A lively scene in front of the Audimax during the 12th Long Night of DIE ZEIT. The Von-Melle-Park campus is rarely this crowded on a Saturday.

It was also a full house in the Audimax for the University of Hamburg’s Children’s University Lectures, which were a guest at this year’s Long Night of DIE ZEIT.

Prof. Dr. Linnea Hesse, head of the Bionics Division in the Department of Biology at the university, explained to her young audience how a brilliant idea inspired by nature can be turned into a real-world technical solution.

Anna Kemper, deputy editor-in-chief of ZEITmagazin, interviewed entertainer, author, and activist Riccardo Simonetti as part of the magazine’s popular column “What I Wish I’d Known Sooner,” asking him what he wished he’d known earlier in life—and, above all, why.

Karin Prien returned to Hamburg for the Long Night of DIE ZEIT, where she had long been active in the CDU. The Federal Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth has been at the center of several controversies regarding issues such as the protection of minors, violence prevention, and the promotion of democracy—and she discussed these topics with Sibylle Anderl and Roman Pletter.

Last year, the live podcast “Alles gesagt?” with author Sebastian Fitzek came to an abrupt end – it has now been resumed on campus as part of the Long Night of DIE ZEIT.

A prominent alumnus of the University of Hamburg was also on stage: in a live episode of “Das Politikteil”, Tina Hildebrandt and Heinrich Wefing spoke to former Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck about his views on the government’s current work and his new life outside the whirlwind of politics and election campaigns.

As Hamburg’s Senator for Science, Katharina Fegebank was a regular guest at the University of Hamburg. Now, the second mayor and current Senator for the Environment has returned for a live episode of “Auch das noch?” and answered questions from Petra Pinzler and Stefan Schmitt about Hamburg’s climate policy.