At the Carnival of Cultures (Karneval der Kulturen), held in Berlin every year, representatives of more than 80 countries took part. Poles were among them, promoting Gliniada, among other things. Hundreds of thousands of people watched the procession of more than one hundred clay-covered figures. Several German television stations and radio broadcasters covered the parade.

The idea of promoting the event at the Carnival of Cultures came from Axel Eisenblaetter, a German living in Bolesławiec. He persuaded members of the Via Sudetica group to take part in the Carnival and handled most of the formalities. Three full buses of people traveled to Berlin from Bolesławiec. They included students from the Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących i Zawodowych on Komuny Paryskiej Street, students associated with the Gminne Centrum Kultury i Sportu in Nowogrodziec, and members and supporters of Via Sudetica.

The Glinoludy made a strong impression on the spectators. The Bolesławiec procession was captured in tens of thousands of photographs taken with cameras and mobile phones. The Glinoludy handed out several thousand leaflets advertising our Bolesławiec event.

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Półnaga gliniana postać dziewczyny cieszyła się ogromnym zainteresowaniem fotoreporterówPółnaga gliniana postać dziewczyny cieszyła się ogromnym zainteresowaniem fotoreporterów • Krzysztof Gwizdała
Glinoludy niosły transparent z nazwą naszego miastaGlinoludy niosły transparent z nazwą naszego miasta • Krzysztof Gwizdała
Ponad sto osób prezentowało Gliniadę berlińczykom i turystomPonad sto osób prezentowało Gliniadę berlińczykom i turystom • Krzysztof Gwizdała

The organizers of Gliniada are delighted with the reception in Germany. They declare that they will also appear at the carnival next year, and in the meantime want to thank the Bolesławiec Cultural Center, the “Ziemia Bolesławiecka” Councilors’ Club led by Jan Cołokidzi, and the mayor of Nowogrodziec for helping finance the bus transportation. The organizers also thank those who directly helped with the preparations: Mariusz Laudański, Justyna Rutkowska, Majka Wojtala, and Krystyna Juszkiewicz. Of course, the greatest thanks go to the parade participants and their supervisors, who actively promoted Gliniada, among other things by handing out leaflets.

The Carnival of Cultures was organized in Berlin for the thirteenth time. People of various nationalities presented themselves along the several-kilometer route. More than 4,500 people took part in this year’s parade. It was easy to see that everyone—both the performers and the spectators—was positively disposed.

More video footage and photographs on Tuesday.

(KG report)