New research building

"Attraction, Repulsion, Indifference – A Culture-Comparative Analysis of 'Weltbeziehungen'"

It is another milestone for the University of Erfurt: The Science Council has given the "green light" for the construction of a new research building on campus in 2016. The new building is to be constructed between the Erfurt University Library and the Centre for Communication and Information (KIZ). However, the approval of such a project for a university in the humanities like the University of Erfurt is anything but a matter of course: In the past, it was more likely that clusters of excellence or universities with large-scale natural science projects would score points here. And there is another special feature: the university will realise the new building itself – the first time ever that a Thuringian university is allowed to carry out a so-called "major building project" on its own.

The building was intended to facilitate the implementation of a long-term research programme by the Max-Weber-Kolleg on the topic of “Attraction, Repulsion, Indifference – A Cross-Cultural Analysis of 'Weltbeziehungen’”. To reflect this, the new building was ultimately named the “Weltbeziehungen” research building.

Today, in addition to the Max-Weber-Kolleg, the building also houses the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour, the Theological Research Centre and the Research Group “Voluntariness”, which now also collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis and offer joint event series, such as the “Staircase Lectures”.