Three Irkutsk artists took part in the Pforzheim Mosaic event at the invitation of the German citys mayor and the German Russian Society. The project marked the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pforzheim and was seen not as a memorial to destruction but as a symbol of 70 years of peace, friendship, tolerance and freedom. During the trip the artists unveiled a symbolic mosaic, met city officials and attended cultural events, and their painted puzzle pieces are now part of the overall mosaic.

At the invitation of the Mayor of Pforzheim, Gerd Hager, and the German-Russian Society of Pforzheim and the Enz District, three artists from Irkutsk took part in the art project “Pforzheim Mosaic.” Among them were Regina Pryaszhnikova, a member of the Irkutsk Regional Branch of the All-Russian Creative Public Organization “Union of Artists of Russia” and Deputy Director for Educational Work of Municipal Children’s Art School No. 3; Sergey Eloyan, a member of the Irkutsk Regional Branch of the All-Russian Creative Public Organization “Union of Artists of Russia” and Honored Artist of Russia; and Vyacheslav Glinsky, a member of the Irkutsk Regional Branch of the All-Russian Creative Public Organization “Union of Artists of Russia” and Director of Municipal Children’s Art School No. 1. The art project was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the bombing of the German twin city of Irkutsk. Nevertheless, the anniversary of the bombing was considered not in the context of the theme “70 years of destruction,” but rather under the slogan “70 years of peace.”
Regina Pryaszhnikova, Sergey Eloyan, and Vyacheslav Glinsky took part in the unveiling of the symbolic mosaic in the city of Pforzheim, and also attended other cultural events in the city. There they also met with the Mayor of the city, Mr. Gerd Hager, and the Head of the Department of Culture of the city administration, Ms. Elisabeth Greschat. Schoolchildren from Irkutsk and Pforzheim also took part in the opening of the photo exhibition “Hey, buddy! Open your eyes! We are diverse, but not different!”, which will soon open in our city as well.
Pforzheim (in the older rendering of German names - Pforzheim; German: Pforzheim, Alemannic: Pforze) is a city in the west of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Due to its location and its long-standing tradition of jewelry craftsmanship, Pforzheim is often called the gateway to the Black Forest or the golden city.
The city suffered heavily from Allied bombing at the end of World War II. On February 23, 1945, Pforzheim was almost completely destroyed in a short air raid, and more than 17,000 residents died. Now, in memory of this tragic day, many residents of the city mourn every year. About 5 years ago, the Pforzheim working group was formed; it set itself the task of holding various events aimed at preserving peace and freedom, one of which was the “Pforzheim Mosaic” project. The aim of the project is to give every interested citizen, individually or in a group, the opportunity to depict their thoughts about peace, coexistence, tolerance, love, brotherhood, and freedom on one or several white puzzle pieces. Over the past 5 years, more than 400 such mosaic pieces have been joined into a constantly growing overall mosaic. Now the Pforzheim mosaic includes pieces painted by Irkutsk artists.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk administration.