The Rottendorf Foundation



culture

Andreas Josef Rottendorf was a Westphalian from the bottom of his heart and spoke the Low German dialect spoken in this region. He was a recognized Low German writer. Following the will of the founders, the Rottendorf Foundation therefore promotes the research and cultivation of the Low German language by awarding the Rottendorf Prize. This prize, which is awarded every second year, honors special services to the Low German language. The prize winners are nominated by the Westphalian Heritage Society. For this purpose, the Westfälische Heimatbund has founded a “Rottendorf Committee”.

You can find out about the previous award winners and more about the promotion of Low German here

News

Rottendorf Prize 2024 goes to Dr phil. Robert Damme and the film collective ‘wenndienaturnichwill’

On Wednesday, 9 October 2024, the Rottendorf Prize for services to the Low German language was awarded for the 30th time in a festive setting at the Haus Nottbeck cultural estate in Oelde-Stromberg.

The main prize, endowed with €6,000, went this year to Dr phil. Robert Damme. The laudatory speech for Dr Damme, held in the entertaining form of an interview with the prizewinner, was given by Georg Bühren, Chairman of the Rottendorf Committee of the Westphalian Heritage Association. It quickly became clear that the award winner is a passionate linguist who has spent his entire professional life recording and documenting Westphalian dialects. Dr Damme receives the prize in recognition of his numerous publications on Middle and Low German lexicography and, above all, in recognition of his extraordinary efforts in completing the Westphalian dictionary.

The ‘Sünnerpries’, endowed with €4,000, was awarded to the four-person film collective ‘wenndienaturnichwill’ – consisting of Nikos Saul, Hein Köhler, Dominic Stermann and Henning Wirtz – for their great services to the teaching of Low German through the production of the Low German short film ‘Wild Wild Westfalen’. The laudatory speech was held by Prof. Dr. Markus Köster, Head of the LWL Media Centre for Westphalia, in dialogue with the award winners Nikos Saul and Henning Wirtz.

The prizes were presented by Hermann-Ulrich Viskorf, Chairman of the Rottendorf Foundation, and Mr Carl Pinnekamp, member of the Board of Trustees of the Rottendorf Foundation, with certificates and much applause.

Dr Lilian Klewitz-Haas, Deputy Chairwoman of the Rottendorf Foundation, then gave the closing speech, congratulated the award winners once again and thanked all those present for coming.

The award ceremony was accompanied by the music group ‘Strauhspier’, consisting of Nikolaus Evers, Hermi Sürken and Helmut Schnieders. The group, winners of the Rottendorf Prize in 2008, played their own pieces of music as well as their own interpretations of well-known artists – all in “Platt”, of course.

Rottendorf-Preis-2024-niederdeutsche Sprache-01

Group picture (from left to right): Winfried Kaup (Stv. Landrat Kreis Warendorf), Carl Pinnekamp (Kuratorium, Rottendorf-Stiftung), Karin Rodeheger (Bürgermeisterin, Stadt Oelde), Dr. Lilian Klewitz-Haas (Stv. Vorsitzende des Vorstandes, Rottendorf-Stiftung), Rainald Gehringhoff (Kuratorium, Rottendorf-Stiftung), Dr. Silke Eilers (Geschäftsführerin WHB e.V.), Michael Topmöller (Stv. Bürgermeister, Stadt Ennigerloh), Dr. phil. Robert Damme (Preisträger 2024), Prof. Dr. Walter Gödden (Kurator Rottendorf-Ausstellung Haus Nottbeck), Nikos Saul („wdnnw“ Preisträger 2024), Marco Niemann (Geschäftsführer Rottendorf Pharma), Henning Wirtz („wdnnw“ Preisträger 2024), Prof. Dr. Markus Köster (Leiter LWL-Medienzentrum für Westfalen), Hermann-Ulrich Viskorf (Vorsitzender des Vorstandes, Rottendorf-Stiftung), Georg Bühren (Vorsitzender Rottendorf Ausschuss, WHB)

Low German short film project “Wild Wild Westfalen” successfully completed

The Low German short film project “Wild Wild Westfalen” of the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), in cooperation with the Department of Media Production and Media Technology – LWL Media Center for Westphalia has been successfully completed. The premiere took place on June 19, 2023 in Ahlen.



