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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

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.

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

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