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Our Next Events

German 

September 6

Guided tour in English for the students of the
Academic Year in Freiburg (AYF). Guests are welcome.

Historic Places in Freiburg

Meeting place Rathausplatz (Bertold Schwarz Fountain) at 10 a.m.

13. September

Reception for the Students of the
 Academic Year (AYF) in Freiburg 2017/2018

at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle at 6 p.m.

Looking Back

Reception for the Students of the Academic Year in Freiburg 2016/2017

at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle on September 14, 2016

Smiling Resident Director 2016/17 Sarah Fagan with smiling FMG's president and host Toni Schlegel

Young optimistic men

Black Forest Badgers' founder recruiting?

Don't look at the refurbished Schwabentor

Associate Director Ulli Struve in charming company

Sunset over Freiburg

No sunset but rather a sunrise ©JS

 8th International Meeting of Freiburg's Sister Cities on Rathausplatz 2015

Here is the link to the official flyer

In good spirits: Part of the dynamic crew serving the Madison booth

Visiting the booth: Important cheeseheads and concentrated student charm

We promoted American craftbeer brewed in the Freiburg region

The Madison team serving their city (©US)

The Black Forest Badgers on stage minus one and plus one (©US)

Not to be confused: Black Forest Badger (©US) and Wisconsin badger

Around Staufen 2014

FMG Hiking Tour on German Unity Day with the American Students

We meet at the streetcar stop Paula-Modersohn-Platz (Eis-Café Limette) at 10.30 a.m. for car pooling and drive to Staufen where we shall arrive at the big city parking lot close to the Schladerer distillery around 11 a.m.  

 From there we start our hiking tour to Grunern with a little drink at the Bären-Bad (Standort) and pass through the vineyards in the direction of Castellberg. On our way back we shall stop for a bite at the Probst-Strauße Schleifsteinhof above Grunern around 1 p.m. We return to Staufen and, as the case may be, we climb up to the castle. The return to Freiburg is scheduled for 3.30 p.m.

Before we left the Staufen parking lot for the hiking tour  students, members of the FMG, and even the dog
 looked into the camera on this beautiful Altweibersommertag (Indian summer day).

At the Bioweingut Köpfer. Father and son greet the visitors (©US)

Seen on our way to the fermenting room. Beware. Although the motto is still correct, its orthography no longer is:
 Küß is now spelled küss, zerreißt keeps the ß but küßt again is now written küsst.

While son Köpfer explains the making of organic wine (©US) ...

... father Köpfer reads from the family history

Waiting in front of the Bären-Bad for the biological grown Gutedel wine
and Hefezopf (challah) FMG-President Toni had generously prepared (©US)

The refreshments were well taken before the long march to the Castellberg (©US)

There was adequate supply

On our way to the Probst-Strauße Schleifsteinhof above Grunern we passed a Baden totem pole

At the Strauße the girls were ordering the food ...

... while others were waiting for it with some even taking a nap (©US) ...

... and the boys all happy that bread was already served

Alliterated students in Staufen

Sailing on a Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday, September 14, Till Klump, owner of the Segelschule Schluchsee, member of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft, and former exchange student at Madison University, generously invited the students of the AYF 2014/2015 to a sailing trip on the lake up in the Schwarzwald mountains. This artificial reservoir even contains water from the river Rhine that is pumped up 600 meters producing electricity when flowing back.   Thank you so much Till for such a beautiful sailing experience on a Sunday afternoon.

A group photo before ...

...putting on the life jackets

Till Klump welcomes the students of the AYF 2014/2015 (©US)

Focussing the iPhone (©US)

Sailing away (©US)

Klar zur Wende! Knowledgeable hands at the Pinne and ree

Hey, we are faster (©US)

Ashore again (©US)

Historic Places in Freiburg

As in previous years the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft offered two events for the newly arrived students of the Academic Year in Freiburg 2014/2015.  On September 10, at 10 a.m. a guided tour of Freiburg in English started at the Bertold Schwarz Fountain:

Explaining Freiburg's (empty) Bächle (©GvS)

