Festival week in Clausthal: Discover the stars and the Bergakademie!

Festival week in Clausthal: Discover the stars and the Bergakademie!

On June 16, 2025, a festival week will take place at the Clausthal University of Technology with the motto "Exploring interesting facts. From the mountains to the stars". This event offers a variety of activities for the public and shows the diverse connection between science and tradition.

Visitors have the opportunity to observe the sun at the St. Andreasberg Observatory, take part in an escape room and visit the exhibition “10 Objects on the History of the Mining Academy”. Guided themed walks are also offered. The event will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and anyone interested is welcome.

Cultural highlights and opening ceremony

The festival week began with an opening concert in the Marktkirche on Sunday, where more than 500 visitors came together. University President Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Schattauer welcomed those present and introduced the performance of “The Creation” by Joseph Haydn. The concert was organized by the TU Clausthal Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Saša Davidović and the university choir under the direction of Carolin Hlusiak. Soloists such as Johanna Neß (soprano), Wolfgang Klose (tenor) and Johannes Schwarz (bass) also contributed to the successful performance.

A particularly celebrated event of the week was the mining history colloquium, which took place on Saturday, June 14th. The focus was on the topic “250 years of mining teaching in the Harz”. The event was organized by several institutions, including the Clausthal University of Technology, the Clausthal-Zellerfeld Technical School for Economics and Technology as well as the Lower Saxony State Archives and the Roter Bär St. Andreasberg teaching mine. The participants' reactions were consistently positive.

The importance of Clausthal University of Technology

Clausthal University of Technology has immense historical significance for education in the field of mining sciences. Its roots go back to a time when studies primarily included practical and technical and scientific aspects. This is in line with developments in German university history, which has its origins in medieval higher education. The first German universities emerged in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, with the oldest university in Heidelberg being founded in 1386. The founding of the University of Berlin in 1810 by Wilhelm von Humboldt was a pivotal moment for the entire German higher education system.

Until 1945, the higher education system in Germany experienced various phases characterized by structural changes and reforms. The Bologna Declaration of 1999 placed emphasis on the creation of a European higher education area, which increased the internationalization and flexibility of German universities.

Overall, the festival week at TU Clausthal not only shows the university's commitment to teaching and research, but also the rich history that shapes it and the ongoing challenges that universities have to face today. Further information about the event and the offers is available online.

For more details please visit: TU Clausthal, Clausthal University Library and Federal Agency for Civic Education.