Award winners

Furthermore, the foundation supports numerous projects with which the Westphalian dialect is cultivated and kept alive.

Overview of award winners:

2014 pattu (Georg Bühren, Alexander Buske, Peter Egger, Jürgen Mönkediek), Münster
2016 Peter Bürger, Eslohe (Sauerland)
2018 Elisabeth Georges (Münster-Hiltrup)
2020 Dr. Werner Beckmann (Eslohe-Cobbenrode)
2022 Hannes Wader (Bielefeld)
2024 Dr. phil. Robert Damme (Nottuln)

Previous projects

1963 Arbeitsgemeinschaft Michaelis-Treffen, Lippinghausen
1965 Pater Dr. Gregor Schwake, Benediktiner Gerleve
1967 Prof. Dr. Anton Hilckmann, Bevergern
1969 Norbert Johannimloh, Münster und Dr. Siegfried Kessemeier, Münster
1976 Hermann Homann, Münster
1980 Gertrud van Dam, Emsdetten
1980 Fritz Kuhne, Halver
1983 Niederdeutsche Bühne, Münster (zusammengefasste Preise 82´und 84´)
1986 Ottilie Baranowski, Hörstel-Bevergern und Prof. Dr. Jan Wirrer, Spenge
1988 Dr. Wolfram Rosemann, Köln
1990 Hannes Demming, Münster
1992 Walter Born, Münster
1994 Walter Höher, Schwerte-Ergste
1996 Georg Bühren, Münster
1998 Werner Brüggemann, Warendorf
2000 Dr. Horst Ludwigsen, Schalksmühle
2002 Prof. Dr.Hans Taubken, Münster
2004 Heinrich Schürmann, Herzebrock-Clarholz
2006 Egon Reiche, Bocholt
2008 Strauhspier (Nikolaus Evers, Helmut Schnieders, Hermi Sürken), Rheine
2010 Pastor Wilhelm Dullweber, Stemwede-Levern und Geistlicher Rat Heinz Witthake, Münster
2012 Dr. Timothy Sodmann, Südlohn

Dr. phil. Robert Damme – 2024



Funding projects for the Low German language

Individual projects of the Rottendorf Foundation for the area of “Low German”:

“Rottendorf-Lesebuch”, vol. 13 of “Nylands kleiner westf. Bibliothek”, edited by Heinrich Schürmann
Heinrich Schürmann “Ick”, CD jazz and poetry Low German
“Heliand”, translated from Old Saxon into Low German by Hannes Demming
“En lük üöwer de Wuortelkinner” by Sibylle von Olfers, Mönsterländsk platt upschriewen van Hannes Demming.
Support of the District Archives Warendorf in the sifting and processing of the entire Rottendorf estate, presented in the Findbuch Dep. 83, Warendorf 2015.
Support for the publication of a CD by the group “Strauhspier” with Low German songs, including a Rottendorf poem.
Grant for the “Sauerland dialect anthology” by Peter Bürger
Support for the publication of lesson outlines and materials “Low German in the Primary School”.
Support of anniversary events of the “Augustin-Wibbelt-Society
Support for the publication of an “Online Atlas of Westphalian Dialects” by the Commission for Dialect and Name Research at the LWL
Support for the acquisition of “sound showers” for the exhibition “200 years of Westphalia – now” (after starting in Dortmund now traveling exhibition)
Low German short film project “Wild Wild Westfalen” by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), Department of Media Production and Media Technology – LWL Media Center for Westphalia

2023

Radio program DO BISTE PLATT-HochSauerlandWelle



Our cooperation partners:



Kulturgut Haus Nottbeck