In the late afternoon the tour was followed by the traditional

Reception at the Greiffeneggschlössle

Slowly but surely the party got into higher gear (©HP)

In the absence of FMG's president Toni Schlegel vice president Frauke Feix welcomed the AYF-students
who in the beginning were looking rather seriously

When she charmingly invited the students to participate in FMG's activities some timid smiles appeared

In addition our local partner the Carl-Schurz-Haus advertised its program

Some of the guests have never left Freiburg others are back (©US)

The students had lots of fun too (©HP)

Beautiful sunshine at the terrasse of the Greiffeneggschlössle (©HP)

 In the background two long-term Freiburg building sites,
the Schwabentor and the steeple of the Münster church (©HP)

Ulli Struve, AYF's good spirit, enjoyed food, drink, and cheerful company (©HP).

Professor Helmut Puff, AYF's smiling resident director, in company with two attractive ladies from FMG's board

Yes, we remember it well

On January 29, 2014, Toni Schlegel invited the participants of the Freiburg visit to our sister city Madison in September 2013 to a post-meeting at the Greiffeneggschlössle. To refresh our memories Mr. Burger had made a movie, the Freiburg-Madisongesellschaft had prepared a slide show.

In watching Mr. Burger's excellent movie all our good memories came back

Some people were very amused

With a special guest from Madison the conversation was lively too

Others were still fascinated by the pictures shown

The Kastaniengarten Opened on January 7, 2014  !

What happens in Freiburg these days is well described by a spoofed text of one of those beautiful American ballads: It's spring in Freiburg, although chestnuts are not yet in blossom, Biergarten tables are served under those trees.

Yes, Toni opened his Kastaniengarten at the Greiffenegg and yesterday already people had their beers in the afternoon sun.

While Madisonians shiver at minus 26 C (- 15 F or 247 K) Freiburgers look for their t-shirts at an expected today's plus 19 C (66 F or 292 K). It's a strange new climate. Meteorologists say that the North Atlantic jet stream is oscillating.

For more details read the full story in German.

Enjoying the afternoon sun and beer at the Kastaniengarten (Both photos ©Badische Zeitung)

Distinguished Guests

Yesterday night (December 17, 2013) the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft had two distinguished guests at the Greiffeneggschlössle to share with them the traditional German goose.

We had an excellent time with Luanne and Mike. Thank you both as representatives of the Sister City Committee for all the work you and the Committee put in to make our stay in Madison last September such a memorable one.

Some participants took photos with their Handys (sorry smartphones). So did I
reflected in the mirror in the photo above.

Traditional Christmas Dinner 2013

 at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle on December 4, 2013 at 7 p.m.

Menu

Rillettes von der Gans auf Bauernbrot Feldsalat mit geröstetem Speck und Kartoffeldressing

 ***

 Consommé von der Gans mit Wurzelgemüse und Kerbelklösschen

 ***

 Knuspriger Gänsebraten mit Apfel-Rotkraut, Kartoffelknödel und glacierten Maronen

 ***

Topfentörtchen mit hausgemachten Rumtopffrüchten

Lively discussions with AYF students over a drink (©US)

Waiting for dinner with smiling students (©US)

Toni delivers his traditional speech ...

... with everybody attentively listening

Still waiting for the goose

Enter: The admired object of desire

We were singing our Christmas along with George

Did the photo come out alright? (©US)

FMG Hiking Tour on German Unity Day with the American Students (2013)

We met on Lorettoberg, Waldparkplatz  Spemannplatz and everybody was in good spirits in the warming sun of the Altweibersommer

Ladies in red and green.

The group photo of three generations ready to start.

First photo stop at the Rehbrunnen (©US).

Beautiful views on the Dreiländerweg (©US)

Luisenhöhe (©US)

Waiting for the gemütliche Vesper (©US).

The other side of the student's table (©US)

Some ordered Weißwurst with Brezel and sweet mustard, it's Oktoberfest time (©US)

View on the Black Forest from Luisenhöhe (©US).

Group shot at the Walterspiel Denkmal.

The group photo after a long walk. Only the third generation ist still full of energy.

