Home / The Foundation / About us / What We Do What We Do Major aspects of the Foundation’s work The foundation commemorates Willy Brandt’s life and political achievements against the background of 20th-century German and European history which he influenced measurably. In our public events we regularly draw associations to the present. By doing so we keep the central focus on this Nobel Peace Prize recipient’s ideas and values and their enduring significance for contemporary times. Through commemorating Willy Brandt and preserving his political legacy, the foundation makes a fundamental contribution to strengthening democratic and constitutional traditions. Willy-Brandt-House in Lübeck Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung/Olaf Malzahn Exhibitions and Education One of the foundation’s core responsibilities is historical-political education. In particular, we accomplish this mission with our three permanent exhibitions and with touring exhibitions. Among our various offerings are guided tours, thematic tours, lectures, readings, panel discussions, seminars, school projects and activities for children. Willy Brandt Online-Biography At www.willy-brandt-biografie.de the foundation maintains the most comprehensive digital information portal on Willy Brandt’s eventful and fascinating political life. Its multi-media online biography in the German, English and Norwegian languages is an academically substantiated source with numerous photos, videos, audios and digitalised documents. It can be accessed freely anywhere, at any time and is a permanent component of the exhibitions. Research and Publications The Foundation also has the legally sanctioned task of working on the academic assessment of the Willy-Brandt-Archive in the Archives of Social Democracy at the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Bonn. It publishes a selection of the politician’s documents and papers and promotes research on Willy Brandt and 20th-century history. By doing so we co-operate with scholars and research institutions at home and abroad and conduct i. a. workshops and international conferences. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Willy-Brandt-Address 2018 Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung/Thomas Vallbracht Historical-Political Events The foundation offers a widely diversified programme of events. Prominent among them are the annual “Willy Brandt Lecture” and “Willy Brandt Discussion” in Berlin as well as the “Willy-Brandt-Address” in Lübeck. We invite prominent and influential personalities in politics, culture, science and economics for lectures and discussions. During previous years speakers have included Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, internet pioneer Jaron Lanier, author Robert Menasse, EU High Commissioner for Security and Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini, and the historian Fritz Stern.
