Cultural Events
On Monday afternoon (28th June) a guided tour of the city gives you a first impression of the “Cosmos of Weimar” (approx. 2 hours). You will not only visit ‘obligatory highlights’ such as Goethe’s and Schiller’s houses, the castle, the German National Theatre and Herder’s church, but also learn many unusual facts, for instance, why Johann Sebastian Bach was arrested for a couple of days by the Duke, or that Marlene Dietrich studied in Weimar for one semester. You will see where the Bauhaus was founded in 1919 and where great writers and composers lived and worked as well as their final place of rest in the historic cemetery. And you can see both wonderful examples of architectural classicism as well as administrative buildings from the Nazi era.
As dusk falls over the Museuspark (as it was coined in a fairytale from the “classical period”), the first celebration begins: the opening evening features an international buffet. Extending the German saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” to the field of intercultural understanding, we invite all course participants to bring and present typical culinary delights from their homeland.
On Thursday evening (1st July) the first open-air film evening in the Museuspark (just in front of your accommodation) will be organised. Weather and interest permitting, we will present further film evenings during the course beginning with current German films.
On Friday evening (2nd July), you are invited to a singing-evening around the camp fire. As with common meals, singing together brings people together in an entirely different way than the seminars can. Keen singers can begin practising at home and songs from your homeland are particularly welcome!
Finally, on Sunday morning (4th July) you have a well-earned day of rest and a chance to gather your impressions after an intensive week full of new experiences. In the afternoon we offer a facultative guided tour of the Memorial to the former Concentration Camp in Buchenwald outside Weimar. It stands as a reminder of the darker chapter of German history, but may help you understand the German culture, and possibly your own culture a little better, or at least in a new light.
On Monday afternoon (5th July) we will organise a Thuringian barbecue evening. You will get to know the internationally-renowned “Thüringer Bratwürste” (Thuringian sausage). Vegetarian sausages and steaks will also be on offer (though every Thuringian will tell you they are infinitely inferior to the real thing). Jokes aside, vegetarian and Muslim fare will be available throughout the entire two week course.
On Wednesday evening (7th July), we convene for another open-air film evening in the Museuspark.
On the final day, (9th July) the courses draw to a close. After a discussion and analysis of the individual courses, we will come together for a last celebration. Who knows when we will meet again?