Heidelberg Circle (Lecture Society)

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The Heidelberger Kreis is a student community founded in 1946 at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg . It has set itself the goal of creating the framework for an interdisciplinary and non-partisan exchange of ideas among students. In addition, there are weekly lectures by speakers from all disciplines, which are then discussed in a small group.

history

After the end of the Second World War , a group of students who had returned to Heidelberg set up weekly roundtables to process what they had experienced and to exchange their own visions for the future. The official founding date was May 15, 1946. In the summer semester of 1946, lectures were held for the first time. The resulting circle of friends based the evenings on common goals: party-political and religious neutrality, the development of democratic structures and the promotion of European unification. In 1947 the district gave itself a formal constitution that was supposed to guarantee its continued existence. The form of coexistence in a student association was modified in that efforts were made to combine elements of student tradition with the demands for a modern, cosmopolitan, democratic society. A strictly hierarchical system was deliberately avoided. They clearly distanced themselves from classic elements of a connection.

In the years that followed, friendly relationships developed with similarly structured societies at other universities, such as the Bremen Society in Freiburg , the Göttingen Society Max Eyth, and the Bonn district. In 1955, a joint umbrella organization, the so-called Presidential Convention, was founded. In the 1960s, when the influences of the war and the founding generation subsided, the focus was increasingly on other topics and the lecture evenings were based on current topics and the interests of the members. From the mid-1970s on, female students could also be accepted into the circle. Around the same time, a wing of the Palais Weimar at Hauptstrasse 235 was acquired as the seat of the Heidelberg district.

The members of the Heidelberger Kreis have lived in the Friesenberg 4–6 cultural monument since the beginning of 2019. The property leased by the state of Baden-Württemberg was extensively renovated and offers living space for eleven students. In the Friesenberg library, the public and free lectures continue to take place during the semester.

Lectures

The Heidelberger Kreis differs from many other student associations in that the focus of joint activities is on the lecture evenings. More than 1,000 lectures have taken place since 1952. Many of the lectures are given by professors from Heidelberg University, but there are also regular speakers who are known nationwide. Among other things, the following spoke in the Heidelberger Kreis in recent years:

  • 1954: Fritz Rau (jazz musician and concert organizer) about jazz on his own behalf
  • 1999: Frank Schirrmacher (FAZ co-editor and feature editor) on the Walser-Bubis debate
  • 2004: Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager (survivor of the men of July 20, 1944) on his way into the resistance
  • 2008: Hilmar Kopper (former CEO of Deutsche Bank) on aspects of globalization
  • 2008: Thomas Gsella (satirist) on satirical poetry and prose
  • 2010: Steffen Seibert (journalist and government spokesman) about my work as a UNICEF ambassador
  • 2017: Bernhard Schlink (law professor and author)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Art. 1 of the statutes of the Heidelberger Kreis i. d. F. dated September 12, 1991
  2. ^ Heidelberg: A new student residence is being built on Friesenberg. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  3. ↑ heidelberg.de - May 16, 2018 Science - Culture - Politics - Society: Heidelberger Kreis eV organizes lectures on current topics. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  4. ^ Heidelberg: A new student residence is being built on Friesenberg. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Heidelberg: Comfortable student stalls near the castle. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  6. ↑ heidelberg.de - May 16, 2018 Science - Culture - Politics - Society: Heidelberger Kreis eV organizes lectures on current topics. Retrieved November 11, 2019 .
  7. ^ Lectures in the Heidelberger Kreis from 1952. Website of the Heidelberger Kreis, accessed on January 14, 2019 . (PDF file; 164 kB)

literature

  • Gerhard Berger: Weiland Bursch in Heidelberg. A commemorative publication by the Heidelberg Corporations for the 600th anniversary of Ruperto Carola. Heidelberger Verlagsanstalt u. Printer, Heidelberg 1987, ISBN 3920431634

Web links