BTU Celebrates Europe Weeks in May

Everyone is warmly invited to join!

The festivities will kick off with a European film week from 1 to 7 May 2025 at the OBENKINO, showcasing “The Sea is the Sky”. This poetic road movie reflects on themes of departure, hope, and humanity in times of global migration. On 8 May, "Café Europa" will open its doors at the Cultural and Community Center 7512 in Neu Schmellwitz. Under the motto “Cookies, Quiz, and Karaoke”, visitors can look forward to a relaxed atmosphere with interactive activities, discussions, and cultural contributions all centered around Europe.

On 16 May, Ukrainian Embroidery Day will be celebrated in Puschkin Park. This special day highlights cultural diversity and offers the opportunity to explore Ukrainian traditions and customs. Also on 16 May, the Cottbus European Talks will take place. The BTU, together with the Euroregion Spree-Neisse-Bober, Europe Direct Guben (EDIC), and the City of Cottbus/Chósebuz, invites the public to an informative event discussing the Lausitz region’s application as a “Net Zero Valley” to the European Commission.

On 20 May, the popular “Speak-Dating” celebrates its second anniversary at the Cottbus City Museum. This interactive event brings people together to improve their language skills and make new connections in a casual, friendly setting.

A highlight of the Europe Weeks are the German-Polish sports events organized by the Cottbus City Sports Association. Under the motto “Mission Paralympics”, a sports event will take place on 21 May at the athletics stadium, followed by the Seniors’ Sports Festival on 28 May in the athletics hall – an invitation especially to the older generation to get active.

Also on 21 May, the BTU’s central campus will focus on opportunities for study and work abroad. Through creative and playful activities such as the escape game “Unlock your Adventure Abroad” or the EUNICE postcard campaign, students and staff can discover the many ways Erasmus+ enables them to explore Europe and the world – whether through study, internships, or staff mobility.

On 22 May, Cottbus will once again host the KLĔB A SOL Welcome Festival (“Bread and Salt”), featuring a welcome dinner, chess mile, table soccer championship, and a city-wide pub and party night across downtown.

Europe Day marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, in which Robert Schuman outlined his vision for a new form of political cooperation in Europe—one that would make war between European nations unthinkable. Celebrated in many EU countries, Europe Day symbolizes a shared vision for a united Europe and reminds us of the ongoing efforts to promote peace, democracy, and cooperation among European nations.

The Cottbus Europe Weeks are a joint initiative by the Department of Education & Integration of the City of Cottbus and the International Relations Office of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. Within the context of the European community, the university seeks to highlight its role as part of the European University for Customised Education (EUNICE) alliance.

Together with nine other European institutions, BTU forms the EUNICE alliance: the University of Cantabria (Spain), the University of Catania (Italy), the University of Mons (Belgium), Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (France), the University of Vaasa (Finland), Poznań University of Technology (Poland), the University of the Peloponnese (Greece), the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (Portugal), and Karlstad University (Sweden).