Prominent Visitors

Freie Universität Berlin attracts prominent visitors from around the world. Influential personalities visit our campus through several kinds of events, such as the Freedom Award of Freie Universität Berlin, the Hegel Lecture, or the conferral of honorary doctorates. Here we highlight just a few of our more recent visitors.

Margot Friedlander

Holocaust survivor 97-year-old Margot Friedlander accepted an invitation to read from her autobiography and speak with students at Freie Universität

Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in the Henry Ford Building at Freie Universität.

Filippo Grandi

High Commissioner of the UN Refugee Agency delivered keynote address at Freie Universität Berlin

Herta Müller

Nobel laureate in literature, Herta Müller, was the featured speaker at Freie Universität’s 70th anniversary celebration.

Han Myeong-Sook

At the first Kim Dae Jung Lecture at Free University, former South Korean Prime Minister Han Myeong-Sook spoke about the peace process on the Korean peninsula.

Dilma Rousseff

Economist Dilma Rousseff, a former President of Brazil, shared her expertise at Freie Universität.

Frank-Walter Steinmaier

At Freie Universität German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with students and researchers who came to Berlin as refugees.

Orhan Pumuk

In this year's Szondi Lecture, Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk talked about the Museum of Innocence.

Bernie Sanders

U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders gave a speech at Freie Universität.

Liu Yandong

The Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu Yandong visited Freie Universität in November 2016.

Hélène Cixous

The French writer and philosopher Hélène Cixous held the 2016 Hegel Lecture at Freie Universität.

Frank-Walter Steinmaier

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was a guest at Freie Universität to mark the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United Nations.

Hayden White

The highly regarded American historian and literary scholar Professor Hayden White was granted an honorary doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin.

Wolfgang Junge

Physicist Wolfgang Junge was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin.

Carolyn Bertozzi

Professor Carolyn Bertozzi from the University of California at Berkeley was awarded an honorary doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin.

Carla Del Ponte

The lawyer, former chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, and campaigner for justice Carla Del Ponte was awarded a Freedom Award from Freie Universität.

Thomas Südhof

The Henry Ford Building was filled to the last seat as Stanford professor Thomas Südhof gave an entertaining and personal presentation retracing his way to the Nobel Prize.

Verónica Schild

In her inaugural lecture as the first International Network Visiting Professor of Gender Studies, Schild addressed the issue of emancipation under conditions of neoliberal capitalism.

Daniel Barenboim

Conductor, pianist, and music director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin: Daniel Barenboim is one of the best known musicians of our time.

Michael J. Sandel

Recently at Freie Universität Michael J. Sandel addressed the issue "What Money Can't Buy."

Nancy Fraser

Nancy Fraser, one of the world’s most influential intellectuals of our time, is an Einstein Visiting Fellow at Freie Universität’s Graduate School of North American Studies.

George M. Whitesides

Professor George M. Whitesides from Harvard University in Cambridge, USA, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin.

Edward Zajac

Professor Edward Zajac from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago was awarded an honorary doctorate from Freie Universitat Berlin.

Homi K. Bhabha

The literary scholar and cultural theorist Homi K. Bhabha was awarded an honorary doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin.

Paul Krugman

A recent guest lecture on "The Failure of Crisis Management," given by Princeton economist Paul Krugman, attracted a large audience.

Mary Robinson

The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former Irish President was honored with the Freedom Award of Freie Universität.

Judith Butler

More than 2000 guests crowded into the Max Kade Auditorium and several lecture halls to hear Judith Butler, one of the most influential social scientists of the present, speak on "Frames of War."

Slavoj Žižek

The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek enthusiastically addressed the issue "Is it Still Possible to be a Hegelian Today?"