Students of the International Academy in Budapest

In April, a study week for Bachelor students of the International Academy (IA) to Budapest took place for the first time. 20 students visited the Hungarian capital together with Professor Dr. Eberhard Hohl, Professor Dr. Barbara Niersbach, Director of IA, and Nayan Kadam. It was the first international study week for IA bachelor students. The occasion was the International Business Project, which is being carried out under the direction of Barbara Niersbach and international students as a pioneering project at Budapest Business School (Budapesti Gazdasági Egyetem, or BGE for short), a partner university of RWU. Eberhard Hohl founded the cooperation with BGE more than 15 years ago. According to Eberhard Hohl and Nayan Kadam, the leaders of the study week, the study trip provides students with academic insights at the partner university, practical insights during company visits and, last but not least, intercultural skills through dialog and contact with Hungarian culture.

Budapest Business School

BGE was founded in 1857 and is the largest business school in Hungary with 19,000 students. It offers a variety of business and management degree programs as well as exchange programs. RWU students were welcomed on site by the Head of the Department of Languages for International Business, Dr. Marianna Válóczi. During lectures and excursions, the students were able to learn a lot about Hungary, its history and culture, for example during a lecture entitled "Hungary, a country to get to know" by Dr. László Bodolay, who is responsible for the German section at the department. German and Hungarian students came into contact with each other during a campus tour.

Also on the program was a visit to a Hungarian furniture company, which was very informative for the students in terms of entrepreneurial challenges and strategies on the Hungarian and European market. On another day, the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Budapest was visited. During a lecture, the students learned a lot about German-Hungarian trade relations and were able to expand their professional knowledge.

Hungarian history and culture

The students also saw and experienced a lot in terms of culture: Together with László Bodolay, who regularly gives guest lectures at RWU, they visited the artists' town of Szentendre, the Hungarian Museum of Agriculture and the Castle Palace in Buda. The old castle complex is the residence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the President of the Republic of Hungary, Katalin Novák. In front of the palace, the group was able to witness the changing of the guards. Other historical sights included the State Opera House, the Monument to the Revolution and Heroes' Square with its 30-meter high Millennium Monument.

Culinary delights as a cultural aspect were also not neglected: the students visited the famous strudel house, where they received a vivid instruction in the production of strudel and were even allowed to try their hand at it themselves. Of course, different types of strudel were also sampled. While exploring the city, a stop was made at the Central Market Hall. Finally, a trip on the Danube was on the agenda. From the boat, the tour group was offered a last - and once again different - view of the city with its sights. "The boat trip was a nice way to end the study week, during which we students were able to get to know each other better and also learn a lot from each other," said Noelle Keppler, a third-semester business administration and management student at RWU.

Text: Moritz Giesler, Noelle Keppler, Patricia Krog, Samuel Lindinger, Prof. Dr. Eberhard Hohl, Lisann Gauß