With the university bus through Löbau

It was exciting, it was wet—and yet the atmosphere was always lively. Last Sunday, September 3, the three-day “Saxony Day” festival in Löbau came to a close with a traditional parade. Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences also took part in the festivities throughout the Zittau area, which this year were organized under the patronage of the association “TuZZ – Tradition und Zukunft Zittau e. V.” and the “Hochschulsportgemeinschaft Turbine Zittau e. V.”

At times, it felt as though the sky was unleashing every rain cloud it had in store. Nevertheless, the “university parade delegation” set off for Löbau in good spirits and right on time at 10:00 a.m. in the impressive HSZG bus. The area was cordoned off for visitors, but a pass granted us access to the parade staging areas, where we took our place as shown in photo number 104—right between the City of Zittau’s “Sportstadt” float and the Grüna Heritage Association. This traditional association showcased an impressive white-and-green blimp that towered high above the heads of the participants, offering at least some protection from the rain. Thus, we found ourselves in good company alongside these “eye-catchers” and set about setting up our university promotional displays.

After several rain showers, the excitement peaked at 1:00 p.m. when the parade, with a total of over 3,000 participants, set off. “This could take a while,” Kevin Mühlan quickly realized. The student assistant from the Public Relations Office had a direct line via cell phone to friends in the city center, who were able to let us know which float was currently passing by. After more than 100 floats had passed, we set off around 2:00 p.m. when the weather had become good, proudly carrying our banners and flags and handing out small promotional gifts to the spectators.

With our slogan “Studying Naturally” here in beautiful Upper Lusatia, we were able to draw not only the curious glances of the numerous spectators but also those of Saxony’s Minister President Tillich as the parade passed the VIP stand. Now it was time to put on our best Sunday smiles, as we spotted the first cameras from mdr television, which was broadcasting the parade live.

As we unfortunately realized afterward, TV viewers waited in vain for a shot of the university, since just as the camera was about to capture the university delegation, it switched to an interview on the float ahead with the coach of the Dreiländereck Zittau Boxing Club. In the next television shot, the airship following us lit up brightly. While that’s a shame, it neither dampened the atmosphere on site nor diminished the many positive reactions from spectators cheering on the HSZG participants from the roadside.

According to official figures, “Saxony Day” attracted more than 250,000 visitors to Löbau. The organizers and visitors agreed that it was a successful festival, and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was very happy to participate.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped with the preparations and was involved on site. In addition to the staff from the University Executive Board and the University Administration, this applies in particular to our driver Arne Nowack, university staff members Lisa-Marie Ulbrich and Julia Henschke, as well as the StuRa representatives: Stefanie Lehmann, Oliver Kretschmar, Christoph Leichmann, and Cindy Henke.

Text: Cornelia Rothe, M.A.