Past events

The Brandenburg Literature Council, the Kleist Museum Foundation and the Frankfurt (Oder) City and Regional Library are once again inviting you to a special programme on International Women's Day this year as part of the Brandenburg Women's Weeks 2026: The authors Franziska Hauser and Maren Wurster will be guests at the Kleist Museum on Sunday, 8 March, and will be in conversation with the audience during a reading followed by a coffee klatch.

The Oderbruch Museum invites you to the opening of the season on 7 March at 11 a.m. at Altranft Castle. The five authors of the new workshop book NACHBARSCHAFT will read from their texts, which they wrote together with around 25 people in the Oderbruch region. There will be clever, thought-provoking and humorous insights into living together. The presentation of the museum's 10th workshop book will be accompanied by music from Sören Birke on the harmonica.

Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" can be seen at Frankfurt's Kleist Forum theatre on 6 and 8 March. The tragic love story of the geisha Cio-Cio-San, known as Butterfly, and the American officer Benjamin Pinkerton contains everything that makes a successful opera: strong emotions, drama and rousing melodies between Italian operatic tradition and Asian sounds.

The Brandenburg Women's Weeks are a nationwide political format that is regularly organized by committed women. This year's motto is "WTF - Wut trifft Feminismus" (WTF - anger meets feminism) and brings together a variety of specialist conferences, lectures, women's get-togethers, sporting competitions, festive events, workshops, exhibitions, etc. across the state, which form a clear counterweight to the increasingly harsh developments in a society that is becoming increasingly divided.

Kokubu, one of the world's best-known taiko drum groups, is going on a major tour of Germany again in 2026 and, after their acclaimed tours in recent years, is setting new accents with their current show "Infinity". With thunderous rhythms, breathtaking precision, impressive synchronization and pure energy, Kokubu takes the audience into the soul of Japan.

Whether gastronomy, social services or healthcare – at JOB Dating you will get to know professions that are meaningful, have a future and require real hands-on work. The aim is to make these "everyday heroes" visible together. Under the motto "Meet everyday heroes", JOB Dating invites you to experience various professions in a very practical way. Instead of just watching, you can get active yourself, try things out, join in and talk directly to people from the field.

How do food delivery services work? How did Heinrich von Kleist write? What can an old oak tree tell us? And what makes the fire department so important? The 20th Viadrina Children's University will address these questions. From March 4, children and young people between the ages of 8 and 13 can take part in four lectures in the lecture hall of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).

The inaugural meeting of the Helene Lake working group will take place on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Frankfurt (Oder) Town Hall, Marktplatz 1, Heilbronn room. The event is open to the public. Lake Helene, which is located in the Oder-Spree Lake District landscape conservation area, has been closed by the State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials (LBGR) since May 2021 due to the massive risk of landslides on the shore areas.

Are you rarely able to hear the organ in your village church? Can you play the piano and could you imagine accompanying chorales on the organ? Then you are cordially invited. Under the direction of cantor Patricia Kramer, workshop participants will receive an introduction to organ playing and can try out the organ in the workshop.

The new improvisational theater series "The Big 7" continues on 27 February at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum. In this interactive show with the Berlin ensemble "Die Gorillas", the audience has the power. A wide variety of characters are improvised in moving monologues, rousing songs and funny scenes.

An unsparing story about right-wing terror, loss, the failure of the rule of law and the fight for justice will be shown at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum on February 26. With "Aus dem Nichts", the Junges Schauspiel of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg has adapted Fatih Akin's award-winning film of the same name in its own version for the stage.

On the occasion of the International Tour Guide Day, the German-Polish Tourist Information invites you to a public city tour through the center of Frankfurt on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Meeting point is at 11:00 a.m. at the town hall. Under the title "With open eyes in the center of Frankfurt", tour guide Dr. Martin Schieck leads the participants around the town hall and St. Mary's Church.

