Reunion 2023 Program

The Academic Year in Freiburg and the AYF Alumni & Friends e.V. (the German chapter of the AYF alumni club) are hosting an AYF Reunion and Anniversary Celebration from July 6-10, 2023.

On this page you will find a detailed program description. The registration form for reunion events can be found on this Registration Page which has gone live recently.

Please register all persons in your party for each event you wish to attend in the registration form that is linked below. All alumni should register themselves (plus partner/s, children, close friend/s joining you). Please do not register whole groups of alumni using this form; doing so would likely lead to duplication and confusion on our end. This page will be updated to indicate when events are fully booked.

 

Thursay, July 6 – AYF @ 60+3 Anniversary Celebration, Welcome Reception – 4 p.m.

Check-in will open on July 6 at 12 noon (Prometheushalle, KG III). Your Welcome Package and any pre-ordered AYF T-shirts (more info below) can be picked up during check-in or at the Open House on Friday.

At 2 p.m., all interested JYF and AYF alumni meet for a group photo shoot on the steps of the Stadttheater.

Join us at 4 p.m. in the Aula to toast AYF at our great “AYF @ 60+3” Anniversary Celebration!

With Welcomes and Greetings from:

  • University of Freiburg Vice President for Internationalization and Sustainability Prof. Dr. Kleinschmit (invited)
  • Mayor of the City of Freiburg Martin Horn (invited)
  • Academic Year in Freiburg
  • Testimonials from JYF and AYF alumni
  • President of AYF Alumni & Friends e.V.

Music by the Black Forest Badgers, our AYF band comprised of program students, staff, alumni, and friends from the community.

Followed by a Welcome Reception in the Prometheus Hall!

… during which you can also take a picture in Freiburg University caps and gowns at the Alumni Freiburg Photo Booth.

Friday, July 7 – Open House, Guided Tours, Kastaniengarten

For Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, we have lined up six guided tours for JYF and AYF alumni and invite you to stop by at the Open House of the current AYF Program Center.

In the evening, we will gather for a casual get-together at Kastaniengarten on Schlossberg, the Freiburg Biergarten with the most fabulous view of the Schwabentor and the Münster.

AYF Program Center, Open House, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Make sure to visit the new AYF program center to find out where current students make their home away from home.

Our current students are eager to meet you and hear about your year abroad while sharing stories and photographs from a few highlights of their time in Freiburg. Refreshments, coffee/tea, fruit juices and water will be served.

Any Welcome Packages and any pre-ordered AYF T-shirts (more info below) that haven’t been collected at the check-in table on Thursday can be picked up during the Open House.

 

Guided Tours (most in English, different times)

Six different tours will be offered on Friday and Saturday for anyone who started the festivities on Thursday or is planning an early-Friday arrival. Maximum group sizes for each tour is 25  (15 for the Karzer tour). The “Freiburg Yesterday and Today” tour could accommodate two groups of 25 each, if needed. Meeting locations will be announced in your confirmation email after registration. Please note that the “Freiburg Memory Culture” tour has been moved to Saturday but will now be offered twice. There was so little interest in the University Museum tour that we had to combine all interested parties in the morning slot (updated May 30, 2023)

 

 

Freiburg Yesterday and Today

Brush up on your Freiburg history and explore recent developments alike.

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., maximum 2 groups of 25 in each time slot. —  Morning tour is  almost full (5 spots left)

 

 

Uniseum

Delve deep into the University’s history with a visit to Freiburg’s pioneering University Museum.

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., maximum 25 —  Afternoon tour cancelled.

 

 

Karzer / University Jail

Ever wonder what happened in the old days to students and faculty who misbehaved, badly? Find out with a visit to the “Karzer”, the former University Jail at the top of the University’s clock tower. Please note: The elevator does not reach all the way to the top, and the tour involves scaling two floors of stairs.

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., maximum 15 each. —  Afternoon tour is fully booked.

 

 

University Library

The UB has been called “Death Star” by its detractors and “Black Diamond” by fans. Certainly, its design evokes strong reactions. Find out more during a tour that explores the architecture, function, and sustainability features of the new UB!

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., maximum 25 each.

 

 

Prof. Angeli Janhsen

Kunst im öffentlichen Raum rund um die Universität (auf Deutsch!)

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., eine Gruppe, Maximum 25.

 

Sommerabend im Biergarten (6 p.m. – open end)

Please join us for a casual evening at Freiburg’s most stunning summer living room, the Kastaniengarten behind Greiffenegg-Schlössle. We will have a special section overlooking Schwabentor and the Münster reserved for us.

Stay as long as you like to catch up with friends and make new friends, or head off into the city at your leisure.

If you plan to go out for dinner with your JYF / AYF friends and classmates at a different location, reservations are strongly encouraged for larger groups.

