Former Federal President Christian Wulff attends the St Michael’s Gathering in Jena

At the invitation of the St Michael’s Church Foundation, former Federal President Christian Wulff will visit the city of Jena on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The occasion is this year’s ‘Michaelsbegegnung’, for which the Foundation is expecting around 200 invited guests from the worlds of politics, business, academia and society in the evening. The highlight of the evening will be Wulff’s keynote address on the topic ‘Peace, Democracy, Europe: The Role of Christianity’. Earlier that afternoon, the former Federal President gained an insight into Jena’s development as an internationally significant centre for science and high-tech. The visit included stops at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) and the ZEISS high-tech site.

“The Michaelsbegegnung looks back on a tradition spanning almost 20 years. During this time, we have had the privilege of welcoming numerous outstanding personalities as guests of honour. It is a particular pleasure and honour for us that we have been able to secure former Federal President Christian Wulff for our event this year,” explains Dr Franz von Falkenhausen, Chairman of the Board of the St Michael’s Church Foundation in Jena. “Particularly at a time of major social and political challenges, it is important to create spaces for encounter, exchange and guidance. With his lecture on peace, democracy, Europe and the role of Christianity, Christian Wulff will provide important impetus for this dialogue.”

Insights into Jena as a centre of innovation

The Church Foundation has combined the former Federal President’s visit with a supporting programme focusing on Jena as a centre for science and innovation. In the afternoon, Christian Wulff visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) and the Carl Zeiss high-tech site to learn about the city’s scientific and economic development.

Under the title ‘Jena: A Centre for Science and High Technology – A City Through the Ages’, representatives from the worlds of research, business and politics came together for a round-table discussion. The focus was on the factors behind the city’s success, the close collaboration between academia and industry, and the prospects for its future development.

Participants in the discussion included the Lord Mayor, Dr Thomas Nitzsche, State Secretary Prof. Dr Steffen Teichert, the Scientific Director of the German Museum of Optics, Prof. Dr Timo Mappes, the Chief Financial Officer of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Justus Wehmer, and Prof. Dr Andreas Tünnermann, Director of the Fraunhofer IOF.

Prof. Dr Andreas Tünnermann is delighted to welcome Christian Wulff to the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering: “In the early 1990s, Jena as a centre for optics faced existential challenges. Through close collaboration between the worlds of science, business, politics and civil society, we have succeeded over the past decades in reinventing the city as a centre of excellence and, building on excellent research, in tapping into new markets with innovative products. This is a key strength of our city. The capacity for strategic cooperation, particularly between the worlds of science and industry, is also a vital foundation for its continued development.I am delighted to welcome former Federal President Christian Wulff here at Fraunhofer IOF, to share our experiences of regional development with him and to work together to develop ideas on how Jena can serve as a role model for other science and technology hubs in Germany.”

The Michaelsbegegnung as a forum for social dialogue

In the evening, the actual St Michael’s Gathering will take place in the ad hoc Arena at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld. Following a welcome address by the Foundation’s Chairman, Dr Franz von Falkenhausen, and a welcome speech by the Lord Mayor, Dr Thomas Nitzsche, Christian Wulff will speak on ‘Peace, Democracy, Europe: The Role of Christianity’.

The former Federal President has been engaged for many years with issues of social cohesion, integration and interfaith dialogue. Even after leaving office, he remains committed to democratic values and understanding between different social groups.

“Peace, democracy and a united Europe cannot be taken for granted. They depend on people taking responsibility, maintaining dialogue with one another and seeking common ground even across differing beliefs. Christian values such as love for one’s neighbour, human dignity and solidarity have provided important guidance. I look forward to discussing these issues at the St Michael’s Gathering in Jena,” says former Federal President Christian Wulff.

Church foundation committed to preserving St Michael’s Church

The St Michael’s Gathering has been an integral part of the work of the St Michael’s Church Foundation in Jena for many years. The foundation was established in November 2007 and is dedicated in particular to the preservation and restoration of church buildings, the promotion of heritage conservation work, and the support of parishioners in need.

More than 100 founding donors and co-donors have so far raised endowment capital totalling over 350,000 euros. This enables the foundation to allocate around 10,000 euros annually to social and building projects.

Through the annual St Michael’s Gathering, the foundation aims to raise awareness of its work, foster dialogue with its friends and patrons, and attract new supporters. Prominent keynote speakers in recent years have included, amongst others, former Federal President Joachim Gauck, Prof. Dr Gesine Schwan, Bodo Ramelow, Prof. Dr Hartmut Rosa and Prof. Dr Norbert Lammert.

The restoration of St Michael’s Church in Jena remains a particular priority. Due to the ongoing works, this year’s St Michael’s Gathering will once again take place outside the church. Preparations are currently under way for further phases of the extensive vault restoration. It is still not possible to put a definitive figure on the total costs. However, it is already clear that the donations received so far cover only a small part of the funding required.

“St Michael’s City Church is not only an important place of worship, but also a defining architectural and cultural monument of our city. Preserving it is a task that we can only tackle together,” emphasises von Falkenhausen. “That is why we would also like to use the ‘Michaelsbegegnung’ to draw attention to the support needed for the ongoing restoration work.”

The church foundation is once again combining this year’s event with an appeal for donations towards the preservation of the town church. The ‘Michaelsbegegnung’ is also made possible thanks to the support of Sparkasse Jena, Stadtwerke Jena and elf5 Jena GmbH.

About Christian Wulff

Christian Wulff was born in Osnabrück in 1959. From 2003 to 2010, he was Minister-President of the State of Lower Saxony. In 2010, he was elected the tenth Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany and held the office until 2012. Throughout his political career and beyond, he was particularly committed to social cohesion, education, integration and dialogue between religions and cultures.

Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Dr. Franz von Falkenhausen, Justus Wehmer, Alt-Bundespräsident Christian Wulff, Prof. Andreas Tünnermann, Prof. Mappes

© Jürgen Scheere

Bundespräsident a.D. Christian Wulff besucht das Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik und informiert sich über die Optische Bodenstation auf dem Dach des IOF.

© Jürgen Scheere

Anschließend besuchte Christian Wulff den neuen Hightechstandort von ZEISS.

© Jürgen Scheere

Oberbürgermeister Dr. Thomas Nitzsche begrüßt Bundespräsident a.D. Christian Wulff in Jena.

© Jürgen Scheere