Between Remembrance and the Future – Dr. Skadi Jennicke on Cultural Bridges and the City Partnership between Leipzig and Yerevan

Dr. Skadi Jennicke is the Deputy Mayor for Culture of the city of Leipzig and one of the most influential voices in Leipzig's cultural politics. Holding a doctorate in dramaturgy, she has been committed for many years to cultural participation, international cooperation, and the expansion of democratic cultural work.

In 2026, she was also nominated as the mayoral candidate for the Left Party (Die Linke) in the Leipzig local elections. At the center of her political work are social justice, cultural diversity, the culture of remembrance, and international city partnerships.

As part of the Leipzig–Yerevan Cultural Year, Dr. Jennicke traveled to Armenia with a delegation to deepen the cultural and historical connections between the two cities. In this interview, she speaks about her impressions of Yerevan, the significance of the culture of remembrance, and the future of the city partnership between Leipzig and Yerevan.

Dr. Jennicke, you experienced Armenia, and Yerevan in particular, very intensely during the delegation trip in October 2025. Which impressions moved you the most personally?

Above all, I was touched by the special atmosphere of this city: Yerevan feels simultaneously full of history and full of new beginnings. Everywhere you look, you see construction sites and new things taking shape—you can sense that something is developing and that the city is on the move. At the same time, the past is omnipresent. This mixture of pain, remembrance, pride, and the will to shape the future impressed me deeply.

The visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial was a central moment of your trip. What significance does this place hold for you—also in the context of the German culture of remembrance?

Tsitsernakaberd is a place that stays with you. Even the path leading to the eternal flame evokes a profound sense of reverence. I was deeply moved by how openly this historical wound is spoken about in Armenia.

As a German, you inevitably experience this place within the context of your own history. The genocide of the Armenians and the Holocaust are distinct historical crimes, but both raise the question of how societies deal with guilt and remembrance. It is precisely from our German experience that the responsibility arises to take other crimes against humanity seriously and to make them visible.

We must confront the fact that the German Empire, as a former ally of the Ottoman Empire, was very precisely informed about the deportations and massacres. German diplomats, military officials, and missionaries reported on the crimes against the Armenians early on. Nevertheless, there was no decisive intervention. This historical co-responsibility is also part of Germany's culture of remembrance and makes a visit to such a place particularly poignant.

A culture of remembrance does not just mean looking back, but also carrying responsibility for the present and the future. At a time when democratic values are coming under pressure worldwide, places like this are more important than ever.

Surprisingly, many historical and cultural connections exist between Leipzig and Yerevan—from literature to music. What surprised you the most about these shared roots?

I was surprised by how far back these connections actually go. The fact that the Armenian writer Avetik Isahakyan studied in Leipzig as early as the late 19th century, creating a direct link between Leipzig—the city of books—and Yerevan, is a beautiful example for me of how culture builds bridges across generations.

I also found the musical relationships impressive. The Gewandhaus has been closely connected to the Armenian conductor Ohan Durian since the 1960s. Our cities have been in cultural exchange for a long time. Today, some of these stories are almost forgotten—and that is precisely why this Cultural Year is so important: it makes it visible that international understanding often begins long before official partnerships are established.

The Leipzig–Yerevan Cultural Year aims to intensify exchange and promote mutual understanding. Why is such a cultural year more important today than ever?

Because of this, the Cultural Year should not just organize events, but facilitate real encounters: between artists, institutions, students, the independent scene, and the citizens of both cities. Following the pandemic years and in an era of digital communication, we need these direct connections between people more than ever.

For Leipzig, the partnership with Yerevan is also an important signal: we do not want to think about international cooperation solely at the state level, but rather anchor it tangibly in the everyday life of the cities. Twin-city partnerships can demonstrate how democracy, cultural openness, and solidarity are practiced in reality.

Together with Burkhard Jung, you are preparing a major delegation trip to Yerevan to sign and deepen the partnership. What long-term vision are you pursuing for the cooperation between Leipzig and Yerevan—particularly beyond the 2026 Cultural Year—and what concrete momentum do you hope to gain from this trip?

We explicitly view the Cultural Year as the beginning of a long-term cooperation, not as a one-off project. The planned sister-city partnership between Leipzig and Yerevan is intended to create permanently sustainable connections: in the cultural sector, but also in education, science, urban development, and civil society exchange.

My hope is that concrete joint projects will emerge from these many initial encounters: artist residencies, collaborations between museums, orchestras, and the independent scene. This could include exchange programs for young people or joint discussions on the culture of remembrance and a democratic urban society.

The 2026 delegation trip alongside Mayor Burkhard Jung will be an important symbolic and political step. The fact that the trip takes place around the Day of German Unity holds special significance: Leipzig itself connects a history of democratic transformation with the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. Armenia, too, experienced societal change with the Velvet Revolution in 2018. These shared experiences can form a strong foundation for a vibrant and future-oriented city partnership.

The interview was conducted by Dr. Sirarpi Movsisyan.