Forum für Gegenwartsfragen

The Forum für Gegenwartsfragen is a response to increasing social polarization and the desire for genuine human connection. Originating from a collaboration with artist John Kolya Reichart and his exhibition “achtzehn” (eighteen), an intergenerational team from Schloss Freudenberg has adopted an innovative event format designed to revitalize democratic discourse in Wiesbaden.

At the heart of the project is the intentionally low-threshold format “Speaking and Listening,” developed by "Mehr Demokratie e.V.". In a protected space, up to 80 participants divide into small groups. The rules are as simple as they are challenging: each person receives exactly four minutes of uninterrupted speaking time regarding a central social question—the others only listen. Personal experiences are shared without judgment or rebuttal. Differing perspectives are permitted to stand side-by-side. This mode enables an exchange at eye and ear level that is often lost in traditional debates.

The project will launch on April 25, 2026, with a workshop featuring Claudine Nierth and Roman Huber (Board Members of Mehr Demokratie e.V.). Heike Hofmann, the Hessian Minister for Social Affairs, will be present—not as a keynote speaker, but as an active participant. This will be followed by five moderated forums covering topics such as education, loneliness, the economy and democracy.

By waiving entry fees and providing free drinks and soup, barriers to participation are removed. The project views itself as a research journey: the formats and questions are constantly refined to carry the model beyond the walls of the palace and into the city’s various neighborhoods.

For 33 years, the non-profit “FREUDENBERG Gesellschaft Natur + Kunst” has developed Schloss Freudenberg as a “Field of Experience for the Senses and Thought”. With 300,000 annual visitors, it is a major cultural site. Its permanent exhibition features 150 stations where guests of all ages explore perception as the basis for judgment and opinion. The participatory programme creates a democratic space in harmony with nature, art, and society.