This year, the mayor of Lidice and her entourage have announced their attendance as a special guest, which we are very pleased about and which lends a special significance to the event. As a reminder: after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, who came from Halle, organizer of the so-called Final Solution (Wannsee Conference) and Deputy Reich Protector, the village of Lidice, located near Prague, was destroyed, most of its inhabitants murdered, and its houses razed to the ground. We therefore appreciate all the more that the highest representative from Lidice, which was rebuilt nearby after the war, is in Halle and seeking contact with the people here.

It’s an apple tree sent from Bavaria, a variety dedicated to Count Nikolaus von Luckner, our Felix’s great-grandfather. He served in the French Revolution, and in this context, the March of the Army of the Rhine was written in his honor, a piece of music that later became the French national anthem, the Marseillaise.

You can find more information about this >>> HERE <<<.

The aforementioned historical context formed the background for the tree selection.

We have contacted different schools in Halle and the surrounding area and will plant some of the Luckner apples on their grounds.

The final agreement has already been reached with one school, so we can begin planning soon.

We will keep you updated here.

The anniversary – the 50th Chemiepokal boxing tournament at the Steintor-Varieté in Halle (Saale)

A big shout-out right from the start! German heavyweight boxer Dilvan Yakazan defeated Cuban boxer Duniel Duneas by knockout in the second round. On June 13th and 14th, 2025, approximately 60 boxers from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Cuba competed for the coveted trophy in their weight classes.

The 50th edition of the Halle tournament was entirely dedicated to the tradition that dates back to 1970 and was once again supported by our Felix Graf von Luckner Society. Boxers like Henry Maske and Vitali Klitschko became famous through their victories in Halle. For the anniversary, we welcomed former boxing greats such as Ulli Kaden, Arthur Abraham, Steven Küchler, Timo Hoffmann, Dominic Bösel, and many more, including legendary trainer Ulli Wegener. In front of a sold-out crowd, the Mayor of Halle (Saale), Dr. Alexander Vogt, made sure to step into the ring and deliver his personal greeting (in several languages) to the boxers, coaches, referees, organizers, and guests.

We’ll see you next year at the 51st Chemiepokal.

When and where: Thursday, April 17, 2025 4:00 PM Halle Planetarium, Holzplatz 5, 06110 Halle (Saale)

Admission is free.

Deeply touched, we spent time in glorious weather on the lovingly and dignified grounds of the former village near Prague, which was razed to the ground in a Nazi act of revenge following an assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich, Deputy Reich Protector in Bohemia and Moravia. Men, women, and 82 children were murdered in the process.

Reinhard Heydrich was born in Halle (Saale) in 1904, which gave the group’s visit a special significance that everyone was aware of.

Impressed by what we experienced in Lidice, we agreed not to limit ourselves to this visit, but to bring the warning emanating from this place to future generations in Halle and spread it from there.

You can find more information >>> HERE <<<.

As the first action for the “Trees of Peace” we chose the city in which our company is based, namely Halle (Saale). In particular, we chose an open space near the Plantetarium. On November 25, 2024, we took action and planted the first peace trees. You can find more information in the above mentioned link.