Peace Festival in Osnabrück: Experience the anniversary day full of adventure!

Peace Festival in Osnabrück: Experience the anniversary day full of adventure!

On August 10, 2023, an anniversary of the Osnabrück handshake will be celebrated in Osnabrück. On this special day, visitors can expect a wide range of offerings that include both historical and interactive experiences. The event is aimed at families with older children and young people as well as anyone interested and offers the opportunity to be crowned a “peace saver”. This playful search game, which is also designed as an outdoor escape room, can be played free of charge by anyone with a smartphone and a flyer available in the town hall, St. Mary's Church and the Forum am Dom.

The day of the event begins with an ecumenical peace service in St. Mary's Church. From 1:00 p.m. a moderated program will be offered, which will be supplemented with various guided tours and short lectures through the city. In addition to commuting between historical locations in the city, participants can expect a reading by Natalia Wörner in St. Mary's Church, which will conclude the anniversary day. Throughout the day, the institutions of St. Mary's Church, the Diocesan Museum, the Regional Association and the City Archeology are also involved in celebrating Osnabrück's peace culture heritage.

Interactive search game and guided tours

Participants in the outdoor escape room take on the role of the envoy Jakob Lampadius and have to solve various puzzles at six historically documented stations in the old town in order to determine a secret code word. This interactive game can be played on the anniversary day from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a small surprise waiting for the successful participants. This option remains available for those who would like to carry out the outdoor escape room individually until “Day of Lower Saxony” (August 29th – 31st). Successful participants also have the chance to take part in a competition.

The event not only offers the activities mentioned above, but also an interesting tour of the historic city model, which starts at 1:15 p.m. This is done by Dr. Susanne Tauss and Samuel Arends led. There is also a church café in St. Mary's Church from 2:00 p.m., and the reading by Natalia Wörner begins at 4:00 p.m. with musical accompaniment.

Peace culture in Osnabrück and digital offers

Osnabrück, known as the city of the Peace of Westphalia, and the Office for Peace Culture continually organize projects and events to promote awareness of the city's peace history. The “Discover Osnabrück” app, which is available free of charge in app stores, offers virtual guides that lead visitors to important places in the city. The app contains two tours, each approximately 2.5 kilometers long, and shows a total of 23 stations, including the Historic Town Hall, the Peace Hall and the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center.

The use of state-of-the-art technologies is supported by funding from the European Union, allowing Osnabrück to further consolidate its role as a city of peace culture. Projects like these offer the opportunity to discover the historic city not only through traditional tours, but also through innovative digital formats.

Overall, the anniversary of the Osnabrück handshake promises a successful mix of history, interactivity and community that appeals to visitors of all ages and keeps the city's peaceful heritage alive. The commitment of numerous institutions and the creative formats testify to the dynamism and intercultural exchange that is very important in Osnabrück.