Why start from scratch when you can take over an existing, successful company and develop it further with new ideas? This is exactly what the BPW Succession Week from 16 to 20 February 2026 is all about. In the free webinars, experienced experts will provide valuable insights into all key topics of company succession – from initial orientation to concrete implementation.

On February 15, 2026 it will be sporty! The Wintersportverein 1923 Bad Freienwalde e.V. 1923 invites you to the 24th Märkischer Wintersporttag at the ski jumping facility in Papengrund. With an extensive program for the whole family, winter sports in Bad Freienwalde can be experienced up close.

Experience a completely new world full of magic and movement with "On Fire"! The shadow dancers take you on an adventurous journey and present a breathtaking spectacle in which light, shadow and movement merge in thrilling harmony.

The experience portal of the non-profit Fördergemeinschaft Ökologischer Landbau Berlin-Brandenburg (FÖL) e.V. invites you to discover the organic diversity of the region. They provide recommendations for addresses of direct-marketing farms for organic meat, organic farm stores and solidarity farms as well as event tips for farm festivals, workshops and self-harvesting.

With "Eduard's Dream", actor Dominique Horwitz will take on one of Wilhelm Busch's lesser-known texts from 1891 at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum on 14 February. In the story by the poet and illustrator, who became famous for his humorous picture stories ("Max and Moritz"), the protagonist experiences a surrealistic dream journey. He is accompanied by two virtuoso musicians: classical percussionist Lukas Böhm and jazz trombonist Hansjörg Fink.

"Best of Poetry Slam" is back at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum on February 13. The popular poetry slam will take place twice on this day: At 10 a.m. for school classes and at 7:30 p.m. as usual in the evening program. The procedure is the same: Five top poets compete against each other with texts they have written themselves.

Those who visit the German-Polish Tourist Information Office in Frankfurt (Oder) on "Fetter Donnerstag", February 12, and purchase a souvenir or event tickets will receive a free Pfannkuchen. Similar to "Weiberfastnacht" in Germany, "Fat Thursday" marks the highlight of the carnival season in Poland.

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, 2026, the Leibniz Institute for Innovative Microelectronics (IHP) invites you to a public afternoon event. The aim is to celebrate the day visibly and to put a stronger focus on women in science at IHP with their fields of work and career paths.

The Austrian historian Prof. Dr. Oliver Jens Schmitt will be presenting his book "Moskaus westliche Rivalen – Eine europäische Geschichte vom Nordkap bis zum Schwarzen Meer" at the European University Viadrina on Tuesday, February 3 at 6 p.m. At the invitation of Viadrina law professor Prof. Dr. Markus Beham, the expert on Eastern Europe will read from his award-winning book, in which he explores the question of what distinguishes Russia's political culture from its western neighbors.

"Messeschlager Gisela", a jewel of the GDR's light-hearted musical theater, is coming to the Theaterhaus Kleist Forum in Frankfurt (Oder). The production by Staatstheater Cottbus can be seen on January 30 and 31. The new production is not a nostalgia show, but a rousing mixture of operetta and musical, with extravagant costumes, a large stage set, slapstick interludes, elaborate choreography and snappy melodies.

On Friday, January 30, 2026 at 3 p.m., there will be a curator's tour of the exhibition "Franz von Gaudy aus/in Frankfurt an der Oder – Zum 225. Geburtstag des Frankfurter Dichters" with Berlin literary historian Dr. Doris Fouquet-Plümacher at Museum Viadrina. The exhibition shows the work of the poet Franz von Gaudy, who stood between late Romanticism and Vormärz, in words and pictures as well as numerous original prints.

What does the Oder sound like? What do aquatic animals perceive and how does the river change human sensory perceptions? The intermedia performance "OderHive – a multisensory river journey to hear, see and feel" will get to the bottom of these questions on Thursday, January 29, from 5 p.m. at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).

The project "Community for Knowledge Transfer OER: Network of Educational Stakeholders (Co-WOERK)" invites you to a workshop day on Thursday, January 29, between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The hybrid event entitled "Shaping education together with OER" is aimed at teachers, teaching staff, students and anyone interested in the creation and use of freely accessible teaching materials.

