The Silk Road in the Center of Berlin

June 2, 2011

Berlin’s Wilmersdorfer Arcaden shopping center welcomes the public to “Silk Road Tour” Exhibition and make a virtual tour of the historical Silk Road cities, an opportunity to get a taste of Uzbek culture, art and traditions. Organized by the Fund Forum’s Representative Office in Berlin with support from the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany, Culture Cooperation International and Wilmersdorfer Arcaden, the exhibition was launched on May 25 and will run through June 4.

The virtual journey begins with the Silk Road map marking Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Next, the visitors can make a stop at each of these cities: stands with an exhibition of fine and applied arts, and information blocks reveal the splendor of the historical cities of Uzbekistan, their history, culture, and useful tourist information.

"Visitors to our shopping mall have shown a keen interest in the exhibition,” said Peter Schönbrunn, Wilmersdorfer Arcaden general manager. “Guests particularly enjoy the feeling of traveling along the Silk Road. Some of them even want to buy works on display. We are glad that we could implement such a project jointly with the Fund Forum and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Berlin. Our collaboration has been very comfortable, with a good team both from the Fund Forum and the Embassy representatives and our complex.”

The exhibition presents over 100 works of fine and applied art including suzanis, miniature, textiles, wood carving, chasing, national costume, paintings, musical instruments, clothes, and carpets. In short, the diversity of cultural heritage and modern art are on display in a full format, creating a visual image of the oriental countries that were always mysterious for Europe.

"I certainly heard about the Silk Road cities - Samarkand and Bukhara. The idea of making such a journey has always been very enticing for me,” said Stephanie Kellerman, a visitor to the exhibition. “Nevertheless, wasn’t sure how I practically realize this idea. This exhibition lets visitors come close to the history of today's Silk Road cities, to learn more about them and find out about opportunities to visit Uzbekistan."