Reception for the Students of the AYF 2013/2014 at the Greiffeneggschlössle

Great admiration for Toni Schlegel, President of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft (FMG), who had only arrived three hour ago from his trip to Madison and yet was ready to receive the 2013/2014 AYF students at his Greiffeneggschlössle.

There was food, drinks, and already a festive mood when Toni welcomed the guests of the FMG.

In his welcome address Toni invited the students to attend the monthly Stammtische of the FMG. Resident Director Senta Goertler likes the Currywurst served at the Greiffenegg.

Students and members of the FMG had good conversations in the relaxed atmosphere of the Greiffeneggschlössle.

This English speaking Gentleman made the American students familiar with the educational possibilities
at Freiburg's Carl-Schurz-Haus.

Everybody knows by now that Ulli likes Kässpätzle.

More Green Students

Two years ago in June students from the University of Madison spent a month in Freiburg learning about Freiburg as a Green City. Yesterday on August 6, 2013, a new bunch lead by Ted Petith had to suffer from a historical Freiburg tour at 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Following a well deserved break in a beer garden they had to leave soon for a lecture on green housing in the Vauban district taking, what else, the number 3 streetcar.

Take a look at the gallery with photos of the

25th anniversary of the partnership between the two cities in Freiburg 2013

Nikolausabend 2012

This year MFG's traditional Christmas Dinner fell on Saint Nicholas Eve (December 5) where traditionally Sankt Nikolaus in company of Knecht Ruprecht hands out Apples (sorry apples), nuts, and sweets to children who had behaved well throughout the previous year.

You may read more about this German tradition on Wikipedia for our man of the evening was George von Savigny who had taken along one of his more than hundred guitars. Before he struck-up he told us not to confuse Santa Claus mit dem deutschen heiligen Nikolaus.

 After having well received this lesson we were invited to sing along. With the help of texts George had graciously prepared we sang both traditional American and German Christmas songs. George finished his presentation by getting his kicks on Route 66. The photos were taken by Friederike Schulte (©FS), Director of Freiburg's Carl-Schurz-Haus and me with our iPhones

FMG's president Toni Schlegel giving his dinner speech (©FS)

Friederike and AYF's Ulli Struve in high spirits

AYF's students and more (©FS)

Freiburg's Carl-Schurz-Haus turns 60

The anniversary celebration with invited guests took place in the Assembly Hall of the University of Freiburg on Thursday the 18th of October 2012 at 7 p.m.

The Dean the University of Freiburg His Magnificence Professor Dr. Jochen Schiewer welcomed the guests at his premises and underlined the many existing links between Freiburg’s university and universities in the States.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs Silke Krebs transmitted the congratulations of Baden-Württemberg’s government.

US Consul General Kevin C. Milas emphasized the good relations between Germany and the United States nourished by the devoted work of the Carl-Schurz-Haus.

Freiburg’s Lord Mayor Dr. Dieter Salomon had the audience share some of his personal recollections with the US
like how he and most Germans had reacted to the 9/11 horror with deep sympathy for the American people.

The Director of the Carl-Schurz Haus Friederike Schulte gave an overview of 60 years of history of the institute emphasizing the many ups and a few downs over the years

In his lecture Perspectives of Transatlantic Relations former German ambassador to the US
Dr. Klaus E. Scharioth underlined the common values both the US and Germany cherish like democracy and freedom but that there are still misunderstandings born out of differences in our history mentioning the different attitudes and approaches to the problems of environment and inflation.

The anniversary celebration was followed by a reception where many old friends met and exchanged good memories.

Hiking Tour on German Unity Day around the Schönberg
with the FMG and the American Students

Starting in Vauban we walked through the vineyards to Ebringen continuing to the “Schönberger Hof” where we had lunch.  George von Savigny took the following photos.

Arrival at the Gasthaus zum Schönberger Hof (©GvS)

The Wiener Schnitzels are already served but where are the French fries?(©GvS)

Too much potatoes? No there are even more pommes frites (©GvS)

Group shot in the Schneeburg ruins (©GvS)

Missing older articles? Look into the archive!