Evangelische Akademie Baden

The Evangelische Akademie Baden (Evangelical Academy of Baden) is an institution of the Evangelical Church in Baden (Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden), headquartered in Karlsruhe with its conference centre, the "Haus der Kirche – Evangelische Akademie Baden", in Bad Herrenalb. It was opened on 25 June 1947 as a place of free encounter and open dialogue between different groups and viewpoints, making it one of the early Evangelical academies in post-war Germany. Its founding was supported by figures including Eberhard Müller, founding director of the first Evangelical academy in Bad Boll, and the French military bishop Marcel Sturm; Friedrich Schauer became its first academy director. The academy describes itself as "ein Ort des Dialogs" (a place of dialogue). Its programme is organised around eight specialist services (Fachdienste) and thematic fields that include Arbeitswelt und Wirtschaft (world of work and economy), Ethik der Digitalisierung (ethics of digitalisation), Frieden und Gerechtigkeit (peace and justice), Kirche und Sport (church and sport), Landwirtschaft/ländlicher Raum (agriculture/rural areas), Leben und Tod (life and death), Musikalische Events (musical events), Spirituelle Impulse (spiritual impulses) and Weltanschauung (worldviews). It also runs a Youth Academy. Its formats include workshops, seminars, conferences and online offerings, such as daily impulses for the "Schöpfungszeit" (Season of Creation) and a multi-year training programme in spiritual accompaniment. The academy's mission is to observe, reflect on and help shape current cultural, political, scientific, economic and religious developments in society, contributing to orientation and opinion-forming against the background of the Gospel. It publishes news and commentary, a newsletter called "Open Spirit", and books, brochures and videos. It is supported by the Freundeskreis der Evangelischen Akademie Baden e. V. (Friends' Association), founded in 1949, which accepts membership fees and donations and since 1992 has awarded the annual Bad Herrenalber Akademiepreis, endowed with 2,000 euros. Over its history the academy has hosted events that gave rise to notable initiatives, including the founding of the Öko-Institut Freiburg in 1977, the Gesellschaft der Freunde christlicher Mystik in 1987, the Forum Friedensethik in the Evangelical Church in Baden in 1999, and the Interreligiöses Frauennetz in Baden in 2008. Leadership has included Friedrich Schauer, Hans Schomerus, Willi Gegenheimer, Wolfgang Böhme, Gerhardt Langguth, Michael Nüchtern, Klaus Nagorni, Siegfried Strobel, Uta Arngard Engelmann and, from 2023/2025, Gernot Meier. The academy remains active, with a broad programme of events and public engagement.

