Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll

The Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll is a German Protestant academy based in the spa town of Bad Boll at the foot of the Swabian Alb in Baden-Württemberg. Founded on 29 September 1945 — Michaelistag — by Landesbischof Theophil Wurm and Pfarrer Eberhard Müller, it is the oldest of the Protestant academies established in Germany after the Second World War and describes itself as the oldest academy in church sponsorship in Europe. It is a non-independent institution of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg and a corporation under public law. The academy's mission is to bring people into conversation, to inspire, network and open new horizons. Its programme covers society, politics, theology, ethics, education and culture, offering spaces for dialogue, discourse and orientation in the light of the Gospel. It runs conferences, seminars, training courses and public events, and operates a conference centre with overnight accommodation and catering. Its self-understanding is that of an impulse-giver for church and society, questioning social conditions, addressing concrete problems and developing visions for a good future and a just society, grounded in hospitality, mindfulness and mutual respect. Over its history the academy has been a bridge between social groups and a place for coming to terms with the past. It has hosted landmark debates on rearmament, feminist theology, medicine and justice under National Socialism, environmental policy and sustainable development, and lesbian women in the churches. Several institutions and initiatives trace their origins to its discussions, including the Aktion Gemeinsinn, the Evangelische Medienakademie, the Kronberger Kreis, training for children's advocates, and an literacy association. In February 1968 it hosted a much-noted discussion on the problem of revolution in Germany, where Ernst Bloch and Rudi Dutschke met, beginning a long friendship. In 1988 the Ökumenische Initiative Mittelamerika was founded at a vicars' conference there. The academy has also been the subject of controversy for events involving supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which the Bundestag has classified as antisemitic. In May 2007 Christian participants called for not buying Israeli products until the occupation ends; in 2010 the academy withdrew an invitation to a representative of Hamas only after fierce protests; in 2011 a conference on the Kairos Palestine document called for economic measures against Israel; and in September 2018 a conference on shrinking space in the Israel-Palestine conflict invited almost exclusively BDS supporters. In 2021 it ran a seven-part event series with the Baden-Württemberg state agency for civic education on the relationship between Germany, Israel and the Middle East. In 2005, in memory of theologians Christoph Blumhardt and Johann Christoph Blumhardt, the academy established Blumhardts Literatursalon in cooperation with the German Literature Archive Marbach. It marks its foundation day annually with a Michaelisakademie. In 2025 it received a global allocation of 3.8 million euros, down from just under 4 million in 2024. Since the coronavirus pandemic, participant numbers have risen from 5,116 in 2020 to 7,523 in 2024, and the number of events reached 137 in 2024, back to pre-pandemic levels (128 events in 2019). By 2011 a third of positions had been cut to 25 study leaders; at the end of 2024 the academy counted 10 study leaders, supplemented by two theologians in the church service for the working world and further staff in conference organisation and administration.

The Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll was founded on 29 September 1945, Michaelistag, by Theophil Wurm, Landesbischof of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg, and Pfarrer Eberhard Müller. It was the first Protestant academy to be established in Germany and Europe after the Second World War. In the post-war period it became a bridge between social groups and a place for coming to terms with the past. Important networks such as the Studiengemeinschaft der Evangelischen Akademien, the Wirtschaftsgilde, the Christliche Presse-Akademie and the Agfa emerged there — first steps towards a new culture of exchange. From 1951 to 1966 the academy hosted political debates of the young Federal Republic. In 1955 the controversy over rearmament was a major theme. In February 1968 the academy organised a much-noted discussion on the problem of revolution in Germany, where Ernst Bloch and Rudi Dutschke met, beginning a long friendship (the Dutschke-Bloch conference). From 1979 feminist theology became a focus, followed by medicine and justice under National Socialism from 1982, environmental policy and sustainable development from 1983, and lesbian women in the churches from 1985. Several institutions and initiatives owe their existence to the discourses in Bad Boll, including the Aktion Gemeinsinn, the Evangelische Medienakademie, the Kronberger Kreis, training for children's advocates, and an literacy association. In 1988 the Ökumenische Initiative Mittelamerika was founded at a vicars' conference there. After founding director Eberhard Müller (1945–1971), the managing directors were Christoph Bausch (1972–1988), Manfred Fischer (1988–1996), Jo Krummacher (1996–2005), Joachim L. Beck (2006–2013) and Jörg Hübner (2013–2023). Since 1 January 2025 Dietmar Merz has been managing director. Notable study leaders have included Siegfried von Kortzfleisch, Wolfgang Böhme, Herta Leistner, Hans-Joachim Thilo, Thomas Schlag and Jobst Kraus, the latter receiving the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 2015 for his commitment to sustainability. In 2005, in memory of the theologians Christoph Blumhardt and Johann Christoph Blumhardt who worked in Bad Boll, the academy established Blumhardts Literatursalon in cooperation with the German Literature Archive Marbach. It marks its foundation day annually with a Michaelisakademie. The academy has repeatedly held events with supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which the Bundestag has classified as antisemitic. In May 2007 Christian participants called for not buying Israeli products until the occupation ends. In 2010 the academy withdrew an invitation to a representative of the radical Islamist terrorist group Hamas as a speaker only after fierce protests. In 2011 an invitation to a conference on the Kairos Palestine document called for economic measures against the occupying power Israel. For a conference on shrinking space in the Israel-Palestine conflict in September 2018, the academy invited almost exclusively BDS supporters as speakers. In 2021 the academy, together with the Baden-Württemberg state agency for civic education, ran a seven-part event series on the relationship between Germany, Israel and the Middle East. The academy is a non-independent institution of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg and a corporation under public law. For 2025 it received a global allocation of 3.8 million euros, compared with just under 4 million in 2024. Since the coronavirus pandemic, participant numbers have risen from 5,116 in 2020 to 7,523 in 2024. The number of events reached 137 in 2024, back to pre-pandemic levels (128 events in 2019). By 2011 a third of positions had been cut to 25 study leaders; at the end of 2024 the academy counted 10 study leaders, supplemented by two theologians in the church service for the working world and further staff in conference organisation and administration.

• Founded by Theophil Wurm and Eberhard Müller in Bad Boll as the first Protestant academy in Germany and Europe.

• Controversy over rearmament is a major thematic focus.

• Much-noted discussion on the problem of revolution in Germany; Ernst Bloch and Rudi Dutschke meet, beginning a long friendship.

• Feminist theology becomes a thematic focus.

• Medicine and justice under National Socialism becomes a thematic focus.

• Environmental policy and sustainable development becomes a thematic focus.

• Lesbian women in the churches becomes a thematic focus.

• Ökumenische Initiative Mittelamerika founded at a vicars' conference.

• Blumhardts Literatursalon established in cooperation with the German Literature Archive Marbach.

• Christian participants call for not buying Israeli products until the occupation ends.

• Invitation to a Hamas representative withdrawn only after fierce protests.

• Conference on the Kairos Palestine document calls for economic measures against Israel.

• Conference on shrinking space in the Israel-Palestine conflict invites almost exclusively BDS supporters.

• Seven-part event series with the Baden-Württemberg state agency for civic education on Germany, Israel and the Middle East.

• Dietmar Merz becomes managing director.

Oldest Protestant academy in Europe; a non-independent institution of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg providing spaces for dialogue, discourse and orientation on pressing questions of our time.

• Conferences and seminars

  Events on society, politics, theology, ethics, education and culture.

• Training courses

  Includes Art of Hosting training and other formats.

• Conference centre (Tagungsstätte)

  Provides overnight accommodation and catering for guests.

• Blumhardts Literatursalon

  Literary salon established in 2005 with the German Literature Archive Marbach.

• Michaelisakademie

  Annual event marking the academy's foundation day.

1. 1Startseite — Evangelische Akademie Bad Bollev-akademie-boll.de
2. 2Geschichte — Evangelische Akademie Bad Bollev-akademie-boll.de
3. 3Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll — Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll — Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org