Friday, 12^th October - Screening of a modern German comedy film (with English subtitles)

“Alles auf Zucker!” 
 

45th Anniversary Event - Exhibition "Filfla and Toteninsel"

The German-Maltese Circle was founded on the 18th October 1962

To celebrate this important event we are inviting our members (old and new), colleagues, friends and supporters to join us for a DINNER which will be held at Villa Arrigo in San Pawl tat-Targa on Thursday, 18^th October from 7.30p.m. 

All those attending will receive a special memento. 

Menu: 
Lentil Soup / Fillet of pork with sour cream / Hot potato salad / Hazelnut gateau / Coffee / Half bottle wine – Mineral Water – German Beer

Price:  LM11.00 per person

Tickets are available from the Circle’s office during normal office hours

The first 50 tickets issued will receive also a complimentary ticket for the Circle’s 45^th Anniversary Concert on the 31^st October. 

Reserve your tickets by phone Tel. 21246967 or via email: gmc@germanmaltesecircle.org
Tickets can be sent by mail (once we receive your payment by cheque) or else collected personally from our office.

Members of the Youth Symphony Orchestra “Bachkreis Bergkamen” present

“An Hour of Chamber Music”

as part of the German-Maltese Circle’s 45^th Anniversary celebrations.

Director & Conductor:  Christoph Scholz-Tochtrop

Venue: Messina Palace, Valletta

Date: Wednesday, 31^st October at 19.00 hours 

The Concert will consist of romantic and baroque music composed by among others, Georg Friedrich Händel, Franz Schubert and Joseph Haydn.  The musicians – all aged between 16 and 18 years of age – will play as a duo, a trio and as a string quintet. 

Tickets are available from the Circle’s office against a nominal charge of LM1.00. 

Note:  Persons attending the Circle’s 45^th Anniversary Dinner on the 18^th October will be entitled to a free ticket for this Concert.
 

Fortbildungseminar

Johannes Gerbes, Director of the Examinations Certification Department at the Goethe Institute in Rome was guest speaker during the in-service course held recently for teachers of German as a Foreign Language in state, private and church schools in Malta and Gozo.  This took place at the German Resource Centre in the Junior College Complex in Msida.  He gave the teachers ideas how to create attractive and interesting lessons whilst using the new textbook which will be used in State schools as from the next scholastic year.  He also gave the teachers ideas how to conduct exams in the B1 Level of the Common European Framework for Languages. 

On Saturday 15^th September Mr Gerbes conducted a one-day seminar for teachers of German at the German Maltese Circle. Our teachers were trained in examining students for the B2 and C1 exams which have been newly issued by the Goethe Institute and which will be held at the German-Maltese Circle as from this scholastic year.
 

Dr. phil. Ulrich Hackenbruch  
Cultural Attaché at the German Embassy
Interviewed by Ingrid B. Kidder

There are many characteristics which have the momentum to impress me, one of them – a very rare one: is the possession of nine bicycles, tailor made to fit body and leg length, especially equipped for rough, for smooth, for bumpy and hilly roads. You guessed it: Dr. Hackenbruch is the owner and a convinced cyclist, even in the whirly Maltese traffic. This is a hobby which does not interfere with his official duties. Instead it refreshes him most pleasantly in the evenings, when he explores the beautiful country side around Burmarrad where he and his family are living in an old converted farm house. 

Dr. Hackenbruch came to Malta in August this year to fill the position of Cultural Attaché at the German Embassy for four years, after Kerstin Platsch had left to take up a new posting in Mali in Central Africa. Dr. Hackenbruch’s responsibilities at the Embassy are, legal matters and family law, consular and visa matters and he is very much looking forward to play his part as intermediator for cultural and educational affairs especially in cooperation with the German-Maltese Circle and the German Department of the University of Malta.    

He underwent a comprehensive three year training course as a diplomat after he had been chosen for diplomatic service by the German Department of Foreign Affairs. However, this career was not what Ulrich Hackenbruch had aimed for originally as a young school leaver in Kassel, Hessia. All he wished for then was to leave this city which at the time, so he said, did not offer many prospects. He served his compulsory time at the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) and then nursed the idea to become a journalist. He moved to Frankfurt/Main, decided to study and graduated in Germanistik (German Philology), including Americanistics and media studies. He wrote his thesis on the author Walter Serner, a member of the Dadaism period at the beginning of last century.  However, during these last months of University tenure, he replied to an advertisement for Diplomatic Service and – luckily for us – his application was favourably considered. 

His first posting, still as a trainee, took him to the German Consulate in Strasbourg, while the actual beginning of his career brought him to Brussels, i.e. the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU. Here he spent three and a half years, with emphasis on preparing press conferences for the Ministers including moderating the journalists, as well as communicating the meeting results to the press. Dr. Hackenbruch regards these years in Brussels as particularly important for his life, his general knowledge being vastly extended by the nature of all different EU matters to be dealt with.  

The German Consulate in Breslau, Poland, followed as his next posting. His scopes were equally shared between economic and visa requests. At that time many preparations were made for the future accession of Poland to the EU, many events dealing with trade connections, and therefore, somewhat contributing to the long tradition of German-Polish “Handel”. Dr. Hackenbruch pointed out that strangely enough the Polish language did not have a word for “trade” and subsequently accepted the German word “Handel” for this activity, which obviously made its way into the language during the days of the Hanse in the early 17^th century. He described the city of Wroclaw (Breslau) itself as very dynamic and inspiring. Working together with people full of energy and enthusiasm was a very positive experience.  

Before he came to Malta, a few years of home posting in Berlin had to be absolved. Amongst others his duties there consisted of preparations for the cabinet meetings of the Federal Government as well as afterwards assisting the Director General for European Affairs. 

In 1995 Dr. Hackenbruch married Susanne, a primary school teacher, whom he had met at their studying days at the University of Frankfurt. The couple has two children, daughter Sophie Noël aged eleven and son Felix aged seven. Due to the different countries of domicile, the children have spoke - and lost - an array of languages, like German, French, Polish – and the dialect of Berlin. They both attend the Verdala International School where they now have started to add English to their “port folios”.  

As you will have gathered from the beginning of this interview, Dr. Hackenbruch is an ardent cyclist but also sports other hobbies like running and swimming. Of cycling he says, that certain hormones responsible for the person’s general happiness are being set free during the tour putting a smile on the face when coming home. Well, you are free to try! 

His mother wanted him to become a music teacher, which he refused to do. Nevertheless, he plays quite a number of instruments, like cello and piano, percussion instruments and keyboards in bands. He also paints, had already his first exhibition in Poland. When he told me this I extracted the promise from him to think about an exhibition at the German-Maltese Circle next year! True to his original University studies he still writes articles on literature studies for German publications. 

Back to Top