitment and services to the European idea and the future of Europe. “With your political and personal commitment, you have made an outstanding effort to ensure that Europe sees itself not only as an economic area, but also as an area where people from different cultures can live together. In doing so, you stand for the hope of a peaceful coexistence of the peoples of Europe and a common European path.“
The Emperor Otto Prize is the most important cultural award of the City of Magdeburg and was awarded for the eighth time in 2020. With the prize, the city commemorates the achievements of Otto the Great and honours personalities and institutions that have rendered outstanding services to the promotion of the European idea and are committed to dialogue, peace and understanding.
Heiko Maas, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, gave the laudatory speech for the award winner. In his speech, he emphasised the non-negotiable values and principles of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, which must be constantly reasserted and defended. In Klaus Iohannis, he said, he had a comrade-in-arms at Europe’s side who lived these values and stood up for them. Straightforwardness, principledness and calm are the virtues that characterise President Iohannis.
“And that is why we are grateful, Mr President, to know that you are at our side, to hear your European heart beating alongside us. We are expressing this gratitude today – by awarding the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg to a worthy laureate, a great European and a close friend of our country: President Klaus Iohannis.”
In his acceptance speech, Klaus Iohannis himself emphasised the need for unity, cohesion and solidarity as fundamental principles of the European states, which are always good counsellors. Especially in difficult times like these.
“Recent events have shown us that the solution for the member states and for the citizens does not lie in isolation, individual measures or nationalistic steps backwards, but in joint measures to strengthen European competences and to develop European mechanisms for action,” said the President in his acceptance speech in the cathedral in front of numerous representatives from politics, business, science and society.”
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Picture credits: Photographer Andreas Lander
Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – 2017 award winner
On 17 October 2017, Magdeburg’s Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper honoured the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, with the Emperor Otto Prize of the City Magdeburg. The ceremony took place in Magdeburg Cathedral, the burial place of Emperor Otto the Great. Dr Ursula von der Leyen, the German Federal Minister of Defence, gave the laudatory speech for the award winner.
„By awarding the Emperor Otto Prize to Federica Mogherini, the prize committee of the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation and the City of Magdeburg are honouring a committed European who, in times of difficult conditions, stands for cohesion and the further development of the European community and provides important impetus,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper at the ceremony. In his speech at the award ceremony, he also emphasised that “Ms Mogherini has earned high recognition for her consistent and courageous foreign policy for the EU as a European peace project and community of values. This commitment and her services to the European idea and the future of Europe are particularly in line with the aim of the prize to honour outstanding personalities and institutions who have rendered outstanding services to the European unification process.“
A passionate European, Federica Mogherini has been the European Commission’s leading foreign policy advisor under President Jean-Claude Juncker in her role as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 2014. As such, she has skilfully initiated consultations on the EU’s future neighbourhood policy, successfully concluded negotiations with Iran to curb its nuclear programme and campaigned for the deployment of the navy in the Mediterranean to rescue refugees and stop people smuggling.
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Picture credits: Photographer Andreas Lander
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – 2015 award winner
Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper awarded the Emperor Otto Prize 2015 to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Serbian Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ivica Dačić, the German Federal Foreign Minister and designated OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the 2014 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Didier Burkhalter, attended the ceremony in Magdeburg Cathedral on 19 September 2015.
Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper welcomed not only the ambassadors and envoys from Switzerland, Serbia and Ukraine, but also representatives of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister President Dr Reiner Haseloff attended the ceremony, as did members of the German Bundestag and the state government of Saxony-Anhalt, representatives of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament and the city council of the City of Magdeburg. Church dignitaries, including Bishop Ilse Junkermann, and representatives of the regional churches were also present, as well as honorary citizens, honorary ring bearers and honorary city councillors from Magdeburg and many personalities from the worlds of politics, business, science and culture.
In his welcoming address, the Mayor of Magdeburg emphasised the importance of the OSCE at the beginning of the 21st century:
“Just how important and sometimes almost impossible its task is becomes very clear, especially in crisis-ridden times such as we are unfortunately currently experiencing. And yet it is particularly important right now to remember our common values and to practise cohesion. The current global conflicts, the current refugee flows to and in Europe, these are new problems and challenges that the international community must face.”
