Rainer Eichhorn receives Order of Merit

On November 23 the former Mayor of Zwickau and long-term friend, counselor and supporter of INTERKULTUR, Rainer Eichhorn will be awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Saxon Prime Minister Stanislav Tillich in the Saxon State Chancellery. The President of the Federal State of Germany awards this to people who rendered outstanding services to the public good in the fields of political, social, economic, scientific and cultural activity.

Rainer Eichhorn will be honored “for his outstanding dedication to local politics, cultural activities in Zwickau, the German-Polish collaboration and especially for his commitment against xenophobia and for tolerance”, informs the Saxon State Chancellery.

INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch congratulates his friend and colleague: “After so many years of successful collaboration I’m personally delighted about this honor for Rainer Eichhorn. The award reasonably appreciates his numerous achievements and great commitment of recent decades.”

Since the early 1990s Eichhorn is connected with INTERKULTUR and its president Titsch: While being the Mayor of Zwickau in Saxony (1990-2001) Rainer Eichhorn – a passionate choral singer since 1957 – had the idea to establish the Int. Robert Schumann Choir Competition and hereby reached out to INTERKULTUR. The one-time idea turned out to be a success: In 2018 the Schumann Choir Competition will be held for the 8th time already.

During the following years INTERKULTUR and Eichhorn didn’t lose contact. Since 2006 he's been acting as advisor for president Titsch and is in charge of protocol at several major events of INTERKULTUR.

Rainer Eichhorn has already received several honors: In 2001 he was awarded the “Sächsische Verfassungsmedaille” (Medal of Constitution), in 2003 he became honorary citizen of Zwickau for his “outstanding political role during the time of the German turnaround and for his services rendered to Zwickau’s development into a lively and attractive city”.