On January 16, 2024, the student initiative ELSA Hannover e.V. traveled to Münster to visit ELSA-Münster e.V. as part of a study visit. We were welcomed at the main train station by the S&C Director Elisabeth and her Director Kilian. On the way to the hostel, the two of them showed us a small part of Münster and told us something about the city. We saw the Aasee lake, where all the students spend their time when the weather is good.
Once we arrived at the hostel, we freshened up a bit and locked up our bags because we were going straight on with the city tour. We were shown the cathedral and many other churches, as the diocese of Münster has over 600 churches of different religions. Münster's old town on Prinzipalmarkt is characterized by its beautiful old buildings, which were all built in the same way. Of course, we also went on to the Juridicum of the University of Münster, which is home to the lawyers, among others. What is special about the University of Münster is that it is spread over 246 buildings around Münster.
After the city tour, we stopped for refreshments in a small café before continuing on to the Constitutional Court. A few of the German Basic Laws were displayed in the court, which were to be illustrated with various photographs. One of the judges working there took the time to talk about his work at the Constitutional Court of North Rhine-Westphalia and we were also given the opportunity to ask him various questions. After the court, we went back to the hostel before meeting up again with the members of ELSA Münster for dinner at an Italian restaurant.
A visit to a pub was also part of the program to round off the day. We laughed, played UNO, talked a lot and got to know each other better.
We had an early start the next morning as we had to check out before the day began with a visit to the tax court. On the way there, of course, we also had a small breakfast and a coffee at a bakery.
Once we arrived at the tax court, we were given an introduction to the work of a judge at the court. He told us a lot about his career and about various hearings. After the introduction, we were able to attend a lengthy but extremely interesting hearing. When this was over, some of the others said goodbye to us. However, we then went to lunch with the others, where we discussed the plans for the rest of the day.
On the agenda was a walk through Münster, where we had another look at the cathedral from the inside and a tour of the market, which was set up on the market square. We were also shown another part of the University of Münster, namely the landmark of the University of Münster, the Prince-Bishop's Palace, which houses the administration, the rector's office, lecture halls and an assembly hall. In the palace garden behind the palace there is a botanical garden which is freely accessible to the public, is owned by the University of Münster and is used for research purposes and contains a large number of different greenhouses. After the tour, we said thank you, collected our things from the hostel and headed home.
We would like to thank ELSA Münster for the wonderful time. We look forward to welcoming them to Hannover for a study visit in the near future.
Written by Vanessa Dreßler.
What is a study visit?
A study visit is a visit between ELSA groups or to institutions and partner organizations that is dedicated to academic and cultural exchange. The aim is to provide an insight into new areas of work and legal matters. A study visit can take place either within Germany or abroad.
Who or what is ELSA?
ELSA stands for "European Law Students' Association" and is the largest association for law students. It was founded in 1981 with the aim of promoting dialog among young Europeans and facilitating intercultural exchange. Our faculty group in Hanover is part of a network of 60,000 law students at over 400 faculties in 43 different countries. The German ELSA network alone has over 12,500 members in 43 cities.
Further information is available at www.elsa-hannover.de and instagram.com/elsa_hannover.
