Wednesday Academy and Hanseakademie start the winter semester
The new program of the Wednesday Academy and Hanseatic Academy of the University of Siegen in the winter semester 2025/26 shows how important education and exchange are for understanding social developments. Whether politics, religion, history or technology - in times when democracy, peace and understanding of values are being put to the test worldwide, the two educational series of the University of Siegen once again invite you to think about backgrounds, understand connections and gain orientation.
The winter semester will be officially opened on November 12, 2025 at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Kulturhaus Lÿz (St.-Johann-Straße, Siegen). Prof. Dr. Peter Schallenberg (Schools of Theology, Paderborn) will give the keynote speech on the topic: "Virtues in democracy. The political relevance of Christianity".
The semester program is wide-ranging - from scientific topics such as quantum computing (Prof. Dr. Alexander Lenz), literature, sociology, history and musicology to computer science (program: www.uni-siegen.de/mittwochsakademie). The series comprises a total of 17 seminars at the Siegen, Olpe and Attendorn locations as well as a guided tour of the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen on January 15, 2026 (4 p.m., MGK, Unteres Schloss 1). The Wednesday Academy seminars start on November 19, 2025 in Siegen (Obergraben 23) and Olpe (Franziskanerstraße 8). They will take place on Wednesdays until February 4, 2026 (canceled dates: December 24 and 31). The Hanseakademie in Attendorn starts on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and runs until February 3, 2026 (canceled dates: December 23 and 30).
Both series of events are aimed at anyone interested in current scientific, cultural and social issues. There are no admission requirements for the Wednesday Academy or Hanseatic Academy. The administration fee is 100 euros per semester. Participants in the Wednesday Academy can apply for guest auditor status at no additional cost. No advance registration is necessary for the Wednesday Academy in Siegen and Olpe. Lists of participants will be available on the first day of the event. Registration is required for the Hanseakademie.
Insights into the program
In Siegen, Prof. Dr. Stefan Kutzner will continue his series of seminars on the Middle East. Between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m., his seminar title is "Reasons for the Middle East conflict: The Arab Revolt of 1936 and the refugee problem from different perspectives". Prof. Dr. Rainer Elkar will deal with the topic "Poverty and Inequality: A History from Below" from 10:45 - 12:15. Prof. Dr. Theodora Hantos will take participants on a historical journey: "From Phrygia to the Indus; The Seleucid Empire between West and East". The gigantic empire of the Seleucids, which encompassed Alexander the Great's conquests from the north of Asia Minor to India, had no natural borders. The vastness of the Eurasian continent connected the Greeks and Macedonians with the peoples of India and China via the ancient cultural empires of the Near East and the Persians. In Siegen and Olpe, Prof. Dr. Michael Bongardt (Philosophy) is offering a seminar on the subject of "The dead live longer. On old and new myths".
In Olpe, Dr. Axel Diller will deal with the "Genius of Childhood", or more precisely with the early works of great composers of classical music. Dr. Bernd Schulte pleads for a rediscovery of the literary culture of the Baltic States.
The program of the Hanseakademie in Attendorn includes three seminars, including a ten-part course by Prof. Dr. Rainer Elkar: "Pleasure Food: A European Cultural History". Two further five-part seminars are dedicated to music and modern technology: Dr. Axel Diller "French suites, Hungarian dances and more - music from other countries in the works of great classical composers", Dr. Christian Weber poses the question of the role of AI in everyday life, education and medicine in "Quo vadis artificial intelligence?".
