This Month

Shakespeare at the Schloss

It was a phantastic evening with "Macbeth" presented by American Drama Group Europe.
Our annual visit to "Shakespeare at the Schloss" marks our last event before the summer break.

We wish everyone a great summer and hope to see you back on September 25th when we will be holding our next event.

 Synopsis:

Three of Europe’s greatest rivers - the Rhine, the Rhone, and the Po - share the same geological patch of Alpine ice in the jagged heights of central Switzerland. Coursing down through the peaks, they gave birth to three different European cultures as they flowed across the continent – German, French and Italian.

From this shared geological cradle, these waterways have shaped the landscape, influenced urban centres, laid the foundation for economies and created an intricate network of transport, trade and agriculture. From the Romanesque buttresses and vines of Provence to the Wagnerian music of the Rhine and the artistic miracles of Lombardy, the heart of Western Europe – its languages, religion, philosophy, science, politics and art – has been nourished by these waters.

Setting off in the dramatic mountain landscape where this story begins, acclaimed historian Robert Winder traces the rivers’ journeys from their increasingly fragile glacial sources, revealing in shimmering detail their impact on Europe’s rich history as they flow towards the sea.

 Biographical note:

Leigh Turner CMG is a retired diplomat and author based in London and Amsterdam. Leigh grew up in Africa and the UK, going on to study in Swaziland, Manchester and Cambridge. After hitch-hiking around 27 of the United States in 1979, Leigh had a 42-year diplomatic career, which he draws on in his 2024 book “Lessons in Diplomacy”. He is also the author of three thrillers, including “Blood Summit” (2018), set in Berlin, and two collections of feminist black comedies, ”Seven Hotel Stories” (2020) and “Seven More Hotel Stories” (2026).

He was UK Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna from 2016 - 2021. Previous roles were: HM Consul General Istanbul and Director General for Trade Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus; HM Ambassador in Kyiv, Ukraine; Director of Overseas Territories in London. He was also based in the British Embassy in Bonn and Berlin from 1998-2002.

Synopsis:

Is a diplomat’s life really as glamorous as a royal visit, or as dramatic as a coup d’état in Turkey? Leigh Turner is a former British ambassador who led posts in Ukraine, Turkey and Austria. In a witty globe-trotting adventure through one of the most intriguing careers a person can have, Leigh will talk about his interactions with royalty of both the aristocratic and celebrity kinds, with brilliant and extraordinary people, and the lessons we all can draw from this – whether aspiring diplomats or non-diplomats. Based on his book "Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties” (Bristol University Press, September 2024) -  in German as “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Diplomacy: Wie Diplomatie die Welt erklärt” (Czernin Verlag) -  Leigh will do a deep dive into key lessons such as “How to survive a crisis”, “How to handle politicians”, and “How to know people”. Have you ever wondered what diplomats and ambassadors really do? Leigh Turner will be happy to explain.