Decision on Universities of Excellence

Bonn (dpa) – Eleven German universities and university alliances may in future use the coveted title of “University of Excellence”. After a long selection process, on 19 July a board consisting of academics and politicians chose the best universities. The title of “University of Excellence” goes hand in hand with additional government funding worth millions.

“Home is where I feel at ease”

“For me, home is the place where I feel at ease, where my friends are, where I like returning to most after I’ve been away for a few days.  And that’s Frankfurt. I like to sit on the banks of the River Main and watch the river. I only have a few memories of Iran, my parents’ home, things like blossoming trees. I think more often of Würselen, a small town in the far west of Germany. That’s where I spent my youth. When I’m on my way to Brussels, I like to stop off there.”

How Germany watched the Moon Landing on TV in 1969

Why we need to talk about home

Can we still talk about home nowadays? Or is it a term used especially by populists who demonize everything that is unfamiliar? Perhaps because politicians, feuilleton writers and academics have neglected the topic for so long? We need to start talking about home right now, without the typical pathos, and without belittling it as a consolation prize for the globalization losers.

#SeeYouInGermany: Here is our winner

The waiting is over! In our #SeeYouInGer competition we asked you a few weeks ago on Instagram to tell us what Germany means to you. We promised to take one of you on an awesome trip to Berlin. And you delivered! We received about 300 messages: some emotional, some funny, some inspiring – all of them unique and very moving. It was a really difficult decision, but the jury picked a lucky winner.

Showing a presence on the street

Professor Mathias Albert is a youth researcher at Bielefeld University. In our interview, he analyses the reasons for the youth protest movements in Germany and their chances of success.