IDEAS THAT INSPIRE
MAHLE Foundation
Editorial
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of the MAHLE Foundation,
This annual report marks several milestones: with the Feinstoff Festival (a festival celebrating the subtle dimensions of human experience), we celebrated six decades of the MAHLE Foundation’s funding activities in 2025 at St Maria’s Church in Stuttgart – an occasion that does not merely look back, but above all looks forward. And for the first time, we are presenting the Foundation's work together with our partner, INSTITUTO MAHLE in Brazil, in an integrated report. What may appear at first glance to be an organisational innovation is in truth a logical consequence of our way of working, which connects continents and transcends boundaries – particularly in Brazil, where anthroposophical initiatives are increasingly succeeding in reaching broad sections of civil society.
For all our confidence, it would not be honest to ignore the challenges. We find ourselves in the midst of profound transformation – scarce resources, pressures of economisation, and the search for holistic, comprehensive solutions characterise the daily reality of many societal actors, from medicine to culture. It is precisely in such times that the value of initiatives that recognise the process of human development becomes clear.
In this context, I would like to draw attention to a phenomenon that shapes our present: we live in a world increasingly determined by the measurable and quantifiable. What threatens to be lost is the “subtle” – those dimensions of life that elude measurement, yet are of fundamental significance. Think of a moment of genuine encounter, the atmosphere of a room, the quality of a touch. None of this can be captured in numbers, and yet we know immediately of its reality.
The projects we support – be it an education centre that enables inclusion through art, an initiative to preserve heirloom seed varieties, or an association that enables religious encounters through sensory experience – all cultivate this subtle dimension. They create spaces in which people can truly meet one another, in which the invisible becomes visible.
Perhaps this is precisely what distinguished the vision of our founders, Dr Ernst and Hermann Mahle: they recognised that the establishment of the MAHLE Foundation was about more than project funding. It was about shaping the future in a comprehensive sense – about the question of how we wish to live as a society and how we create spaces in which human development becomes possible.
None of this would be possible without the reliable support of the MAHLE Group. Especially in times of profound transformation in the automotive industry, the Group stands firmly at the Foundation’s side. This trust expresses an attitude that understands economic success and social responsibility as inseparably connected.
My thanks go to all who have contributed to the success of our work: the staff of the Foundation and INSTITUTO MAHLE, the project leaders, the advisory circle, as well as the management and all employees of the MAHLE Group.
I wish you an inspiring read and hope that you sense something of that subtle quality which distinguishes our projects – that spirit of connectedness which unites people across continents.
Yours sincerely,
Jürgen Schweiß-Ertl Managing Partner
Greetings
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Recently I came across a quote attributed to South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela: “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” It moved me immediately, because it captures so precisely what our times demand more urgently than ever: courageous decisions born of strength and confidence – not of anxiety or resignation.
This spirit has defined the work of the MAHLE Foundation for more than sixty years. Last year, too, the owner of our company supported around 120 projects across the areas of Education & Learning, Arts & Culture, Health & Medical Care, and Agriculture & Food. These are initiatives that encourage people to strike out in new directions, to realise their potential and to bring about lasting change. Because the future only takes shape when people tackle things with courage, responsibility and genuine confidence.
How well this already works in so many places was made wonderfully tangible last autumn, at the Feinstoff Festival –
held to mark the MAHLE Foundation’s 60th anniversary, which transformed Stuttgart’s St Maria church into an open resonant space. For four days, the church became a stage for art, culture, spirituality and civic dialogue. Concerts, performances, readings, dance and installations captivated visitors by addressing sight, sound, feeling and experience in equal measure – turning the building into a place of creativity, diversity and inspiration.
Inspiration and fresh thinking are also at the heart of our joint events series, which we have been hosting together with the MAHLE Foundation for two years now at our newly modernised brand and communications centre, MAHLE Inside. Our “Philosophical Evening” has become a kind of fuel for the mind and spirit – offering new perspectives on the fundamental questions of human existence, and managing the rare feat of being both entertaining and genuinely demanding.
