Karlsruhe is located in the south-west of Germany quite close to the river Rhine and the border to France. It is a lively town of about 300,000 people and an important center for science, education, and administration. In fact, it it sometimes called the center of law, housing the two most important court in Germany, namely the German constitutional court (“Bundesverfassungsgericht”) and the highest german criminal court (“Bundesgerichtshof”). In the realm of science and education the most important entity is the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) combing a traditional university with one of the largest federal research centers. Over 22,000 students and almost 10,000 teaching and administrative staff learn and work at KIT. KIT is one of the 100 top universities worldwide with a focus on fundamental and engineering sciences. KIT is the center of an internationally renowned academic landscape attracting students from all part of the worlds. Accordingly, many courses are taught in English and English serves as the ‘lingua franca’ for all scientific purposes. 
Karlsruhe was also the venue of the 11th World Council of Churches in 2022 where our congregations together with the Old-Catholic Church hosted a joint Eucharistic service.