Programme

Further details will be emailed to all members when booking for an event becomes available.

Full Members receive discounted prices on most 'paid for' events and will benefit from 'Free' events where guests may attend for a fee.

Programme of Events :- More events will be added throughout the year and can be viewed here. 

August 2025

Sunday 31st Frühschoppen- at The Home of The Greenwoods - 11.00am -1.00pm

Drinks & Canapés in the Garden

September 2025 Illustrated talk with refreshments, free to members 

Wednesday 10th Summer on the Hapsburg Trail!

    Speaker - Dr Mark Allinson

Mark is spending ten days this summer exploring parts of Habsburg Europe. Besides the imperial capital, Vienna, he'll report back on the ways in which the Habsburgs' subjects built new identities after the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed, and how some of these places look now, more than a century on. There'll be pictures and insights from Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia. Please do come along with your own stories of travels in the lands of the old Habsburg empire to share at the meeting.

Venue: St Peter's Church Henleaze, Meeting Room. 7.45pm

October 2025

Thursday 2nd Joint event with Bristol Hannover Council and Bristol University German Department,  

on the eve of German Unification Day 

Venue: Bristol University (details to follow)

Wednesday 15th Illustrated Talk with refreshments - free to members (In English)

Language change: Is German under threat?

Dr Anna Havinga, Senior Lecturer in Sociolinguistics, University of Bristol

According to the Verein Deutsche Sprache, German needs to be protected to avoid it becoming

a "Feierabenddialekt" - a language only used for social purposes, rather than for culture, economy,

and science. But is German really under threat?In this talk, Anna will look at two particular linguistic

     phenomena: the use of anglicisms and the introduction of gender-inclusive language. She will

     explore their impact on language and society and critically evaluate reactions to both features.  

Venue: St Peter's Church Henleaze, Meeting Room. 7.15pm 

November 2025

Wednesday 12th Illustrated Talk with refreshments - free to members (In English)

The future of remembrance in united Germany

Speaker - Dr Debbie Pinfold; University of Bristol

When Germany reunited in 1990, it was not only political, social and financial structures that had to be aligned; East and West Germany also had very distinct memory cultures of the NS-regime and World War II. The years following unification were therefore marked by efforts to create a unified culture of remembrance which would also support a sense of cohesive national identity. Yet as the NS-regime and World War II pass from lived memory and the increasingly powerful AfD dismisses attempts to remember them in the public sphere as a 'Schuldkult', Germany's culture of remembrance is at a transitional moment. In this talk Debbie Pinfold will explore these issues and their implications and will be keen to hear members' thoughts in subsequent discussion. 

Venue: St Peter's Church Henleaze, Meeting Room. 7.45pm

December 2025

Friday 5th Nikolausabend Party and Supper - Bristol Commonwealth Society; 7pm

(Quiz, Carols & Poetry in German)

Members will be notified of booking arrangements.

January 2026

Wednesday 14th Virtual Quiz Night! - 7pm on Zoom (In German and English)

New questions and challenges in the latest  of our popular quiz events.

Quiz Master - Christine Heuger

February 2026

Wednesday 18th Illustrated Talk (on Zoom)

Speaker: Gerard Owen; speaking from Germany

March 2026

Wednesday 18th Illustrated Talk with refreshments (In English)

Speaker: Dr Angela Greenwood; title tbc 

Venue: St Peter's Church Henleaze, Meeting Room. 7.45pm

April 2026

Wednesday 15th 7pm - AGM; Followed by refreshments

7.45pm - Illustrated talk in German; Speaker -Dr Mark Allinson

St Peter's Henleaze, Meeting Room

May 2026

Wednesday 13th Illustrated Talk with refreshments - details TBC

Venue: St Peter's Church Henleaze, Meeting Room. 7.45pm

June 2026 Annual Summer Social - details tbc

Conversation Group

A conversation group meets on the last Friday of each month between September and May (excluding December); 12.00pm - 2pm - The topics for discussion are suggested in advance.

The first meeting of the new academic year will be Friday 26th September 2025.