“I am particularly pleased that we are able to honour the cathedral here in Magdeburg,” said Federal Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “At Magdeburg Cathedral, we can see what a long time a stable foundation and strong pillars can last. I am convinced that the OSCE rests on an equally solid foundation. Even if the developments in Ukraine are currently causing it to tremble: We should continue to strengthen its pillars and capabilities. […] So that many more generations in Europe can live under the umbrella of common security, cooperation and understanding.”
The award was accepted by this year’s OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.
In his acceptance speech, he emphasised the motivation that comes from the prize: “The Emperor Otto Prize is an additional incentive for us to continue our work, keep the channels of communication open, de-escalate tensions and do everything we can to strengthen peace and stability in our region. […] I am deeply grateful to the city of Magdeburg and the Emperoro Otto Cultural Foundation for honouring the OSCE today.”
Switzerland’s Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter, said in his welcoming address: “It is not every day that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe is awarded a prize – especially one as prestigious as the Emperor Otto Prize. And only rarely does the ceremony take place in such an extraordinary church building, which has witnessed so many historical events since its construction. I therefore feel a sense of gratitude, but also of modesty and political will.”
n his welcoming address, Prime Minister Dr Reiner Hasselhoff referred to the fact that the OSCE was the first organisation, and not an individual, to be awarded the Emperor Otto Prize: “As you know, something similar happened a few years ago when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, which at the time went to the EU. Now the OSCE is receiving the Emperor Otto Prize. I think the City of Magdeburg has made a good choice. The OSCE is a worthy addition to the list of previous prize winners.”
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Picture credits: Photographer Victoria Kühne
Egon Bahr, former Federal Minister – 2013 award winner
On 18 July 2013, Magdeburg’s Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper honoured former Federal Minister and long-time companion of Willy Brandt Prof. Egon Bahr with the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg. The ceremony took place in Magdeburg Cathedral, the burial place of Otto I. The laudatory speech was given by Dr Rudolf Seiters, President of the German Red Cross and former Federal Minister.
With the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg, the prize committee of the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation and the Ottostadt Magdeburg are honouring Egon Bahr’s extraordinary commitment to a policy of international understanding and European unification and a great politician who, through his work during the Cold War and in the subsequent process of rapprochement between East and West, made a special contribution to European unification and international understanding in Europe. “As one of the decisive masterminds and co-designers of the Brandt government’s Ostpolitik, you made a significant contribution to bringing East and West closer together and stabilising the fragile peace in Europe at the time,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper in his speech, paying tribute to the award winner.
Egon Bahr was Federal Minister for Special Tasks from 1972 to 1974 and Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation from 1974 to 1976. In these functions, too, he “rendered outstanding services to understanding among the peoples of Europe” – in line with the statutes of the Emperor Otto Prize.
“With Prof. Dr h.c. Egon Bahr, the City of Magdeburg honours a great contemporary politician who, through his work during the Cold War and in the subsequent process of rapprochement between East and West, rendered outstanding services to European unification and understanding among the peoples of Europe. As one of the key masterminds and co-designers of the Brandt government’s Ostpolitik, he contributed significantly to the rapprochement between East and West and stabilised the fragile peace in Europe at the time. The City of Magdeburg is honouring this commitment to European policy by awarding him the Emperor Otto Prize 2013,” said Mayor Lutz Trümper
„Change through rapprochement” – the idea and concept of opening up the Federal Republic of Germany to Eastern Europe and intensifying cooperation, particularly between the two German states, came from Egon Bahr. This concept of “change through rapprochement” became the foundation of the Brandt government’s European policy and ultimately paved the way for the reunification of the two German states in 1990, as Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper recalled in his speech, emphasising that Magdeburg’s successful development over the past decades would have been inconceivable without this reunification.
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Picture credits: Fotostudio Photo Fuchs
Dr Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany – Laureate 2011
Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel is the fourth winner of the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg. Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper presented her with the honorary award at a ceremony in Magdeburg Cathedral on 24 August 2011. The prize committee of the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation and the Ottostadt Magdeburg honoured the Chancellor’s commitment to a policy of international understanding and European federation by presenting her with the city’s most important and highest award.
