Ernst Reuter Day 2025
The celebratory event for this year's Ernst Reuter Day, the founding anniversary of Freie Universität Berlin, will take place on Decemer 4, 2025, at the Henry Ford Building.
Schedule of Events:
3:00 p.m. Award Ceremony: Ernst Reuter Prizes for Outstanding Doctoral Theses
5:00 p.m. Anniversary Celebration of Freie Universität Berlin's Founding
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Opening remarks by Professor Günter M. Ziegler
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Keynote speech by writer Carolin Emcke: "Varianten der Unfreiheit" (Variants of Unfreedom)
We live in times where civil liberties are being eroded, restricted, and dismantled. A wide variety of justifications are being used as a pretense to weaken the freedom of science and art, the right to assemble and protest, and ultimately critical thinking itself. What remains of democracy if it does not protect questioning and criticism, truth and knowledge?
Both events will be held in German. Translation and interpretation services will not be provided. Please register in advance to attend.
For further information please consult the invitation leaflet.
Carolin Emcke
Image Credit: Andreas Labes
Freie Universität Berlin was founded on December 4, 1948, by students, scholars, and scientists with the support of the American allied forces and politicians in Berlin. Students and academics wanted to be free to pursue their learning, teaching, and research activities at Freie Universität, without being subject to political influence. To a large part, the founding can be credited to the efforts of then-mayor Ernst Reuter.
Every year, Freie Universität therefore celebrates its founding with the so-called Ernst Reuter Day. The university community, alumni, friends, and supporters of the university come together to celebrate this day.
On this occasion, Freie Universität honors distinguished junior researchers for their work. Most notably, the Ernst Reuter Prize, endowed by the Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft, is awarded to young scholars and scientists at Freie Universität for outstanding dissertation projects.