 

Saturday, July 8 – Guided Tour and AYF Band Performance at Ganter Biergarten

 

 

Prof. Peter McIsaac

 Freiburg Memory Culture: From Holocaust Memorials to Reckoning with Freiburg’s Colonial Legacy

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m., two groups, maximum 25 each —  Morning tour is  fully booked. 

 

 

Saturday evening – AYF Band Performance at Ganter Biergarten

Revisit your old haunts, your favorite dorm, or rediscover the city at your leisure during the day.

In the evening, let’s close out the day together with live music at the Ganter Biergarten (6 p.m., rain location: Wodanhalle) 

While basking in the company of your classmates, swapping stories with other alumni and current students while enjoying a cool beer or other beverage, cheer on our very own AYF band!

The Black Forest Badgers – a band featuring AYF students and staff alongside local friends of the program – are looking forward to playing for you at Ganter Biergarten!

Sunday, July 9 – Hike along Schluchsee

We invite you to join us for a moderate hike along beautiful Schluchsee on this daytrip into the Black Forest (ca. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.).

Take in gorgeous views on a meandering train ride past Titisee and up into the Black Forest, then walk, hike or amble alongside Schluchsee from Seebrugg to Aha. Stop for lunch or Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) at Unterkrummenhof, a charming Black Forest farm restaurant with good local fare.

The actual hike is roughly 6.5 miles and takes about 2.5 hours at medium speed (longer if you opt for an amble). It has an elevation gain of only about 130 meters along the whole distance. Our lunch / Kaffee und Kuchen stop at Unterkrummenhof breaks it up just a touch past the middle of the whole tour.

If you feel adventurous, bring your swimming gear and a towel! Swimming is permitted and AYFers have been observed jumping into Schluchsee to cool off lakeside just 50 meters from Unterkrummenhof.

Monday, July 10 – Coffee at AYF

Coffee & Danish, 11 a.m. – To round out your visit, stop by the AYF office to say “Good bye!” over a cup of Jo & German pastries with students and staff.

 

A Word about Corona

If trends from the past two summers hold and barring dramatic pandemic developments, we should be able to have a fun-filled boisterous celebration together with minimal restrictions next July. Even at this moment there are barely any restrictions left. As of November 2022, for example, masks are only required on public transportation. But, of course, the schedule outlined above depends on the then-current pandemic – or possibly – endemic situation and the state’s mitigation rules at the time. We are quite optimistic that by next July the situation will be further improved and a “new normal” celebration entirely possible. Some uncertainty will remain. Therefore, we encourage you to book flights and accommodations with generous cancellation or re-booking policies, just in case.

Accommodations and Public Transportation

If you are planning to join us on this special occasion, we strongly encourage you to begin looking for accommodations as soon as possible. There is clearly still some pent-up demand and desire for travel (who among us couldn’t relate to that?). And we – along with the local tourism board – anticipate further increased demand resulting from all the great press Freiburg received after Lonely Planet named it the 3rd best city in the world to visit in 2022. We expect that hotel accommodations for the summer will fill up quickly . It is worth to start planning your visit now.

Once again, the BIG Anniversary Reunion will be held July 6-10, 2023, and we hope to confirm the details of the events outlined above in the spring of 2023. Obviously, there are many moveable parts for such an event – not least of which is the expected number of attendees. It would greatly help our planning to have early signups from those of you have already decided to attend the 2023 anniversary reunion – and from everyone else as soon as your plans are coalescing!

Information on Accommodations and Public Transportation is available online on the AYF website in the Alumni Visits section.

Registration and Fee Information 2023

Since capacities are limited in some venues, since reservations, bookings, and locations may need to be adjusted based on alumni interest, a detailed pre-registration is required. 

To register, please go to the Registration Page to sign up and let us know which events you are planning to attend.

As part of registration for this celebratory reunion weekend, we are kindly requesting a contribution of 30 € for each adult in your party to AYF Alumni & Friends, the German Chapter of the AYF Alumni Club.

These funds help defray part of the cost associated with the festivities. Any surplus is a fundraiser earmarked for scholarships and travel grants for current and future AYF students. By celebrating with us, you can ensure that their year with AYF will be as memorable as yours!

AYF Logo T-Shirt Fundraiser

AYF Alumni & Friends, the German chapter of the alumni club, is offering AYF logo T-Shirts for 25 € a piece. All proceeds go toward the alumni club scholarship fund.

Available ash-grey Fruit-of-the-Loom  T-Shirts in the following sizes: S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

Pre-order with your reunion registration and your T-Shirt(s) will be waiting for you at the Welcome Reception on Thursday or the AYF Open House on Friday.

For program alumni who are sadly not able to attend the Reunion and don’t want to wait for the next big Anniversary Celebration in 2030, it is possible to make their donation to the AYF Alumni & Friends e.V. and request shipping of AYF T-Shirts for an additional 5 € through the alumni club’s German website.

What to do next and where to go from here …

Inquiries regarding the reunion may also be directed to reunion@ayf.uni-freiburg.de.