The Frankfurt (Oder) Music School invites you to two public preparatory concerts for the "Jugend musiziert" competition. The concerts will take place on Thursday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 10, both at 6 p.m. at the music school. Pupils from the music school who are taking part in this year's competition will present their program in front of an audience and gain important performance experience in the process.

On Thursday, January 29, at 6 p.m., the Chairs of Popular Cultures and Social Philosophy at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) invite you to a filmosophy entitled "Lachrevue". This time the focus is on a rather ephemeral form of film: funny clips. In order to provide a diverse basis for discussion, the Filmosophy team is asking for support: they are looking for short clips with a length of one to five minutes.

What happens when people can no longer manage their own affairs – be it in old age, after an accident or in a personal crisis? This question will be addressed on Wednesday, 28 January at 2:15 p.m. in a special public, practical event on guardianship law as part of a lecture on family law by Viadrina lawyer Prof. Dr. Ulla Gläßer.

At the end of the lecture series "How to deal with right-wing extremism?" at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), practical workshop discussions on dealing with right-wing extremism in Frankfurt (Oder) and the region will take place on Tuesday, January 27 from 4:15 to 6:45 p.m. Experts from the fields of civil society and local politics, journalism and media as well as democratic conflict management in the community will present their experiences and approaches from their practice in dealing with right-wing extremism.

Literary scholar and opera dramaturge Prof. Dr. Tina Hartmann (University of Bayreuth) will give a lecture entitled “Patriarchy and the Triumph of the Female Voice: Ingeborg Bachmann's Novel ‘Malina’ – an Opera Libretto for the Bachmann Year” on Tuesday, January 27, at 6:00 p.m.

On Monday, 26 January at 6.15 pm, PD Dr. Christian Dietrich (Institute for Regional History at the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology) will be a guest at the interdisciplinary Jerzy Giedroyc Research Colloquium. In his lecture "Security Mission: Friendship between Nations. State Security, People's Police and Labor and Educational Migration to the GDR (1972–1990)", he will talk about how the GDR authorities dealt with foreign students and contract workers.

On Monday, January 26, 4:15 pm, Dr. Amelie Kutter (Viadrina) will give the lecture "The governmentality of sustainability transition. The case of Peatlands". The case study on the sustainability transformation of peatlands in Brandenburg concludes the English-language lecture series "Beyond Sustainability: Humanities and Social Sciences Perspectives on the Ecological Crisis" from the Viadrina Institute for European Studies.

Prof. Dr. Gangolf Hübinger and Prof. Dr. Rita Aldenhoff-Hübinger (both Viadrina) will be guests at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) on Monday, 26 January at 6:00 p.m. Together with Academy President Prof. Dr. Christoph Markschies and Stefan Rebenich (University of Bern), they will talk about "Mommsen's Berlin Networks".

On Sunday, January 25, 2026, from 11.00 a.m., political groups of the City Council (SVV) invite you to a New Year's meeting of the City of Frankfurt (Oder) in the atrium of the town hall. Following the speeches by the Chairwoman of the SVV Désirée Schrade and the Lord Mayor Dr. Axel Strasser, interested citizens will have the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the two and the members of the SVV present and to exchange views on local political issues.

Under the motto "Public Rehearsal", the multi-award-winning film and television actor Jörg Schüttauf and the Hamburg actor and theater producer Holger Umbreit invite you to a Ringelnatz program at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum on 25 January. In it, they will dedicate themselves to the amusing texts of the poet and cabaret artist, who traveled all over Germany and neighbouring countries for engagements and readings during his life, and combine them with their own rehearsal and touring experiences.

The Frankfurt (Oder) Music School invites you to its Open Day on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Interested people of all ages can get to know and try out instruments and talk to the teachers.

