During our Orientationweek, our students also had the change to participate in an exclusive tour through the Haus der Bürgerschaft, organized by the International Office of the University of Bremen.
from left to right: Alex, Kate and Haley
On 9th September 1966, the Haus der Bürgerschaft was inaugurated as the seat of the Bremen Parliament (Bremische Bürgerschaft). The state parliament of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen still meets here today and passes or amends laws for Bremen and Bremerhaven. (Source)
During the tour, our students learned more about the architecture and history of the building, as well as about Bremen’s state parliament.
If you want to find out more about Bremen’s State Parliament, find more information about it here in English or in German.
We would like to thank the International Office for organizing this tour!
On Sunday, we did a spontaneous little trip to Bremen-Vegesack, which lies in the north of Bremen, where the Lesum River meets the Weser. Around 400 years ago, Germany’s first artificial harbour was constructed here, and today Vegesack is still known for its Harbour. The bronze statue of a whale jaw as well as the “Whale fins in the waves” sculpture that can be found on the Weser promenade of the “Vegesacker Hafen” (Harbour) are a memorial to the historical whaling tradition and the “whaling town” of Vegesack.
Bronze statue of a whale jaw
We explored the promenade of the harbour as well as the “Vegefest”, a neighborhood festival in Vegesack that takes place every year at the beginning of fall. We explored the artistic flea market in the city center, tried some traditional “Schmalzkuchen” and listened to a local band playing American bluegrass, country and blues Music.
The weather was – in a typical Bremen way – a bit rainy, but that did not stop us from having a fun afternoon.
With a very generous donation from a Dickinson Alum, six Dickinson students were able to afford a weekend trip to Tübingen, Germany. While there, we were able explore the city and visit Professor McGaughey, a Dickinson Professor currently on sabbatical.
On Friday afternoon after we finally arrived, Professor McGaughey gave us a quick tour of her favorite places to grab a drink and helped get us oriented with the city. We ended our evening with Professor McGaughey at the Neckarmüller Biergarten, which sits right along the bank of the Neckar River.
from left to right: Ellen, Professor McGaughey, Crosby, Olivia, Isabel, Delaney, Makayla
We started our Saturday by taking the Regional Tram to Bebenhausen, a small village just outside of Tübingen, famous for its rich history and beautiful Klöster (monasteries). Naturally, we toured the Klöster and learned lots about the local history.
from left to right: current Dickinson in Bremen students Olivia, Makayla, Delaney, Isabel, Ellen and Crosby
Afterwards, we met with Professor McGaughey and her Stepmother, to learn about the Tafel in Tübingen, a foodbank where young people often volunteer. Next, we moved onto a city tour. We hiked up a large hill to the University of Tübingen, where we got to look over the city and take in the sights of some of its most important and historically significant locations.
from left to right: Crosby, Delaney, Isabel, Professor McGaughey, Olivia, Makayla, Ellen
Sunday morning, we took one more turn about the city and explored the Hölderlin tower, a building famous for being the place of residence of famous poets, most notably Friedrich Hölderlin. Although the trip was short, with the help of Professor McGaughey we received an exclusive look into life in Tübingen and had a ton of fun in the process.
Thanks to a generous donation to our program, Crosby and I had the opportunity to travel to Berlin for a long weekend. Despite the very hot weather, we were able to see many of Berlin’s important buildings and museums. We did many of the “traditional” things to do when in Berlin, like visiting the East Side Gallery or the Brandenburger Tor. But we also visited places like the Schwules Museum and even climbed to the top of the Berliner Dom! Our trip was rich in history and culture, and we hope we can go back to explore Berlin again sometime in the future.
Crosby and I at the Brandenburger Tor, the first monument we visited. East Side Gallery: It was moving to think about the East Germans who were shot at that Wall when they tried to overcome it to flee to the West.Berliner DomCrosby at the top of the Berliner Dom.Crosby “shaking hands” with the SED at the DDR Museum.Me in front of the Spree and the Alte Nationalgalerie!
During our Vienna excursion, we had the chance to experience a special object presentation at the Austrian National Library during which we were allowed to browse through books from various centuries.
Watch our newest Youtube clip to get some impressions:
At the beginning of March, we spent seven days in Vienna on our academic excursion.
At the United Nations in Vienna from left to right: Crosby, Olivia, Nina, Dr Ludwig, Delaney, Naomi, Ellen, Isabel, Walker, Makayla, Antonia
Our Full year and Spring students shared some of their impressions and favorite sights.
