Charlemagne Prize
| Charlemagne Prize | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Distinguished service on behalf of European unification |
| Location | Aachen, Germany |
| Presented by | Society for the Conferring of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen |
| First awarded | May 1, 1950 |
| Official website | www.karlspreis.de |
The Charlemagne Prize (German: Karlspreis; full name originally Internationaler Karlspreis der Stadt Aachen, International Charlemagne Prize of the City of Aachen, since 1988 Internationaler Karlspreis zu Aachen, International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen) is one of the most prestigious European prizes. It has been awarded annually since 1950 by the German city of Aachen to people who contributed to the ideals upon which it was founded. It commemorates Charlemagne, ruler of the Frankish Empire and founder of what became the Holy Roman Empire, who resided and is buried at Aachen. Traditionally the award is given to the recipient on Ascension Day in a ceremony in the town hall of Aachen. In April 2008, the organisers of the Charlemagne Prize and the European Parliament jointly created a new European Charlemagne Youth Prize, which recognises contributions by young people towards the process of European integration.
On 19 December 1949, Kurt Pfeiffer presented to the reading group "Corona Legentium Aquensis", which he had founded, his proposals for the prize: "We have the honour of proposing annual presentation of an international prize for the most valuable contribution in the services of Western European understanding and work for the community, and in the services of humanity and world peace. This contribution may be in the field of literary, scientific, economic or political endeavour."
The sponsors of the prize, the City of Aachen, refer to Charlemagne as the "Founder of Western Culture", and assert that under his reign, the City of Aachen was once the spiritual and political centre of the whole of what is now western Europe.
The first Charlemagne Prize was awarded to Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, the founder of the Pan-European Movement, and the founder of the Coudenhove-Kalergi plan, wich is to replace the actual European culture by miscegenation.(Praktischer Idealismus),Count Richard Nicolaus Coudenhove Kalergi, Vienna, 1925 Following the presentation of the award to the Italian Prime Minister Alcide de Gasperi in 1952, the International Charlemagne Prize of the City of Aachen has repeatedly sent messages going far beyond Germany and promoting the "unity of Europe".
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