The Goethe Centre of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, which has been operating at USB since 2005, is an extremely successful combination of an educational and cultural institution. Its aim is to promote interest in what takes place in Germany and Austria in relation to our country and to find topics that unite us and on which we can understand each other. One of the key obstacles to achieving this goal is the language barrier. That is why the Goethe Centre organises German courses at all language levels, offers the international Goethe-Zertifikat language exam and promotes the teaching of German in our schools. In addition, the USB Goethe Centre has established a Language Competency Centre for German and Czech, which develops cooperation between educational institutions on both sides of the border.
Owing to this initiative, unique in South Bohemia, GC offers several educational programmes accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic to all interested members of the general public, students or professional teachers of German. One of them is a German language course focused on conversation and current events in German-speaking areas, which is complemented by two trips abroad. On Monday 13 March 2023, the participants of this exceptional course took their second excursion, this time to Freyung in the Freyung-Grafenau district of Lower Bavaria.
The programme included a tour of the local secondary school, where they were welcomed by the director Ursula Stegbauer-Hötzl together with the head of the office for international cooperation of the Freyung-Grafenau district, Karl Matschiner. The latter prepared a presentation about the entire Landkreis, especially its economic potential and leisure opportunities suitable for school visits with their pupils. In addition, Freyung is this year's host of the large German horticultural exhibition Landesgartenschau 2023. Mrs Stegbauer-Hötzl introduced the guests to the Bavarian education system and the study opportunities for pupils in the region's feeder schools. It should be noted that the format of the realschule was a novelty for some of the Czech participants, which has no adequate alternative in the Czech education system.
After a joint lunch at the local Lang Brewery and a tasting of Bavarian specialities, where the participants of the excursion were personally greeted and welcomed by the Vice-Mayor of Freyung, Mr Heinz Lang, a tour of the recently installed Jagd-Lan-Fluss exhibition at Wolfstein Castle in Freyung followed. The theme of this exhibition is primarily the region, its opportunities, work and livelihoods –simply the everyday life of the local inhabitants, both in the past and in the present. The exhibition is also offered in Czech, so it is very suitable for visits by classes and schools from South Bohemia. In addition, pupils can use worksheets in Czech, which allow them to explore the castle on their own, complete tasks and learn new things at their own pace and individually.
At the end of this field trip, the participants took the opportunity to visit a tavern, where they received certificates and said goodbye to their hosts, with both sides expressing interest in further cooperation.
Educational programme Vademecum II. Sprachkurs für Fortgeschrittene is offered by the Goethe Centre on a semester basis to all those interested in consolidating and expanding their knowledge of German at the C1 level. It is intended primarily for existing German teachers who want to be more in touch with current events in German areas and who are looking for cooperating partners on the German or Austrian side for their pupils or school. As an integral part of the programme, trips to educational institutions and leisure facilities will raise awareness of the Bavarian or Austrian education system as well as opportunities for trips and learning about our German-speaking neighbours.
For more information about the educational programmes of the USB Goethe Centre accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science, please visit Lifelong learning | GOETHE CENTRE České Budějovice.
