The Brückepreis (Bridge prize) is an international prize given annually to a person who contributed by a life's work to better understanding between peoples (Völkerverständigung,
Cultural diplomacy) in Europe. It is awarded annually, beginning in 1993, by the town of
Görlitz/
Zgorzelec. The
Europastadt [
de] (Town of Europe) lies in both Germany and Poland, connected by a bridge across the
Neisse river, and not far from the
Czech Republic. The bridge appears in the prize name also for building bridges among peoples and states, as
Norbert Lammert, the president of the
Bundestag, expressed in his laudatio for
Arvo Pärt in 2007.[1] The official name is Internationaler Brückepreis der Europastadt Görlitz/Zgorzelec. The prize money is €2,500. The prize is managed by an association, Gesellschaft zur Verleihung des Internationalen Brückepreises der Europastadt Görlitz/Zgorzelec.