A heartfelt interpretation of "The Little Prince", the famous book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, awaits the audience on January 24 at Frankfurt's Theaterhaus Kleist Forum. A powerful narrative meets incredibly poetic images that are created live in front of the audience in sand, painted by one of the most virtuoso sand artists of our time.

On Saturday, 24 January 2026, the Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Gymnasium in Frankfurt (Oder), one of the two recognized mathematical, scientific and technical special schools in the state of Brandenburg, is hosting an open day from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. Interested families – especially those with children in years 4 and 6 – can then get to know the school as a whole and the work of the various departments.

The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) invites prospective students to an information day on campus on Saturday, January 24, from 11:00 a.m. The offer is aimed at anyone who is interested in starting their studies in April 2026 or who wants to get to know the entire range of courses at Viadrina from the winter semester 2026/2027.

Experience the pure Cuban joie de vivre and let the magnificent voices of Cuba take effect on you. Together with the extraordinary "Buena Vista Band" and the impressive dance formation "El Grupo de Bailar" as well as over 150 tailor-made costumes, "Pasión de Buena Vista" presents you with a unique stage show that will whisk you away to the streets of the Caribbean dream island.

The "Altlandsberger Schlossgespräche" series of events will enter a new round on January 22, 2026 with the focus on "Business meets state politics". From 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Schlossgut Altlandsberg, participants can look forward to inspiration for the 2026 business year and the opportunity to contribute their perspectives directly to the dialog with state politicians.

With a joint inaugural lecture, two professors appointed to the Faculty of Cultural Studies at the European University Viadrina in 2025 will introduce themselves to the public: Prof. Dr. Miriam Lind, Professor of Language Practices in Media Cultures, and Prof. Dr. Sarah Speck, Professor of Comparative Cultural Sociology.

The German-Polish Seniors' Academy invites you to the lecture "Falling birth rates, intergenerational family structures and language barriers on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 3 p.m. in the small lecture hall of the Collegium Polonicum: How can senior citizens contribute to the integration and support of families?" followed by a discussion. The focus: the older generation in today's society.

The volume "Leopold Rankes Frankfurter Jahre", edited by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Blänkner, offers previously unknown insights into the life and work of Leopold Ranke in Frankfurt (Oder). The Senior Scholar of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) and the authors of the volume will present the book, which was recently published by Vergangenheitsverlag, on Tuesday, January 20, at the Frankfurt (Oder) City Archive.

The Berlin cabaret ensemble Distel promises a weird road trip through an even weirder country at their guest performance at the Theaterhaus Kleist Forum in Frankfurt (Oder) on 18 January. In "Jenseits von Germany", the cult satirists take on the absurdities of the present with their usual sharp pen, bitter humor and live music.

The German-Polish Youth Orchestra invites you to a New Year's concert entitled "Musik ohne Grenzen – Muzyka bez Granic" on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 2.45 pm in the Nikolaisaal Potsdam. The young musicians from Germany and Poland will be performing together under the direction of Kornela Szczepańska and Hannes Metze-Stuyven.

The stage is set for "Das NEINhorn" and his friends. On January 17, the theater version of the cult children's book, performed by the ensemble of the Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt, can be seen at the Frankfurt Theaterhaus Kleist Forum. The day before, the play will be shown as a morning performance for school classes and daycare groups.

How can freedom of broadcasting be preserved when public service broadcasting is increasingly being criticized - up to and including court proceedings? The 22nd Frankfurt Media Law Days on Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15, 2026 at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) will address this key question.

For the 122nd time, cabaret artist Arnulf Rating and the Maulhelden team will present the weirdest show in town on January 14 at Frankfurt's Kleist Forum: from 7:30 p.m., "Der Blaue Mittwoch" offers an insight into what is raging on the stages of the Berlin and Brandenburg scene or flourishing in secret.

The NextStepNetzwerk is moving: In 2026, the monthly regulars' tables of the NextStepNetwork #darumFrankfurtOder will take place at BLOK O in Karl-Marx-Straße 182. The first exchange of the year will take place on Tuesday, January 13 at 5 p.m.