2025 was a thoroughly demanding year for MAHLE as a company. Declining automotive markets in Europe and North America, geopolitical tensions, and the persistent debate around tariffs kept us fully occupied. Against this backdrop, we continued to focus on strengthening our resilience and earnings capacity while improving our profitability – and in many respects we made considerable progress.
We reorganised the entire group under our own steam in just 200 days: consolidating business divisions, streamlining management structures and transferring responsibility to our regional units. Together with our “Back on Track” programme, this has brought us closer to our goal of improving collaboration and processes across the group, working more efficiently, and thus becoming faster and more effective for our customers.
We will continue to develop our position as an innovation partner to the automotive industry. Products such as our new high-efficiency range extender system and our latest thermal management module help to extend the range of electric vehicles, making electromobility even more appealing. At the same time, our automotive expertise provides a strong foundation for innovation in other markets: new cooling modules for stationary battery storage and megawatt charging are among the promising applications we presented in 2025.
This eventful year closed on a notable moment that also marked the end of an era: Professor Dr.-Ing. Heinz K. Junker, long-serving chairman of both the MAHLE Supervisory Board and MABEG, handed over the leadership of both bodies to his successor, Dr Michael Macht, after ten years at the helm. We bow in grateful recognition of a figure who has shaped our company in decisive ways over the decades – and we look forward with great confidence to working with Dr. Macht.
2026, too, will be an intensive and demanding year for MAHLE. We will continue to pursue our objectives with purpose, focus and clear strategy. That we are able to do so is, in no small measure, thanks to the MAHLE Foundation – a values-driven owner whose approach makes sustainable, far-sighted action possible.
I am grateful to the MAHLE Foundation for its unwavering commitment and its spirit of confidence – neither of which can be taken for granted in times like these. I wish the Foundation every success in 2026. We at MAHLE will play our part in ensuring that the Foundation’s projects continue to nurture courage, strength and trust in people’s own abilities.
Arnd Franz President and Chief Executive Officer MAHLE Group
The partners, and the members of the advisory boards of the MAHLE Foundation
The MAHLE Foundation partners
The MAHLE Foundation advisory board members
Feinstoff Festival: Four Days Between Heaven and Earth
When angelic voices drift through Gothic vaults, light transforms into music, and people of all generations juggle together on the church forecourt – something more than a cultural festival is at play. From 2 to 5 October 2025, St Maria’s Church in Stuttgart became a place where the subtle became tangible: that particular quality which mediates between the material and the spiritual, between the visible and the invisible.
A Vision Made Real
With the Feinstoff Festival, the MAHLE Foundation celebrated 60 years of philanthropic work – gifting above all the city of Stuttgart. Free of charge, for everyone, in the heart of bustling urban life. This was precisely what Hermann and Ernst Mahle had in mind when they established their foundation in 1964: an economy in service of society, commitment to the common good rather than exclusivity. For four days, the festival made this ethos tangible.
The choice of venue was programmatic:
St Maria's Church opens its doors under the motto “We have a church. You have an idea?” to all people, regardless of age, background, religion or income. This very spirit infused the festival – from the retired church pews on the forecourt that became seating, to the colourful sun umbrellas that transformed the urban space into an oasis of encounter.
Metabolism of the Arts
The programme orchestrated a genuine “metabolism” between artistic positions and disciplines. The figure humaine chamber choir opened the festival with a musical journey through the angelic realm – from Baroque hymns of praise to the world premiere of a specially commissioned angelic composition. Within the venerable church walls, the voices unfolded a power that many visitors described as profoundly moving.
