Davos
Manuscrit, non publié à l’époque. Texte établi d’après l’exemplaire de lecture. Seul le prononcé fait foi. Les notes de travail ont été retirées.
Discours prononcé en anglais. Texte original, non traduit.
Ladies and gentlemen
Conversations about Baukultur can cover almost any topic. That makes it so interesting. But that also means it’s easy to get lost in all its aspects.
So Baukultur is quite a risky topic just before dinner – when everyone is hungry and a bit impatient.
So I’ll just say a few words on one very specific point: Why is there no English word for « Baukultur »? And: is it really a good omen that we have to take this word from German?
First, to the second question:
I must say, I have some serious doubts when I think of some of the other words that made it from German into English: Angst, Schadenfreude, Lederhosen, Poltergeist, Rottweiler.
It’s not exactly encouraging, is it?
Still, the answer to the first and more important question gives me hope: Why is there no English word for « Baukultur »?
German has some great words for things (or phenomena) that just cannot be otherwise defined. And that is why they have been adopted in English.
For example, there’s: Zeitgeist – something that exists but we can’t quite describe, some sort of mentality of a certain period. There’s Gestalt – meaning, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Likewise, the German term Baukultur is perfect for describing a holistic view of things.
There is another German word in English we could use to describe the ideal achievement of Baukultur: a Gesamtkunstwerk!
Ladies and gentlemen
Why am I so convinced that we will have a far-reaching impact with the ‘Davos Baukultur Alliance’? Because now, people are again looking at the big picture.
For a long time, our discussions were shaped by individualism – leaving out aspects of the social dimension and the common good.
Now, in times of pandemic and huge diverging forces in society, we are finally realising again the importance of all that we share with each other: There IS such a thing as society.
With this in mind, I hope you will have some interesting conversations this evening across national and professional boundaries. And over a good meal!
I can assure you that on the menu this evening, there is no sauerkraut, no rollmops, no pumpernickel, and no knackwurst.
But there is, from yet another German word: Delicatessen.
And with that, I would like to wish you, in my own mother tongue: Bon appétit!