Studienkolleg

International Student Day

The Köthen International Student Day, which was started in 2000, has become a cultural institution that involves not only the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences but also the city of Köthen and the region.

  • School students and
  • residents of Köthen and surrounding cities,
  • students, University members, and
  • prominent political figures from the district and state parliaments

come to enjoy the international students’ cultural wealth and high-quality art every year at the start of November. Detailed reports from the press and television as well as sold-out seating are only a few of the tangible hallmarks of the popular event. Before the festival program, which lasts around two hours and includes many different program points that are moderated by the students themselves, the visitors stroll through the nave of St. Martin’s Church, which is transformed into an international bazaar for the day. There, they can look at booths from different countries and see the exhibition works and boards on a specific topic, try drinks and self-made snacks, and converse with the students.

In May/June, the members of the student Organizational Team “Sports and Culture” start looking for possible artistic and other contributions for the festival program and exhibition. Starting in mid-September, the intensive rehearsal period starts, supervised and supported mostly by the International Student Club (providing rehearsal rooms and music instruments as well as artistic advising). Technical and general rehearsals take place in the final two weeks before the performance, and during this time the final program order is also set.

Two days before the event, the individual country booths are set up under the direction of Studienkolleg employees who work on a mostly voluntary basis at this event. It should also be mentioned here that students and teachers from the Regenbogenschule also traditionally help out at the event. Clean-up is done in the evening after the festival, and around two weeks later the accounting is done. In January of the next year, everything starts all over again with planning the date and the exhibition topic.

The festival’s artistic highlights are shown throughout the year in around 10 to 15 additional performances by the “KÜHE - One-World-Music from Köthen”, which take place for various occasions throughout the region and are very popular with the public.

  • 9. November 2017: 17. Internationaler Studententag der Hochschule Anhalt in der Martinkirche Köthen © Sam Sanchez; DokuTeam, Fachbereich Design Dessau, Hochschule Anhalt,
  • 9. November 2017: 17. Internationaler Studententag der Hochschule Anhalt in der Martinkirche Köthen © Sam Sanchez; DokuTeam, Fachbereich Design Dessau, Hochschule Anhalt,