Entirely different, yet no less compelling, was the late-night performance by Laurenz Theinert and Bo & Herb: when sound becomes light and light begins to resound, the boundaries between the senses blur. The “Visual Piano” generated room-filling light structures live and in real time, whilst analogue and digital soundscapes created a hypnotic sonic space. Until well past midnight, people sat transfixed in the church pews – some with eyes closed, utterly surrendered to the sound, others fascinated by the pulsating light formations.
Generations Meet
Things became particularly lively when the Circuleum opened its circus mobile on the church forecourt. Children and adults tried their hand at juggling, acrobatics and plate spinning – a cheerful counterpoint to the contemplative moments inside the church. The converted fire engine became a crowd magnet, and it was not uncommon to see an eight-year-old and her grandmother leaving the improvised practice mats together, laughing.
The acrobatic performance “Gap of 42” by Chris and Iris explored, in touching fashion, how differences – 42 centimetres in height, 42 kilograms in weight – need not divide but can connect. Three wooden boxes became playing partners that compensated for the difference in height and enabled poetic moments of encounter at eye level.
The Forum Theatre ventured into “Rilke’s Angels”, approaching the Duino Elegies – that almost unfathomable masterpiece of German poetry. “Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?” With this question began a performative approach to Rilke's mysterious verses, accompanied by the music of Grischa Lichtenberger. The performance demonstrated impressively that challenging art and broad accessibility need not be contradictory.
An entirely different approach to the angelic theme was offered by the philosophical seminar with Dr. Lydia Fechner and Professor Harald Schwaetzer. The introductory lecture on Christian angelology and the subsequent visual journey through art history showed how understanding of these spiritual beings has evolved over the centuries. In the well-filled nave, it became clear: interest in fundamental questions of human existence remains undiminished.
Sound as Bridge
Music permeated the festival in all its facets. The organist Lydia Schimmer unfolded the entire spectrum of angelic sounds on St Maria's magnificent organ – from Messiaen to Webber. The overtone ensemble BEYOND VOWELS, with their technique of polyphonic overtone singing, created eight-voiced sounds from four voices and transformed the church space into a sonic cathedral.
The Free Youth Seminar also contributed: 35 young people from around the world presented international choral music with their choir – as diverse as the participants themselves. As a special homage to the recently deceased German-Brazilian composer Ernst Mahle (1929–2025), a specially commissioned world premiere by Jean Kleeb was performed.
Poetry in All Forms
At the poetry slam “Dead or Alive?!”, contemporary stage poets met great world literature. The speaking ensemble from the Academy for Spoken Word brought deceased poets back to life and pitted them against Aileen Schneider and Marvin Suckut. A poetic battle of the epochs, in which the audience ultimately decided: do the classics still hold up or does the power of the present prevail?
On the church forecourt, the collective “Dreaming in Women*” together with “Eine Unterhaltung im Freien” invited people to read, picnic and sew. Pieces of fabric brought along were joined into a growing picnic blanket, whilst texts about angels, monsters and other strange creatures rang out – liminal beings between worlds, in German and English.
Art That Resonates
The exhibition in the church engaged with the presence of the absent. Dawn Nilo's installation “Conference of Angels I” brought carpentry chairs from the Goetheanum and ready-made objects into “consultation” with one another. Veronike Hinsberg’s “MATERial” transformed the textile collection of her deceased mother into a living storage medium in which time and social contexts became visible. Julia Schäfer's three-part video work “Re-reverse” recalled the almost forgotten tradition of death knells and the collective trauma of the “death of bells” during the Second World War.
An Idea Carries Forward
What remains of four festival days? More than memories of beautiful concerts and moving performances. The Feinstoff Festival has shown how culture can connect – between generations, between artistic disciplines, between different understandings of reality. It has opened a space in which community becomes possible beyond consumption and representation.
The MAHLE Foundation thanks all the artists, the cooperation partners – above all St Maria's Church, the Circuleum, the Forum Theatre, the Academy for Spoken Word, the Eurythmeum Stuttgart, the Philosophical Seminar and the Free Youth Seminar – as well as all visitors who made the festival what it was: a celebration for everyone, in the heart of city life. A celebration that carried forward the vision of the foundation’s founders in a vibrant way and demonstrated what emerges when art does not remain aloof but stays grounded – and precisely for this reason is able to elevate to higher spheres.
