The Cultural Ministers Conference of the German states and the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media added five new traditions to the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage on Friday. The newly listed items are: street‑football culture (Bolzplatzkultur), the traditional men’s tailoring craft (Herrenschneiderhandwerk), the Martin tradition of the Rhineland, the show‑man’s culture found at public festivals across Germany, and the traditional small‑scale coastal fishing along the East‑German Baltic Sea coast and in the Bight waters. With these additions the register now contains 173 living cultural expressions that are practiced and passed on in Germany.
“In intangible cultural heritage, people keep traditions alive by passing them on in everyday life and shaping them together” said Katharina Binz, president of the Cultural Ministers Conference and family minister of Rhineland‑Palatinate. “Whether it is street‑football, a craft, or coastal fishing, these practices unite generations and shape regional identity. By adding five more traditions today with the German UNESCO Commission, we demonstrate how diverse and vibrant Germany’s cultural heritage is”.
Federal Cultural Minister Wolfram Weimer, an independent, described intangible heritage as “a living root of today’s cultural self‑understanding”. He added that the Rhineland Martin tradition promotes values such as sharing, solidarity, and intergenerational cohesion. “Men’s tailoring also blends traditional handcraft with contemporary design and continues to have a major influence on fashion and the creative economy today”. He urged that all of these elements be protected and kept accessible for future generations.
Christoph Wulf, vice‑president of the German UNESCO Commission, explained that intangible heritage emerges where people actively contribute, share knowledge, and shape cultural practices together. “The new entries in the register show how lively, open, and adaptable cultural expressions can be today-supported by communities conscious of their history and actively working toward a diverse future. Intangible heritage is more than looking back; it is lived present”.
The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference in Paris in 2003. So far 185 states have ratified the Convention, and Germany has been a party since 2013. The national register celebrates creative, inclusive, and innovative cultural forms. Proposed additions are first reviewed by the expert committee of intangible cultural heritage within the German UNESCO Commission and then selected through a multi‑stage procedure.