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Brandenburg and Saxony Reaffirm Support for Sorbian Culture as BTU Adds Teacher-Training Degree

The new program signals a move from pledges to practical language transmission through trained primary teachers.

Overview

  • State commissioners from Brandenburg and Saxony renewed their partnership with the Sorbian umbrella group Domowina to coordinate efforts across Lusatia.
  • The Brandenburg University of Technology in Senftenberg will start a Sorbian/Wendish primary teacher program this fall with 12 places a year.
  • Applicants can file from April 27, with study tracks pairing Sorbian/Wendish with either math or German and a new junior professorship to be advertised.
  • Officials called Lower Sorbian endangered and said schools need trained staff, with Brandenburg’s Tobias Dünow describing the launch as an experiment backed by a constitutional duty to promote the language and culture.
  • More than 1,000 students in Brandenburg already learn Sorbian, which is taught bilingually at six schools and as a subject at 22 more, and the minority has deep roots in Lusatia as a Slavic community recognized across both states.