Festive week for Loriot: Havel city celebrates its honorary citizen
On the occasion of Loriot's 100th birthday, the city of Brandenburg an der Havel is expecting fans of the great humorist from all over Germany. Vicco von Bülow was born in the Havel city and was made an honorary citizen in 1991. To mark his 100th birthday, theaters and museums are organizing a celebratory programme and remembering his famous sketch classics.
There are guided tours of the city in the footsteps of Loriot. His fictional character of the horned woodland pug from a quirky sketch can be seen more than 25 times as a bronze sculpture in the city.
"Many Brandenburgers have an emotional connection to Loriot because his humor was respectful, he was approachable and authentic and his commitment to his hometown was genuine," said Lord Mayor Steffen Scheller (CDU) on Tuesday. Susanne von Bülow, one of Loriot's daughters, was also very attached to the city. She wanted to spend her birthday with her mother at Lake Starnberg, but would come to Brandenburg/Havel at the end of November, said Scheller.
It was considered a sensation when Loriot visited his hometown for the first time in decades. In 1985, he had opened his first exhibition in the GDR in the Cathedral Museum, which, according to the city, was prepared "under the radar" of the state authorities. There were reports that the Stasi was also interested in him at the time. "They were there at every turn at the opening of the exhibition," said Marianne Schröter, chairwoman of the Cathedral Museum in Brandenburg/Havel.
The exhibition has now been reconstructed with original testimonies from the von Bülow families and can be seen from November 12 until the end of May 2024 under the title "Heile Welt". This Sunday, there will also be a matinee in Loriot's baptismal church.
After reunification, the famous humorist, who died on Lake Starnberg at the age of 87, set up a foundation for cultural monuments and social causes in the city. He had a second home not far away, in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin.
During the celebratory events, people will gather around television screens to watch Loriot's legendary sketch classics. The local media has been covering the city's tribute to its honorary citizen extensively, providing the public with updates and behind-the-scenes looks.
Source: www.dpa.com
