“Anyone who isn’t inspired by tradition cannot shape the future.” That is the quote with which Association Chairman Kurt Wardenga welcomed around 80 guests to the 50th anniversary of the Bund Deutscher Bergmanns-, Hütten- und Knappenvereine e. V. (Association of German Mining and Smelting Communities) on 18th June 2016 in the German Mining Museum in Bochum (Figure 1, 2). Guest speakers included Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Member of the Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung, Essen, and Peter Schrimpf, Member of the Board of RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Herne. Both paid tribute to the association’s work.
Fig. 2. The guests welcomed by the Association Chairman of the Bund Deutscher Bergmanns-, Hütten- und Knappenvereine, Kurt Wardenga (7th from left), included Prof. Dr. Stefan Brüggerhoff (1st from right), Director of the German Mining Museum in Bochum, Bärbel Bergerhoff (6th from right), Member of the Board of Executives of the RAG-Stiftung, Peter Schrimpf (8th from right), Member of the Board of RAG Aktiengesellschaft, and Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner from the Association of German Educational Organisations (4th from left), Head of Department 6, Mining and Energy in NRW for the Arnsberg District Government.
Bergerhoff-Wodopia emphasised that the promotion of education, science and culture is firmly enshrined in the charter of the RAG-Stiftung. She described this as the reference point for the foundation’s support of mining associations that boast a proud tradition. Both have the task and the aim of keeping memories alive.
Schrimpf referred to the high degree of solidarity within the mining community, without which it would not have been possible to achieve the objectives of the adaptation process. The association’s activities contribute to maintaining the unique identity, leading expertise and social achievements for future generations and preserving the cultural legacy of the coal mining industry in Germany. (Si)
