Excursion to the German Bundestag as part of the Brandenburg Study Preparation (SVB - “Studienvorbereitung Brandenburg”) program
On January, 26, 2024, we had the opportunity to visit the German Bundestag as part of the SVB module course "Humanities and Social Sciences". The excursion was organized by our teacher Dr. Christian Jennerich to give us an insight into political processes and the workings of the German parliament.
First, we sat in the visitors' gallery of the plenary chamber, where a guide explained the historical context of the Reichstag building. We were impressed by its history, its architecture and the transparent design of the building, the latter symbolizing the democratic process. In the plenary chamber, the guide also explained how a Bundestag session works as well as its general significance. We learned some new facts and also came across quite a few things that we had previously covered in our lessons. The guide explained the atmosphere and procedure of a typical parliamentary session. We had the opportunity to ask questions and received detailed answers that further deepened our political and historical knowledge. Afterwards, we had an appointment with a member of Chancellor Scholz's staff, who also brought along a student intern. We were encouraged to ask political questions and were given an insight into the work of the government. We discussed topics that interested us, such as German foreign policy, domestic political events and the basic rights as laid down in the German Grundgesetz, which we had dealt with in seminars. I asked the student intern, for example, whether it would make sense to enshrine children's rights in the Basic Law (German Grundgesetz). After this informative and interactive exchange, we enjoyed the unique views over Berlin from the Reichstag dome.
At the end of our excursion, we visited the visitors' canteen in the Paul Löbe House, where we had dinner and coffee together. Overall, our day in the Bundestag was an educational experience that taught us about the importance of democracy and further developed our enthusiasm for history and politics.
Contact: Dr. Christian Jennerich
Text: Anar Davaasuren
Translation: Beate Göldner
Published on 13 March 2024