„Angela Merkel has rendered outstanding services to European integration and the stability of the European Union through her work as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany since 2005,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper, explaining the choice of the 2011 award winner. In his speech, he once again praised the Chancellor’s commitment to European policy. “Her diplomatic skills, her determination and her understanding of the concerns of both large and small EU states make Germany – and not just since the extremely successful EU Council Presidency – an extremely respected and strong treaty and negotiating partner within the European Union.“
The Chancellor herself called receiving the Emperor Otto Prize from the City of Magdeburg an “extraordinary honour”. She sees the prize as a particular incentive, she said: “We must continue to write the success story of European unification.”
The reasons for awarding the prize state: “In accordance with the statutes for awarding the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel has ‘rendered outstanding services to understanding among the peoples of Europe’.”
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Picture credits: Photographer Werner Klapper
Wladislaw Bartoszewski, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Poland – Laureate 2009
The 2009 Emperor Otto Prize was awarded to Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Poland, in recognition of his commitment to a policy of international understanding and European federation as well as his personal and political work in promoting and improving German-Polish relations and the integration of Poland into the European community of states as part of the pan-European unification process.
The prize was presented by Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper at a ceremony in Magdeburg Cathedral on 7 May 2009, the anniversary of Emperor Otto Prize I’s death. Prof Dr Bernhard Vogel, former Minister President of Thuringia, gave the laudatory speech for the award winner. Dr Christoph Bergner, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, gave the welcoming address on behalf of the Federal Government on behalf of the former Minister of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Wolfgang Schäuble.
The decision to award the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg, which is being presented for the third time, was made by a prize committee made up of ten personalities and chaired by Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper. The Emperor Otto Prize is awarded by the cultural foundation of the same name, which was the first foundation to be established in Magdeburg in 2003.
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Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of the Republic of Latvia – 2007 prizewinner
The President of the Republic of Latvia, Prof Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, was honoured with the Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg on Europe Day on 9 May. The prize committee of the “Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation” honoured a politician who is strongly committed to the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe. The Latvian president accepted the award today in Magdeburg Cathedral.
With her great commitment, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga has made a significant contribution to the discussion about the goals, future opportunities and identity of the European Union,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper about the award winner. “She is a politician who has made an outstanding contribution to ensuring that Europe is understood not only as an economic area, but also as an area where people from different cultures can live together. It is thanks to her leadership that Latvia has become an exemplary member of the European Union – not only for the member states, but also for the countries aspiring to membership.”
The prize was presented at a ceremony on Europe Day on 9 May 2007 in Magdeburg Cathedral.
“The award ceremony is a significant highlight this year,” emphasised Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper. “For the first time, Magdeburg is hosting a head of state. With Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, we are welcoming a personality whose work is of outstanding importance for the development of Europe as a living space for different peoples in peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.“
The laudatory speech was given by Prof Dr Jochen Dieter Range, former Director of the Institute for Baltic Studies at the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald.
Richard von Weizsäcker, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany – Prize winner 2005
To mark the city’s 1,200th anniversary, the City of Magdeburg awarded the Emperor Otto Prize for the first time on 7 May 2005.
Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper presented the highest and most important award to former Federal President Dr Richard von Weizsäcker at a ceremony in Magdeburg Cathedral. Numerous national and international guests accepted the invitation and attended the ceremony.
“By awarding the first Emperor Otto Prize of the City of Magdeburg, we are honouring in particular Richard von Weizsäcker’s contribution to the understanding of the peoples of Europe,” said Mayor Dr Lutz Trümper in his welcoming speech. “As Federal President, Richard von Weizsäcker made a significant contribution to peace and understanding in Europe and played a political role in shaping German unity as part of a pan-European process. He campaigned for reconciliation with the states of the Eastern Bloc, encouraged talks between the two German states and pleaded for the reform processes in the Soviet Union led by Mikhail Gorbachev to be taken seriously.”
Award winner as an ambassador for peace and understanding
The prize committee honoured Richard von Weizsäcker, a politician who persistently campaigned for dialogue between the two former German states and the power blocs in Europe. The decision to award the first Emperor Otto Prize was made in September 2004 by a prize committee made up of 16 personalities and chaired by the mayor.
Prof Gesine Schwan, Rector of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder, gave the laudatory speech for the award winner. In her speech, Gesine Schwan emphasised von Weizsäcker’s outstanding achievements – both his decisive commitment to German politics and his contributions and impulses for the growing together of Europe. The awarding of the Emperor Otto Prize also draws public attention to this important aspect of Richard von Weizsäcker’s incredibly multifaceted and diverse political work, especially with regard to the latter.
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