This year’s 2026 Rundgang is shaping up to be…different. Funding from the Senate has been cut, and not only have the Rundgangs’s opening hours been restricted, but the central event platform has been scrapped…and much more. As the AStA, general students representatives, we have been grappling intensively with this issue over the past few weeks. Together with the Student Parliament, we have now drawn up a list of questions for the UdK Executive Board.

In it, we ask, amongst other things, why the focus of this year’s revamped Rundgang is supposed to be on the arts, yet the funding for the central event platform is lacking. How can we observe the artistic processes of visual arts, music, design and performance if we cannot even find them?

It is also worth noting here that the linked letter emphasises once again that “Projects in communal areas – such as courtyards or garden areas – must be registered with the organisers. The reason for this is the requirements regarding safety, visitor management and event coordination when there is a high volume of visitors.” See also answer to question no. 11 Further information on this can also be found here.

It is also important that the potential consequences of non-compliance with the rules are set out once again in the questionnaire. Quote: “ (...) - If individuals continue to fail to comply with the regulations even after being spoken to, the venue’s management rights must be enforced. Such individuals would have to be excluded from the remainder of the Rundgang. - Behaviour in breach of the regulations could, as the most severe consequence, result in the tour being cancelled and/or the venue being closed for the entire weekend.” See also question No. 7

It is therefore essential this year to take a critical stance and to turn our attention to the cuts in Senate funding. And in doing so, to understand how Berlin’s science and education policy is exemplified in its impact on the 2026 Rundgang. Despite this complexity and the discontent, we continue to urge everyone to remain united and look out for one another. We would also like to refer you here to the UdK’s subpage on the Rundgang: www.udk-berlin.de/rundgang/

You can find our critical analysis and the Executive Board’s responses here on this page as a PDF.

Best, your AStA at the UdK Berlin, June 2026

You can reach us here, among other places: buero@asta-udk-berlin.de