"ZukunftsHandwerker Altmark" Honored with the VNG Foundation's Commitment Award
The ARCH gUG has been awarded the VNG Foundation’s 2026 Engagement Prize in the Culture and History category. The award recognized the project “ZukunftsHandwerker Altmark – Keeping Crafts Alive for the Future.” The award ceremony took place on August 26, 2026, at the Volksbad Jena. The prize comes with a cash award of 5,000 euros and a nomination for the 2027 German Engagement Award.
Through the “ZukunftsHandwerker” program, volunteers introduce children, teens, and families in the Altmark region to the world of crafts—hands-on, free of charge, and with no prior experience required. At the Schönberg manor and throughout the region, they twist ropes, print, work with local materials, and pass on skills that would otherwise be easily lost: craftsmanship, patience, and the joy of doing things yourself.
This year, the VNG Foundation honored five initiatives from eastern Germany. Regarding the project, the foundation noted that The ARCH builds bridges between generations through shared craftsmanship and contributes to the preservation of regional cultural heritage. The ARCH and ZukunftsHandwerker have already been recognized as regional winners of the Town & Country Foundation Award and nominated for the German Engagement Award 2026. With the VNG Foundation’s Engagement Award, they are now also nominated for 2027.
Particularly memorable was the moving laudatory speech by Ulrike Petzold, Executive Director of the Umbrella Organization of Cultural Promotion Associations in Germany. “Culture is the third-largest area of civic engagement in Germany. Culture educates, shapes us, and builds bridges,” said Petzold. “The ARCH also builds bridges, is bursting with energy and passion, and creates an incredible impact through this bridge-building.” She was particularly impressed by how global issues are broken down into local engagement and how the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is made accessible in everyday life. Craftsmanship remains an important tool even in a world dominated by digital technology. The ARCH passes on the joy of craftsmanship to younger people and makes it a social hub in the community—and its reach extends far beyond the Altmark, with partners in over 40 countries. Her closing words: “Please, please, keep up the good work.”
“This award belongs to the volunteers who are always there for the children, youth, and the community,” says Kerstin Rice, executive director of The ARCH gUG. “We are especially proud to have brought this award to the Altmark for the second year in a row. Last year, it went to Ipse excitare. This impressively demonstrates just how much dedication there is to culture and history in our region. The prize money will go toward our upcoming youth education project. We don’t just want to engage with young people once; we want to equip them with real skills over the long term.”
Many thanks to Rüdiger Kloth, mayor of the municipal association, for his support, and to Juliane Günzel, the tourism representative, who accompanied The ARCH to the awards ceremony in Jena.
ZukunftsHandwerker was founded in 2025 at the Schönberg Manor and has been expanding throughout the region ever since. The ARCH shares what is created locally with an international network dedicated to rare crafts.
Background
The ARCH gUG is located at the Schönberg manor and keeps traditional crafts alive—locally in the Altmark region and through a network of partners in over 40 countries.
For more information:
www.thearch.org
www.instagram.com/zukunftshandwerkeraltmark
Press Contact
Kerstin
Rice, The ARCH
gUGcontact@thearch.org (mailto:contact@thearch.org)
Tel. 01575 8174 306