Zilkens'
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Zilkens' News Blog 8 2026

On Tuesday night, the Nubbel is burned – then Carnival is over and fasting season begins – at least for devout Catholics. Forty days later is Easter. In the days when these rules were established, the wolf was considered a predator because it threatened the sheep and cattle herds that formed the basis of food and economic life. The wolf is still a predator, but very few people in the old European heartlands still have sheep herds, let alone a sense of the existential connections of nature. Biodiversity is the keyword, and anyone who still grew up with ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ or Prokofiev's ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is considered a fearful backwoodsman. Now a wolf has brought a small town's carnival parade to a halt for safety reasons! - And who is exploiting the fears of the backwoods folk? - The AfD! If you can't get people on board - even if you believe you are absolutely right - you shouldn't underestimate their fears. Those who address them in a targeted manner create their own majority. We have already experienced this painfully in Germany, and it is now threatening to happen again. The USA shows how fears can be exploited and manipulated, especially through the new media. Homo homini lupus was the saying in ancient Rome – man is a wolf to man. In our urban world, we should accept that we are descended from hunters and gatherers for whom preserving their herds was more important than surviving a predator.

Twenty years ago, the exhibition ‘The Mendelssohns in Jägerstraße’ opened as a permanent exhibition in Berlin in the coach house at Jägerstraße 51 near Gendarmenmarkt – supported by the Prussian Maritime Trade Foundation and the Lotto Foundation. Since then, the Mendelssohn Remise has developed into a special, unique place in Friedrichstadt and for Berlin as a museum, concert hall, dialogue forum and history workshop. With German-Jewish stories, it is committed to combating ignorance and anti-Semitism and promoting dialogue and civic responsibility. That is why it is inviting everyone to celebrate: to an evening of thanks and congratulations with music, photos, memories, visitor feedback and greetings... on 26 February from 7 p.m. at the Mendelssohn Remise in Berlin. Please register at reservierung@mendelssohn-remise.de.

August Gaul was a sculptor – the Liebighaus is dedicating an exhibition to him from its own collection. Unlike with Kentridge, this doesn't work so well this time, unfortunately. The visual and associative references are less appealing. But individual works are still exciting, such as the owl sitting on Athena's head, which is said to have adorned Gerhard Hauptmann's desk.

Which brings us to Georg Kaiser, or more precisely Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser (1878–1945). Does anyone know him? From 1933 onwards, his plays were no longer performed in Germany. Until then, he is said to have been one of the most successful and most frequently performed theatre writers in Germany. He wrote 70 plays. Alfred Kerl did not like everything – but the production of ‘The Burghers of Calais’ at the Kellertheater in Frankfurt, which brings this author back to mind, is good. Despite all the bickering about convoluted language, this troupe of amateur actors manages to perform theatre without microphones in a way that one would like to see again on subsidised stages. No puppets, no microphones to carry poorly spoken lines to the back row, no cameras to create additional images, no amplifiers, no visual effects, no directors who elevate themselves above the play and the acting. None of that – just good theatre, performed and spoken with enthusiasm, despite all the drama inherent in the play. Talent scouts – head to Frankfurt.

The security conference in Munich has come to an end – somehow the Americans still like Europe, but on their terms. And Europe? Well, basically every European likes Europe – but on their terms: Hungary to the Hungarians, France to the French, Italy to the ... And even Muttis (for the younger ones: nickname of a former German chancellor) Ursula can't help the laymen (von der Leyen) – the professionals in Europe must provide those who speak only one language with at least two more so that understanding is possible. Education, building community and overcoming borders – these are Europe's opportunities, not excessive regulation that pretends to promote cross-border justice.

And then there are the legal protection insurers who are pushing their way into the sphere of lawyers. Legal advice is a sacred cow here – if only because consumers are inherently immature – but as with pharmacies and online pharmacies, there could be a tendency to soften this stance.

Wishing you a relaxed start to the week

Stephan Zilkens and the team at Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker GmbH in Solothurn and Cologne