When veneration becomes a tribute, a goddess gains unexpected relevance in modern times: this is the case with Minerva, the Roman patron saint of crafts, wisdom, fine arts and once the patron saint of Juliacum. A 10-centimeter-high statuette of Minerva was found in a field between Kirchberg and Bourheim. It was acquired from private ownership in 1992 by the Förderverein Museum, then known as the Förderverein Kulturhaus, and donated to the museum as an inaugural gift. “Minerva” immediately became the cover picture – as a suitable symbolic figure for the museum of a town with history and research. But the association did more than that: its chairman, Prof. Joachim Treusch, had replicas cast in collaboration with the Research Center and RWTH Aachen University and created the Minerva Prize. It honors people and institutions who have made a special contribution to Jülich and the region at the interface between culture, science and business. Every two years at the end of the year, this is a high-ranking social event in Jülich.
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