Minority Secretariat

Domowina, based in Bautzen/Budyšin, is a politically independent federation of the Sorbs and umbrella organisation of the Sorbian associations in Upper and Lower Lusatia. Domowina represents the interests of the Sorbian people and is mainly active in the Sorbian area of settlement in the Land of Brandenburg and the Free State of Saxony.

Since its foundation in 1912 Domowina has been working for the preservation, development, and promotion of the Upper and Lower Sorbian language, the culture and traditions of the Sorbian people. As an umbrella organisations it unites and supports the Sorbs and Sorbian associations in their work and represents their interests in public, vis-à-vis parliaments, institutions and administrations on the level of the municipalities, districts, regions (Länder) and the Federal Republic of Germany, and also on the international level. 

• Homepage of Domowina
• More information about the Sorbs

Domowina’s representatives in the Minority Council are:

for the Upper Sorbs, Dawid Statnik/David Statnik and Judit Šołćina/Judith Scholze, 

and for the Lower Sorbs/Wends, Kito Ela/Christian Elle.

• event technology specialist

Social involvement:

• 2007-2009 member of the board of the Sorbian youth association Pawk
• from 2009 member of the federal board of Domowina
• from 2011 chair of Domowina
• from 2013 member of the assembly of Saxony’s State Institution for Private Radio and New Media (SLM)
• from 2013 member of the Dialogue Forum of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) with the European Parliament and other European institutions.

• 2012-2015 Projektleiterin der europäischen Sprachkampagne für Mehrsprachigkeit und  sprachliche Vielfalt – language diversity 
• 2013-2021 Leiterin des Minderheitensekretariats der vier autochthonen, nationalen  Minderheiten, Volksgruppen Deutschlands in Berlin

Gesellschaftliches Engagement: 

• 1998-2000 Vorstandsmitglied des sorbischen Jugendvereins PAWK e.V.
• 2000-2002 und 2003-2005 Präsidiumsmitglied der Jugend Europäischer Volksgruppen (JEV)
• 2013-2017 stellvertretende Vorsitzende der Domowina
• seit 2015 Mitglied der Gesellschaft zur Förderung eines Sorbischen Kultur- und Informationszentrums in Berlin (SKI)

• born and grown up in Commerau bei Königswartha (Upper Lusatia/Saxony)
• has been living in Lower Lusatia for more than 40 years
• teacher in physics and mathematics

Professional career and social involvement:

• from 1971 teacher
• 1985-1990 leader of the Sorbian extended secondary school in Cottbus
• 1998-2001 scientific staff member of the Sorbian school association
• 2001-2011 leader of the Lower Sorbian branch of the WITAJ-language centre
• Christian Elle deserves a great deal of credit for the revitalisation of the Sorbian/Wendish language in Lower Lusatia.
• member of the federal board of Domowina