Martin Horn: International Understanding, Peace and Solidarity
Martin Horn is the Mayor of the city of Freiburg and the chair of our school’s Advisory Board. For our Annual Report 2024/25, he wrote about RBC’s and Freiburg’s shared values.
International Understanding, Peace, and Solidarity at the Heart of Freiburg
For more than ten years, UWC Robert Bosch College (RBC) has been an integral part of Freiburg’s city life. Founded on the values of international understanding, peace, and solidarity, the United World College has built bridges — both globally and locally. Whether through weekly service learning, where students volunteer at over 20 organizations in Freiburg and contribute to a fairer, more inclusive city, or through the host family program that connects RBC students with local residents, often resulting in lifelong friendships, or through learning experiences such as the theme day on faith and religion featuring representatives of various faiths from across Freiburg — the college brings people together in meaningful ways.
RBC was founded over a decade ago with a strong focus on sustainability in its curriculum. The choice of Freiburg as its location was no coincidence: even during the planning stages, networking and collaboration with local environmental institutions, companies, and start-ups in our “green” city were key. A great example is the interdisciplinary project week “Liveable Cities,” where students work with local partners to develop ideas for sustainable cities of the future.
As Chair of the Board of Trustees of UWC Robert Bosch College, I am deeply moved after every meeting by the young people who apply from around the globe for a place at one of the 18 United World Colleges. They come to live and learn together for two years while earning the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. These students bring an incredible level of motivation and commitment to creating a better world — and they are eager to learn from and with one another. At RBC, 96% of students receive scholarships — three of which are funded by the City of Freiburg each year. This scholarship system enables students from 90 countries to access an education that would otherwise be out of reach in many of their home countries.
Freiburg as a city also stands for values like international understanding, peace, and solidarity. We actively maintain close relationships with our twelve sister cities and take pride in being an open, socially engaged, and inclusive community.
That’s why we’re especially proud to have a school like UWC Robert Bosch College here in Freiburg — a school with a truly international mission. Thank you to the college for its dedicated work in our city and beyond.
