As this story suggests, the city of Konstanz has a unique and fascinating history. In addition to its important location to the Nazi regime in the 1930s and ‘40s, it had once been the site of the most famous church council of the Middle Ages, including the burning of Jan Hus in 1415. And along with other cities in the area in 1633, it fought a war against Spain in the Siege of Rheinfelden. In 1966, its university was founded as a part of new education programs in West Germany, which for the first time ever wanted to make higher education accessible to all. Though today we might not agree with all the things that happened, these critical moments show us that for centuries, the inhabitants of Konstanz have debated, disagreed and worked alongside each other, all in order to come to terms with what makes a good citizen.
At the center of these events in history have been many things but the most important I have encountered seem to be human rights, the nature of citizenship and the environment. I love picking up stories from the locals here and learning from them, and there are many stories about my adventures here that I look forward to sharing.
