On 15 October, the grand opening of Ukraine's national stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) took place, organised by the Ukrainian Book Institute with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute and the Mystetskyy Arsenal.
Representatives of key international institutions attended the opening, including Wolfram Weimer, Commissioner of the Federal Government of Germany for Culture and Media; Christina Beinhoff, Head of the Department of Culture and Society at the German Foreign Ministry; Christian Ebert, Director of Strategic Marketing and Sales at the Frankfurt Book Fair; Peter Kraus vom Cleff, Managing Director of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association; Johannes Ebert, Head of the Goethe-Institut; and Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, Director of the Ukrainian Institute in Berlin.;>
Wolfram Weimer emphasized that the German government will continue close cooperation with Ukraine in cultural projects. He mentioned the idea of holding the Kyiv Biennale in Berlin as promising and invited proposals on this initiative.
“Ukraine is suffering — people are dying: women, children, soldiers. Many return not only with physical but also deep psychological wounds. I am deeply impressed by how Ukrainians transform this pain into strength and channel it into positive energy. Putin’s war is not only an attack on territory but also on European values and souls. When Ukraine defends its freedom, it defends our shared ideals. That is why support must go beyond the military — we also stand with you in the cultural sphere, because this too is a front,” Weimer said.
Christian Ebert added that the Ukrainian national stand covers nearly 200 square meters, with its central theme “symbolizing the restoration of cultural continuity.”
“Russian aggression destroys libraries and printing houses in Ukraine, but the country’s response is here — at the international fair. Literature cannot be silenced. This stand is a place of hope, dialogue, and connection for authors, translators, and readers,” he stressed.
Peter Kraus vom Cleff noted that war cannot simply be described; it must be documented. He cited the example of Viktoriya Amelina, who, through her posthumously published German book, tells the story of women activists and lawyers who document Russian crimes. "Where else but in literature can we learn empathy? We have no right to forget. Ukrainian literature and history in the occupied territories are under threat of extinction — that is the goal of the Russians. I am always deeply impressed by strong Ukrainian women. They give us hope. We are here to find points of intersection between cultures," he shares. On behalf of the Ukrainian delegation, the national stand was presented by Oleksiy Makeyev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Germany, Olena Odynoka, Deputy Acting Director of the Ukrainian Book Institute for International Cooperation, Director of the International Book Arsenal Festival Yuliya Kozlovets, and Head of Communications at the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine Mariya Shubchyk.
"Today is a special day for me. It was my visit to the Frankfurt Book Fair many years ago that marked the beginning of my diplomatic career in Germany. Literature opens up Ukrainian history and the Ukrainian soul in a new, honest and profound way. Lesya Ukrainka once underwent treatment in Germany – there is a memorial plaque in Berlin commemorating this. And perhaps this is symbolic, because everything often begins with language, poetry and literature. I myself remember well my first encounter with German poetry – as a schoolboy, I stood in front of the class and read Lorelei. Forty years have passed, and this poem still lives with me. Such texts shape us and influence who we become," said the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany.
"We came to Frankfurt to tell an obvious but important truth: Ukrainian culture has always been European. And today it sounds here not as a request for support, but as an equal voice in a large community of free cultures. We are grateful to the FBF management for their support and solidarity with Ukraine. And for the unprecedented decision to refuse participation to the Russian national stand. This is a manifestation of our common principled position: culture cannot be outside ethics, and freedom of speech cannot be outside responsibility," said Olena Odynoka, Deputy Acting Director of the Ukrainian Institute of Culture for International Cooperation. This year's focus theme for Ukraine's participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair is Filling in. The national stand, designed based on the ornaments of Vasyl Krychevskyy, the creator of Ukrainian architectural modernism, represents 35 publishers and over 300 publications aimed at bringing Ukrainian literature closer to a global audience. The Ukrainian stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair has become not only an exhibition space, but also a centre for cultural dialogue. It is here that authors, translators, publishers and readers have the opportunity to meet, share ideas and launch new joint initiatives.
Throughout the fair, more than 30 events will take place on the stage of the national stand, including discussions, meetings with writers, and presentations of translations of Ukrainian books into English and German. The full programme and list of participants can be found here.
The Ukrainian stand (Hall 4.1, Stand F79/80) will be open until the end of the fair on 19 October. The programme was made possible thanks to the support of Beauftragte für Medien und Kultur, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Börsenverein des deutschen Buchhandels, the German Federal Foreign Office, the International Renaissance Foundation, the NGO Horizons Without Borders, the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Frankfurt am Main, Cultural Forces, and the Coordination Centre in Frankfurt am Main.
The Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the most famous and influential book forums in the world, attracting thousands of participants from different countries every year. Ukraine's participation in this event is an opportunity to present the country as a modern and dynamic cultural community, as well as an important step towards strengthening the position of Ukrainian literature on the international arena.