about us

The Theodor Heuss Foundation wants to keep alive the memory of the personality and the life work of Theodor Heuss and to contribute to the development of democratic traditions and values in Germany and Europe.

 

Established in 1964 by Hildegard Hamm-Brücher and friends of  Theodor Heuss, the first Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany, the foundation seeks to honor his legacy by highlighting examples of active democratic engagement. Its mission is to foster civic courage, participation, initiative, and engagement within a European civil society. The Theodor Heuss Foundation is non-partisan. Former winners of the award include Vaclav Havel, Jürgen Habermas, Memorial, Malgorzata Gersdorf and the European Court of Justice.

 

The Foundation wants to point out time and again the manifold possibilities of making the right use of our liberties and of strengthening every single person’s responsibility. It promotes exemplary democratic behaviour, outstanding civic courage and model commitment for the public weal.

 

With the annual awarding of the Theodor Heuss Prize the Foundation has from the beginning endeavoured to create also public awareness about important political and social developments at an early stage by the honouring of civic initiative and civic courage. By this, issues and prize-holders chosen by it, have become a “democratic time signal”.