Before the values workshop, I sat on Lübeck's newly designed Drehbrückenplatz in the warm spring sunshine, letting my gaze and thoughts wander. In this cheerful atmosphere, I was already mentally considering the topic of the workshop, which was intended to explore our collective values of "openness," "respect," and "self-realization." Then they almost jumped out at me: "The Strangers" on the roof of our rather aging MuK (Museum of Modern Art). The figures installed there, a partial sculpture by the artist Thomas Schütte acquired by the Possehl Foundation—art in architecture, in other words—are meant to symbolize strangers who arrive in Lübeck and seem isolated, even a little lost. The value of "openness" immediately came to mind. Hopefully, our city will always be and remain a cosmopolitan place that welcomes strangers into its midst. This also includes "respect" for foreign cultures and values, which may not always be easy to achieve.
