Preserving Culture and History

The Sternenhaus – A Heavenly Cultural Offering for Children

The Sternenhaus has offered a wide range of cultural activities for children during the Christmas season for many years. Organized by the City of Nuremberg's Office for Culture and Leisure (KUF) since 2002, the Sternenhaus has become a major attraction and a staple of pre-Christmas Nuremberg.

In 2025, the STAEDTLER-Foundation supported the Sternenhaus’ "heavenly cultural offering" for the eleventh consecutive year. "With such a fantastic cultural program for children, we didn’t have to think twice about supporting the Sternenhaus again," said Wilhelm R. Wessels, Chairman of the STAEDTLER Foundation.

Inspiring Young People with Classical Music

Music has a positive effect on both the body and mind. Musical experiences can be especially impactful in one's youth. Founded in 1946, the Windsbacher Boys Choir aims to inspire young people with classical music. Over the decades, the choir has evolved into a globally recognized ensemble and a cultural ambassador for the Nuremberg metropolitan region. The STAEDTLER-Foundation has supported the choir's musical and educational work since 2003.

Making Culture Accessible

The Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg is the largest museums of cultural history of its kind. The museum aims to engagingly convey knowledge of art and culture in the Germanspeaking world from its beginnings to the present day. Since 2002, the STAEDTLER-Foundation has supported numerous exhibitions and projects at the museum, allowing for a tangible experience of cultural history in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. In April 2012, the Foundation helped the museum restore a giant woodcut from 1500, depicting a three-dimensional plan of Venice, one of the eleven surviving original woodcuts. 

The STAEDTLERFoundation has supported this and other projects of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.

Vesperkirche Nuremberg – Creating a Space for Encounter

For eleven years already, the Gustav-Adolf Memorial Church opened its doors in the first chapter of the year for the "Vesperkirche Nuremberg." Under the motto "Sharing Meals, Sharing Cultural Joy," people in need and those from various backgrounds find a quiet place for exchange. The Vesperkirche is an initiative of the Evangelical Association for Community Diakonia - Vesperkirche NurembergLichtenhof. Hundreds of volunteers and numerous private donors support the project.

But it's not just about coffee, cake, and a warm meal. Special emphasis is placed on making the Vesperkirche welcoming gathering place, a temporary living room that brings together people from different social backgrounds. The State Theatre of Nuremberg organizes a diverse cultural program for the Vesperkirche, making art accessible to those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to attend cultural events due to financial constraints. Visitors can also access various other services, from counseling and spiritual care to free haircuts and job application training.

The STAEDTLER Foundation has been supporting the Vesperkirche Nuremberg and its cultural program since 2018. 

IMA – International Meistersinger Academy

The International Meistersinger Academy (IMA) offers aspiring artists in opera and song/Mélodie exceptional study opportunities and an ideal platform for exchange and networking. The IMA takes place annually in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, home to the Reitstadel concert hall, renowned for its acoustics. Besides continuous instruction, prominent figures from the international music scene are invited for intensive training. Career-related topics are also a focus, with discussions led by experts and opportunities to connect with agencies, theaters, and event organizers.

The IMA is notable for its comprehensive support of singers at the highest level, coupled with the networking opportunities that facilitate entry into the profession.

The STAEDTLER-Foundation has supported the International Meistersinger Academy since 2015, contributing to providing young singers with broad-based, high-level support and helping them enter their professional careers through the network offered.

Youth Dance Ensemble

For several years, the youth dance ensemble has been bringing together young people between the ages of 13 and 21 who share a passion for dance. The ensemble aims to introduce young people to contemporary dance, as well as to the dance, cultural and art scene in the Nuremberg metropolitan region, and to experience and actively participate in dance choreographies and pieces in the community.

Every year, a full-length dance piece is created that deals with topics that concern and move young people. The ensemble creates a development space in which, in addition to dance skills, an awareness of one's own creativity, form of expression, language of movement and individual strengths and potential is developed.

The STAEDTLER Foundation has been supporting this project of the non-profit Tanzerei-Verein e.V. since 2021.

Restoration of the Pellerhof

The Pellerhaus in Nuremberg was once one of the city's greatest attractions. With its magnificent courtyard, it was the epitome of a Renaissance bourgeois structure. The courtyard was considered the most successful example of a representative bourgeois courtyard.

After the complex was largely destroyed, the front building was replaced with a new structure in the 1950s, but the courtyard was only partially rebuilt. As a result, this masterpiece of European architecture almost completely vanished from public awareness.

Thanks to the initiative of the Friends of the Old Town and many donors, the Pellerhof is regaining its former splendor. Since the restoration efforts began in 2008, much has been accurately restored.

Since the beginning of the restoration efforts, the STAEDTLER-Foundation has supported the restoration of this masterpiece of European architecture with several donations.