“The best thing about Vienna was the vast number of art and cultural museums to visit, especially with the student discount!” – Nina Grafton ’26
Gustav Klimt – der Kuss (the Kiss)
Inside the Imperial Treasury
“I really liked seeing all the beautiful architecture in Vienna, from the castles to the cathedrals. If you’re not looking up in Vienna, you’re really missing out. Furthermore, the art we got to see at the museums we visited was really special. I particularly liked the art of Gustav Klimt we got to see. And, of course, the Falco musical was a classic.” – Crosby Wilkin ’26
in front of Schönbrunn Palace: Olivia, Nina, Makayla, Delaney, Naomi, Antonia, Ellen, Walker, Isabel, Crosby
“This trip to Vienna was a great opportunity to see things that I probably wouldn’t have done if I had gone there alone. My favorite thing was definitely the Rock Me Amadeus musical because I’m already a big fan of musicals and it was a very fun way to practice my German!” – Delaney Bright ’26
Rock Me Amadeus – das Falco Musical
“Wandering through Vienna felt like I was walking through a history book of classical music. It was fascinating to see how spaces occupied by great composers are now occupied with more modern musical productions, like when we saw Rock Me Amadeus in the historical Theater Ronacher.” – Olivia Ammon ’26
“There was so much beautiful art in and out of museums, and I loved getting a peek at the fancy horses at the Spanische Hofreitschule!” – Isabel Ames ’26
historical books in the National Library
the National Library
“I liked walking around Vienna and visiting the Vienna Actionism Museum (WAM) and Leopold Museum. But my favorite part overall was visiting Bratislava and learning more about Slovakia.” – Naomi Mathewson ’26
Bratislava Castletraditional Slovak cuisine for lunchCity center of Bratislava
“Vienna is a beautiful and historically rich city; even over the course of a busy week, there are too many fascinating sights and museums to visit in one trip.” – Ellen Boldt ’26
Inside Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
“I loved visited Vienna because it was exciting discovering the similarities and differences between German and Austrian culture.” – Makayla McCloskey ’26
“I definitely appreciated Vienna’s history the most, from medieval structures like Stephan’s Dome and crypts to more modern ones like Schönbrunn palace.” – Walker Green ’26
In the context of Dr. Ludwig’s course on comparing German and American culture, the students of the seminar had the opportunity to visit the “Deutsches Auswandererhaus” (German Emigration Center) in Bremerhaven. Marie, a student from Dr. Ludwig’s seminar, briefly summarized the visit for us:
A rebuild of the Bremerhaven quay.
“Today we went to the Deutsche Auswanderungshaus (German Emigration Center) in Bremerhaven with a small group of students. In advance, each member of the group received an emigrant’s card so we were able to follow their individual story.”
“The stories are the experiences of people who really existed. Our journey into the past began in 1888. That’s when many people in Hamburg, Rotterdam and Bremerhaven began their journey to a new world. In total, seven million people emigrated during the 19th and 20th century. The starting point was the quay in Bremerhaven, which brought many emigrants to New York. It was an exciting journey into the past and certainly created some food for thought.”
After our trip to Vienna in March, our Spring students now had the great opportunity to do a second excursion. Our destination: Berlin.
Exploring the Tempelhofer Feld.
Gabe, Grear and Riley at Tempelhofer Feld.
Vanderbilt student Grear says: “Berlin was both one of the most unique and diverse cities that Germany has had to offer me. It gave me the opportunity to experience fascinating European history alongside rich international culture.”
In between museum visits, theater plays, and sightseeing, the students had some free time to explore the city on their own. Gabe McGough finds that “even in a short amount of time, you can find so much cool stuff in Germany just by walking around!”
On our last full day, we did a day trip to the city of Weimar. This was Abby’s favorite part of the excursion: “It was so interesting to learn about how many important moments in German history took place in that quaint little town. The juxtaposition between its importance in classical literature and its Holocaust related history was especially striking.”
The Duchess Anna Amalia library in Weimar.
Painting of Goethe at work at the Goethe museum in Weimar.
At the end of the day, our excursion was a great success, or, in Riley Robinson’s words:“Between nightly adventures within the vibrant Friedrichshain district, being left in awe of the immense historical implications of Checkpoint Charlie, and exploring unique locations such as the abandoned Tempelhof Airport, the week in Berlin left me with one realization: I am not getting into Berghain.”
