Jun 04, 2026
Hirschfelde Future Days—A Celebration of Research and Learning in Lusatia
Under the theme “Hirschfelde Future Days – Experience Science,” people, ideas, and science came together from May 29 to 31, 2026, in the town near Zittau. Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the Zukunft Hirschfelde Association transformed the market square and the iconic Vorlaubenhäuser into a place for encounters, experiments, and discussions about the future right in the heart of the border triangle between Germany, Poland and Czech Republic.
Etwa 500 Kinder und Jugendliche erlebten bereits am Freitag die Wissenschaft außerhalb des Campus der Hochschule Zittau / Görlitz (HSZG).
On the very first day of the event, around 500 children and teenagers from nearby schools took part in the festival celebrating inquiry-based learning, including students from the three ALSO schools in Seifhennersdorf, Görlitz, and Zittau. Every Friday, fifth-grade students learn here alongside student teachers from TU Dresden using new teaching and learning formats, such as project-based learning. In the process, the future teachers gain early professional experience over the course of nearly an entire school year. For the students, the Alternative Teaching Internship (ALSO) project means more shared learning time for the core subjects of German, math, and English, as well as for the development of interdisciplinary skills, in the times of teacher shortage in rural areas.
Podiumsdiskussion mit Prof. Sophia Keil und Prof. Małgorzata Maćkowiak (HSZG), Prof. Anke Langner (TUD), StM Conrad Clemens (SMK), Sabrina Hälschke (Schliebenoberschule Zittau) und Bert Handschick (RTT).
The topic “A Changing World—What Our Education System Must Achieve Now” was the focus of Friday afternoon’s panel discussion featuring Minister of Education Conrad Clemens, Prof. Anke Langner (TU Dresden), Prof. Sophia Keil and Prof. Małgorzata Maćkowiak (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences), Principal Sabrina Hälschke (Richard-von-Schlieben Oberschule, Zittau), and Bert Handschick (Managing Director of RTT Zittau). Prof. Anke Langner contributed her expertise as an education researcher, as well as her role as co-initiator and director of the Dresden University School pilot program, supplemented by her experience in designing the extended internship format ALSO —an alternative teacher-training practicum at selected schools in eastern Saxony since 2024.
Thomas Krusekopf, the initiator and chairman of Zukunftstage Hirschfelde e.V., is thrilled: “For three days, Hirschfelde was full of people. People tried things out, asked questions, explained concepts, discussed ideas, and even celebrated. Students filled the FutureLab, experts brought their topics to the table, guests traveled from near and far, and conversations arose everywhere that no one had anticipated. We were particularly pleased to see how naturally people came together who otherwise would likely never have met.” In addition to a diverse range of cultural and musical programs, guests from the worlds of science, business, and politics provided numerous practical insights into their work in Eastern Saxony.
In a temporary “third place” bridging science and society, science became visible outside the campus of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG); young people were inspired by research and technology; and a dialogue emerged between citizens, academia, and business. The numerous participating organizations and volunteers demonstrated that rural areas, too, can be places of innovation and the future.
Etwa 500 Kinder und Jugendliche erlebten bereits am Freitag die Wissenschaft außerhalb des Campus der Hochschule Zittau / Görlitz (HSZG). © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Bei zahlreichen Experimente und in mobilen Laboren konnten die Besucher selbst zu Forschenden werden. © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Auch die Jüngsten konnten MINT-Bildung hautnah erleben. © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Die erste Diskussionsrunde auf dem Marktplatz Hirschfelde drehte sich um Bildung für die Zukunft. © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Podiumsdiskussion mit Prof. Sophia Keil und Prof. Małgorzata Maćkowiak (HSZG), Prof. Anke Langner (TUD), StM Conrad Clemens (SMK), Sabrina Hälschke (Schliebenoberschule Zittau) und Bert Handschick (RTT). © Raimund Linke
Prof. Anke Langner, Kultusminister Conrad Clemens und Schulleiterin Sabrina Hälschke bei einer Podiumsdiskussion beim Panel "Welt im Wandel – was unser Bildungssystem jetzt leisten muss!" bei den Zukunftstagen Hirschfelde. © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Rollenkarten für das Planspiel für Politikverständnis "Kommunale Wärmeplanung" © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
Zahlreiche Partnerorganisationen ermöglichten ein abwechslungsreiches Programm. © Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
© Zukunft Hirschfelde e.V.
About ALSO – Alternative Teaching Practicum at TU Dresden
The project ALSO—Alternative Teaching Internship enables an intensive integration of theory and practice early in the course of study for future educators. The semester-long school internship ALSO was initially developed at the University School Dresden. Its status as a pilot school allows this “real-world lab” to test and research the school of the future, such as data-driven school development.