850,000 euros: Roth honors bookstores for program

For their diverse literary assortment, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth has awarded 118 independent and owner-operated bookstores the German Bookstore Prize. The prize is worth a total of 850,000 euros in three categories. As the best bookstores, the "Buchladen am Freiheitsplatz" in Hanau, the bookstore "Hansen & Kröger" in Wiehl in North Rhine-Westphalia and the "Connewitzer Verlagsbuchhandlung" in Leipzig were each awarded 25,000 euros.

"Books convey knowledge, different life experiences and the diversity of thought," said the Green politician on Monday in a statement on the award ceremony in Stuttgart. "This diversity is the brand essence of our democracy and literature is its ally." But it is the booksellers, she said, who provide a stage for literature and cultural assets. "Bookstores are important cultural venues in our country that have a broad presence."

With the Bookstore Award, the German government honors small, owner-operated bookstores that offer a sophisticated and diverse literary assortment or a cultural events program, pursue innovative business models or are committed to promoting reading and literature for children and young people.