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UNHCR MARKS WORLD REFUGEE DAY
UNHCR Azerbaijan, 20 June 2004
 Following the successful start of the last year, the UNHCR office in Azerbaijan, marked the World Refugee Day on 20 June 2004 with a number of different public awareness activities. A short video clip was prepared to be shown on two large size video boards in Baku's central streets from June 19 to 25. Also, two banners were hung announcing the World Refugee Days as a day of solidarity with the world's refugees well as emphasising that Azerbaijan is the signatory to the UN 1951 Refugee Convention. UNHCR's long-time partners HAYAT and BUTA also organised a series of celebrating events in Sumgait and Baku.
And finally, a grand concert, involving Azeri displaced and Afghan youth and, for the first time in Azerbaijan, Chechen asylum seekers, took place in the Azerbaijan's State Theatre of Musical Comedies on 23 June. To mark the day a repertoire spanning from singing traditional songs to dancing national dances was performed in front of the audience of the Azeri Government officials, diplomatic and international institutions, NGO and media representatives.
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July 2004,
Issue No. 16
Previous Issues
UNDP Azerbaijan Website
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HELENENDORF: AZERBAIJAN'S FIRST GERMAN SETTLEMENT
Reprinted with permission from Azerbaijan International, Summer 2004 (AI 12.2).
Jacqueline Grewlich-Suchet, wife of Klaus Grewlich, the German Ambassador to Azerbaijan, writes about some of the history of these first Germans who settled in Azerbaijan. She gathered this information from residents living in the town of Khanlar itself and from historians of Azerbaijan's Academy of Science.
In 1909 in his book, "A German Colony in the Caucasus", Count Schweinitz wrote a description about a German settlement called Helenendorf [now Khanlar]. Here's the picture he painted of the little town in the northwestern region of Azerbaijan nearly 100 years ago.
"From every corner of Helenendorf, there's a wonderful view of the snow-covered mountains that forms the magnificent background of this beautiful village. Towards the south, you can see the Small Caucasus Mountains, towards the north lies the mighty chain of the North Caucasus. To the east lies cultivated land as far as the horizon.
"When you walk along the western-most street of Helenendorf-the Talstrasse-you can enjoy the view of a gorge and then of a hill with graves from the past, dating back a few thousand years, There is little water in the Ganja River now and seeing this small stream, it's hard to believe that once it swept away an impressive stone bridge. The entire valley is covered wit vineyards-a beautiful scene, even in winter.
Two buildings can be seen in the gorge in the area of Helenendorf, one of which is a modern mill supplied by electrical power owned by the Vohrer brothers; the other, an electric power station built by the Baku branch of foe Berlin Electricity Company.
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