Germany - Land of Ideas - Press Archive

Press Archive

2005/12/29

Welcome to Germany – Land of Ideas: New Year’s Celebration at the Brandenburg Gate to Ring in the Year of the 2006 World Cup

The Germany – Land of Ideas initiative is kicking off the year of the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a welcome celebration themed “Welcome to Germany”. The event will take place at Platz des 18. März in front of the Brandenburg Gate and will be opened at 7:30 p.m. by Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of the Interior and Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin.

Welcome to Germany – Land of Ideas: the name says it all. The Minister of the Interior and Berlin Mayor will welcome ambassadors of the 31 countries that have qualified for the football World Cup. They will be joined by celebrities from the worlds of sport, politics and business, among them President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Franz Beckenbauer.

Short music and film sequences will introduce the participating countries. Each ambassador will be welcomed personally and given an oversized football in the respective national colours to “kick off” the World Cup for their countries.

With the Brandenburg Gate as the backdrop, guests at the New Year’s Eve celebration will preview a film entitled “Welcome to Germany – Land of Ideas”, a joint production of the Federal Foreign Office and the initiative.

Klaus Keese, Mike de Vries, Willy E. Kausch, Simon Kober, Manfred Schmischke und Sabine Conquest at the press conference

from l. to r.: Klaus Keese, Head of Police Department 1 Berlin, Mike de Vries, CEO FC Deutschland GmbH, Willy E. Kausch, CEO Silvester in Berlin GmbH, Simon Kober, 104.6 RTL Berlin Hit Radio, Manfred Schmischke, Fire Brigade Berlin and Sabine Conquest, SOS-Children's Village worldwide Hermann-Gmeiner-Fonds Deutschland e.V.

Mike de Vries, Chief Executive of FC Deutschland GmbH and coordinator of the Germany – Land of Ideas initiative commented on the event: “We are pleased to be able to celebrate the start of this important year together with guests from around the world. 2006 has given us an excellent opportunity to present Germany as an attractive and cosmopolitan country. We must and will take advantage of that opportunity.”

The welcome celebration at Platz des 18. März will serve as the official highlight of the traditional New Year’s Eve party between the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate. The Land of Ideas info truck will arrive just in time for the event. The truck has been on the road since November visiting the twelve World Cup venues. The Land of Ideas Germany Tour 2005 will give people the chance to learn about the initiative and participate in the big trivia and sport competition to crown Berlin’s City Champion. On 31 December, all City Champions of the cities visited by the Tour will vie for the title of National Champion.

Germany – Land of Ideas is a joint campaign mounted by the German government in conjunction with the business community, represented by the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The aim of the initiative is to present Germany at home and abroad as an innovative, cosmopolitan and enthusiastic country. German President Horst Köhler is the patron of the initiative, and FC Deutschland GmbH and its Chief Executive Mike de Vries are coordinating the initiative. Land of Ideas is also supported by numerous German companies and associate partners from the spheres of science, culture and society.

Please see this website for current information on the initiative, projects and FanClub Germany.