Gießener Manisch: UNESCO recognizes min language as a cultural heritage!

Gießener Manisch: UNESCO recognizes min language as a cultural heritage!

On April 4, 2025, the Gießener Manisch was officially appointed the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO as part of the Rotwelsch dialects. This significant award was initiated by the city of Gießen and found broad support in the Hessian population. Mayor Frank-Tilo Becher (SPD) described the recognition as "Latscho Message" and underlined the role of manic as an identification feature for casting. The manic, a colloquial name for the Jenic language, grew from a secret language of social marginalized groups to a symbol of the common identity of the Gießen population.

Timon Gremmels, Hesse's Minister of Art and Culture (SPD), emphasized that the language was part of the lively culture in the region. He praised the commitment of the citizens to preserve the tradition of manic, which is spoken in the districts of Eulenkopf, Margaretenhütte and rubber island. Manically not only tells of the history of the city, but also led through the cultural heritage of the persecuted minorities such as Jewish, Jenische, Sinti and Roma communities.

background and application for recognition

The application for the recognition of the Gießen manic was submitted in autumn 2023 by Klaus Siewert, a linguist and founder of the International Society for Special Spragon Research. The city of Gießen supported this application and argued that the manic has become an important identity feature from a secret language for socially disadvantaged. These dialects, which belong to the Gießen manic, convey not only language skills, but also cultural knowledge that is passed on for generations.

The Gießen Manisch now received the same status as renowned German traditions, including the Rheinische Carnival and the cider culture. Since the 1970s it has been playing an increasingly important role in various media forms and is shown on graffiti, T-shirts, cups and postcards in the city. In the coming time, a permanent exhibition will be planned in the Museum for Gießen, which presents stories, songs and language examples of the manic.

The Redwelsch dialects in the context

The Rotwelsch dialects have been recognized as a cultural form and intangible cultural heritage, which shows how dynamic the linguistic traditions are in Germany. This form of language originally emerged as a secret way of communication in marginalized groups and consists of German, West Jiddish, Romani and other influences. The entries in the state inventory of North Rhine-Westphalia and the nomination for the nationwide list of intangible cultural heritage demonstrate the growing interest in this cultural heritage.

A UNESCO convention of 2003 initially represented an obstacle to recognition, since "languages" could not be recognized as an intangible cultural heritage. But the possibilities of learning and expression that these dialects offer were finally taken into account in a reassessment. From 2025, the International Society for Special Lecturer Research will award a prize for the "best innovative form of action to preserve the Kulturform Rotwelsch dialects" in order to honor the efforts to preserve this language.