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125 years of the Schwerin Chamber of Crafts: A celebration of responsibility and values!
The Schwerin Chamber of Crafts celebrates 125 years of commitment to crafts and training with a ceremony, speeches and honors.
125 years of the Schwerin Chamber of Crafts: A celebration of responsibility and values!
The 125th anniversary of the Chamber of Crafts was celebrated with a summer festival in Schwerin on Tuesday evening. The event attracted around 400 guests from craft organizations, politics and business and offered a happy opportunity to honor the successes and challenges of the craft industry. Among those present were high-ranking personalities such as the Managing Director Dr. Gunnar Pohl, Vice President Thomas Bolbeth, President Uwe Lange, State Secretary Jochen Schulte, Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD) and Vice President Heiko Karmoll. In addition, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier gave a celebratory speech in which he emphasized the importance of voluntary work and self-administration in the craft sector, as reported by zdh.de.
In his speech, President Uwe Lange emphasized the chambers' responsibility for training and further education since they were founded in 1900. A central concern remains investing in vocational schools and educational institutions even today, especially in economically difficult phases. This is also because a significant part of the work in the Chamber of Crafts is carried out on a voluntary basis. The Schwerin Chamber of Crafts currently has around 7,300 companies, 40,000 employees and a total of 2,100 trainees, according to [ndr.de](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/westmecklenburg/handwerkskammer-Schwerin- Feiert-125-jaehriges-beesten,mvregioSchwerin-374.html).
The role of volunteering in crafts
The evening was also dedicated to volunteer work, which is a mainstay of craft organizations. Around 110,000 voluntary master craftsmen, entrepreneurs and employees are actively involved in Germany. Their commitment is reflected, for example, in around 11,000 examination boards and in various guilds and professional associations. Volunteering offers a variety of tasks for employers and employees and is crucial for the future of the craft, reports akademie-des-ehrenamtes.de.
ZDH President Jörg Dittrich pointed out in his speech that self-administration in the craft sector has a long tradition. The evening, entitled “Responsibility, Values, Future”, provided thematic discussions and artistic contributions that illustrated the pride and determination of the craft. Dittrich not only called for a Europe that regulates, but also actively immerses itself in citizen participation.
Overall, the anniversary celebration was not only a homage to the history of the Chamber of Crafts, but also a clear message for the future: the craftsmen are ready to actively shape the challenges of digitalization and climate neutrality and play a central role in doing so. You could say the mix of tradition and innovation – there’s really something there!