The Evangelische Akademie Baden was opened on 25 June 1947 in Bad Herrenalb as a place of free encounter and open dialogue between different groups and viewpoints. It is an institution of the Evangelical Church in Baden. Its establishment involved Eberhard Müller, founding director of the first Evangelical academy in Bad Boll, and the French military bishop Marcel Sturm. The first academy event, titled "Tage der Besinnung und Vertiefung" (Days of Reflection and Deepening), was held in Bad Herrenalb and was aimed at physicians. Landesbischof Julius Bender justified the gathering by pointing to the growing uncertainty in German society about the significance of the Christian faith, and to the destructive anti-Christian policies of the Nazi regime. Friedrich Schauer (1891–1958), a member of the Michaelsbruderschaft (Berneuchen movement) who had been involved in resistance to the Third Reich in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Norway, became the first academy director. He was succeeded in 1951 by Hans Schomerus, editor of the newspaper Christ und Welt, after an interim period in which the later Landesbischof Hans-Wolfgang Heidland served as acting leader. From 1967 to 1978, Willi Gegenheimer, who had been a study leader since 1960, served as academy director and theological leader of Evangelical industrial and social work in Baden. Wolfgang Böhme followed from 1967 to 1987, with Gerhardt Langguth serving in parallel from 1978 to 1989. Michael Nüchtern became academy director in 1989, and from 1990 to 2000 the academy was led by a team of directors (Jan Badewien, Reinhard Ehmann, Hans Martin Leichle, Ullrich Lochmann, Klaus Nagorni and Michael Nüchtern). Klaus Nagorni was Leitender Akademiedirektor from 2000 to 2008, followed by Siegfried Strobel from 2009 to 2015. In May 2015 Uta Arngard Engelmann succeeded him; from 2023 Gernot Meier was initially acting leader and from 2025 leader of the academy. The academy's history has repeatedly intersected with wider civil-society initiatives. In 1977, on the margins of the academy conference "Die Rolle der Wissenschaften in der Gesellschaft" (The Role of the Sciences in Society) led by Werner Beck, the Öko-Institut Freiburg was founded. In 1987, the Gesellschaft der Freunde christlicher Mystik (Society of Friends of Christian Mysticism) was initiated in Bad Herrenalb by Wolfgang Böhme and Josef Sudbrack. In 1999, in the context of the conference "Friedenspolitik neu gestaltet? Eine erste Bilanz neuer Bundespolitik", the Forum Friedensethik in the Evangelical Church in Baden (FFE) was founded. In 2008, during the conference "Alltag und Frömmigkeit" organised by Annegret Brauch, the Interreligiöses Frauennetz in Baden (Interreligious Women's Network in Baden) was founded. The Freundeskreis der Evangelischen Akademie Baden e. V. (Friends' Association) was founded in October 1949, when a circle of men and women gathered around first director Friedrich Schauer to spread the idea of an Evangelical academy and support its work. Initially called "Gesellschaft der Freunde der Akademie", with Karl Müller, director of the Offenburg municipal gasworks, as secretary, it later became a registered association. Since 1992 the Friends' Association has awarded the annual Bad Herrenalber Akademiepreis, endowed with 2,000 euros. Recipients have included philosophers, theologians, social scientists, natural scientists and public figures; in 2017, on the academy's 70th anniversary, the prize was dedicated to the work of the Evangelical Academies in Germany for "sustainable and innovative democracy promotion" rather than to an individual. In 2024 the prize went to the project "Love Strom – Was tun gegen Hass im Netz?". The academy's history was published in 1997 under the title "Vom Nachkriegsdeutschland an die Schwelle des 21. Jahrhunderts. Stationen aus der Geschichte der Evangelischen Akademie Baden" in the book "Wer redet, liebt. 50 Jahre Evangelische Akademie Baden – Rückschau und Perspektiven", authored by Ralf Stieber and Dr. Jochen Hohmann. In 2017, for the academy's 70th anniversary, a storytelling project (Pageflow) titled "Zwischen Rückblick und Selfie" was published, containing initial additions to the academy's history while focusing on future perspectives.

• 2025

  Gernot Meier becomes leader of the academy.

• 2024

  Akademiepreis awarded to the project "Love Strom – Was tun gegen Hass im Netz?".

• 2023

  Gernot Meier becomes acting leader.

• 2017

  70th anniversary; storytelling project "Zwischen Rückblick und Selfie" published; Akademiepreis dedicated to the Evangelical Academies' democracy work.

• 2015

  Uta Arngard Engelmann becomes leader in May.

• 2009

  Siegfried Strobel becomes Leitender Akademiedirektor until 2015.

• 2008

  Interreligiöses Frauennetz in Baden founded during the conference "Alltag und Frömmigkeit".

• 2000

  Klaus Nagorni becomes Leitender Akademiedirektor until 2008.

• 1999

  Forum Friedensethik in the Evangelical Church in Baden founded in the context of an academy conference.

• 1997

  Academy history published in "Wer redet, liebt. 50 Jahre Evangelische Akademie Baden".

• 1992

  Bad Herrenalber Akademiepreis first awarded by the Friends' Association.

• 1990

  Academy led by a team of directors until 2000.

• 1989

  Michael Nüchtern becomes academy director.

• 1987

  Gesellschaft der Freunde christlicher Mystik initiated in Bad Herrenalb by Wolfgang Böhme and Josef Sudbrack.

• 1977

  Öko-Institut Freiburg founded on the margins of an academy conference led by Werner Beck.

• 1967

  Willi Gegenheimer and Wolfgang Böhme take leadership roles.

• 1951

  Hans Schomerus becomes academy director.

• 1949

  Freundeskreis der Evangelischen Akademie Baden e. V. founded in October around first director Friedrich Schauer.

• 1947

  Academy opened on 25 June in Bad Herrenalb as a place of free encounter and open dialogue.

A church-affiliated academy and place of dialogue for public opinion-forming on faith, society, politics, science, economy and culture.

• Conferences and Tagungen

• Workshops and seminars

• Online events and daily impulses

• Spiritual accompaniment training (2026–2028)

• Youth Academy

• Newsletter "Open Spirit"

• Books, brochures and videos

1. 1Evangelische Akademie Baden – official websiteev-akademie-baden.de
2. 2Geschichteev-akademie-baden.de
3. 3Geschichte des FEAev-akademie-baden.de
4. 4Evangelische Akademie Baden – Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Evangelische Akademie Baden – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org