Wikimedia CEE Hub/Microgrants/Applications 2025/MG-26

statusfunded

A photowalk of Azerbaijan's German heritage

The activities of Germans in this region deserve high recognition, and preserving their cultural heritage is our duty. I hope that some of the monuments we photograph will later receive historical monument status.

targetCommons, Wikidata

proposed start date6 December

proposed end date20 December

budget (EUR)685 EUR

grant typegroup of individuals

applicant• Fedirer

This is a generated Meta-Wiki page by the CEE Hub Staff. The page was copied from the specific Google Form, where grantees has submitted their application for the CEE Hub Microgrant programme. Please do not make any changes. Use the discussion page for your feedback.

Basic information

You are applying as

Group of individuals

Your name(s)/Organisation name

Farid Gurbanov, Shikhi Yusub

Your username(s)

Fedirer, Tanrıtay

What is your role in the movement?

Editor

If you are a part of a WM community, please state its name here

none

Have you applied for any Wikimedia Foundation grant or any other grant before?

No

Name of your proposed microgrant project

A photowalk of Azerbaijan's German heritage

Proposed start date of the project

6 December 2025

Proposed end date of the project

20 December 2025

In which CEE country/ies will the project activities be implemented?

Azerbaijan

Project information

What is the main goal of your project?

The first German colonies in Azerbaijan were established in the 1810s. These Germans mostly came from the Kingdom of Württemberg. They founded several settlements on the territory of Azerbaijan. Among these colonies, the towns of Annenfeld (Shamkir) and Helenendorf (Goygol) stand out in particular. These towns have survived to this day. In the mentioned towns, there are hundreds of houses and two churches built in the style of 19th-century German architecture. In addition, German cemeteries, bridges built by them, as well as buildings with special purposes, have been preserved.
However, the worst part is that there are very few photographs of these buildings and towns on Wikimedia Commons. It should be noted that all these Germans were evicted from their homes and deported by the Soviet authorities during World War II. Thus, for almost 100 years, Germans have not lived in these towns, but their architecture and culture still endure.
Unfortunately, although these two towns have preserved hundreds of 19th-century historical monuments in the German architectural style, only a very small part of them (12 sites) are included in the list of historical architectural monuments of Azerbaijan. From the town of Shamkir, only the German Lutheran Church is on this list, while from Goygol there are only 11 buildings. Even the buildings that have been granted historical monument status have no photographs on Wikimedia Commons.
That is why we want to organize a “Photowalk” in these towns and document the historical monuments. The activities of Germans in this region deserve high recognition, and preserving their cultural heritage is our duty. I hope that some of the monuments we photograph will later receive historical monument status.

Describe which activities you plan to implement

Together with my friends, we will take a multi-day trip to the mentioned towns. During our journey, we will photograph historical monuments. Then, after returning to Baku, we will upload these photographs to Wikimedia Commons. Based on the images uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, we will create new categories and Wikidata items.

Describe your team

For a long time, I mainly focused on writing and translating articles on Wikipedia. While studying in Germany, I learned about the Germans who once lived in Azerbaijan. I told every German friend I knew there about these Germans in Azerbaijan. However, I could not provide them with complete information about the towns and historical monuments I spoke of, since there is very little information on this topic both in Wikipedia and on Wikimedia Commons.
Tanrıtay has also been contributing to Wikipedia for many years. We met when I was in Baku. I believe that within the framework of this project, we will be able to accomplish much more together. Judging by his articles, I know that he is also deeply interested in the topic of monuments.

For which Wikimedia projects is the project relevant? For which communities is the project relevant? What is your target group?

We will mainly work on Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata. I hope that the photographs we upload will, in the future, attract the attention of people both in Azerbaijan and beyond, increasing the tourist flow to the region. This, in turn, will boost the income of local residents and ensure the long-term preservation of the monuments.

Do you have any metrics for the proposed grant proposal? If yes, please fill in the number of participants, editors, organisers and content contributions (Wikipedia articles, Wikimedia Commons images, Wikidata items, etc.)

Overall, we are confident that we will photograph all 12 of the mentioned historical monuments, as well as dozens of buildings not included in the list of historical monuments. In addition, two of these historical buildings house museums. We will take and upload photographs of the exhibits located there as well. In total, we will upload more than 500 photographs of 15 historical sites (including 2 museums) to Wikimedia Commons and create dozens of categories on Wikimedia Commons.

Financial information

What is the amount that you are requesting for this grant proposal?

685 EUR

Please provide the budget of your grant proposal

Expense type	Expense details	Number of Units	Unit Price	Expense Total
Travel	Transportation cost (train, taxi)	1	€250.00	€250.00
Accommodation	Hotel (2 people, 3 days)	1	€285.00	€285.00
Food	Food expenses (2 people, 3 days)	1	€150.00	€150.00
TOTAL				685.00

Other

Any additional comments or remarks about your project

I am grateful for the project. I hope my project will be accepted.