Where Entrepreneurial Vision Meets Healing Art
50 Years of Filderklinik Hospital
A Stuttgart villa becomes too small, two brothers recognise the potential – and a dream becomes one of Europe's most significant anthroposophical hospitals.
The year is 1963, and within a small circle of dedicated doctors, a momentous idea begins to take shape. In a Stuttgart villa, Dr. Walter Bopp has been practising a form of medicine that extends far beyond conventional boundaries since the end of the war. His internal medicine clinic, with just 40 beds, operates according to the principles of anthroposophical medicine – that healing art founded by Rudolf Steiner which understands human health as a unity of body, soul and spirit.
Hermann & Ernst Mahle (1938)
A Vision Takes Form
Yet the modest premises can no longer cope with growing demand. What is possible within the villa quickly reaches its limits: there is no lift, seriously ill patients must be carried to the wards in wicker chairs, and modern medical equipment can barely find space. The circle of doctors around Dr Bopp has long dreamed of something greater – a modern anthroposophical hospital with various specialist departments that could offer Stuttgart and the region a genuine alternative to purely conventional medical care.
Then their shared tax adviser brings them together with two brothers from the Swabian business community. Hermann and Ernst Mahle, the successful piston manufacturers, are not only astute industrialists but also convinced anthroposophists. As practising businessmen, they know that visions alone are insufficient – it requires the right partners and, above all, a solid financial foundation.
From Chance to Destiny
1964 becomes a pivotal year for all involved. Almost simultaneously, two institutions emerge that make the Filderklinik project possible: in March, the charitable association Filderklinik e. V. is entered into the Stuttgart register of associations, followed in December by the founding of MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH. What appears to be routine administrative work is, in truth, the birth of one of the region's most ambitious medical projects.
The connection between the circle of doctors and the Mahle brothers proves fortuitous. This is where, medical expertise meets entrepreneurial experience; here, people encounter one another who share a common vision: a medicine that is more than the sum of its technical
When Plans Meet Reality
Yet between dream and realisation lie, as so often, unforeseen obstacles. The originally favoured site in Stuttgart-Heumaden proves unrealisable. Time passes, Ernst Mahle grows impatient – the now seventy-year-old wishes to see the clinic opened in his lifetime.
Then movement comes to the deadlocked situation: Friedhardt Pascher, the enterprising mayor of the tranquil Filder community of Bonlanden, recognises the opportunity. A modern clinic in his municipality – that would be a real asset for the region. Together with his colleague Mayor Illig from neighbouring Plattenhardt, he courts the project. His persistence pays off: on 15 October 1972, the foundation stone is laid on the Haberschlaiheide, at the picturesque edge of a juniper-covered landscape conservation area.
More Than Just a Hospital
What emerges exceeds all original dimensions. From the initially planned 70 to 120 beds, 216 eventually materialise – the Filderklinik develops into an acute and general hospital with departments of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology/Obstetrics, Paediatrics and – highly unusual for the time – Psychosomatics. For the numerous staff and their families, 132 flats of varying sizes are created, along with a day nursery for the children.
The construction costs of approximately 50 million deutschmarks far exceed the financial capabilities of MAHLE Foundation. Loans must be secured, for the building is to be not only functional and technically modern, but also "architecturally vibrant and artistically designed", as stated in the planning documents
On 29 September 1975, the moment finally arrives: the Filderklinik is ceremoniously opened. More than 6,000 curious visitors flock to view the architecturally distinctive hospital. In his address, Ernst Mahle pays tribute to his deceased brother Hermann, who sadly could not witness the opening.
A year earlier, the Filderklinik e. V. support association had already been established, which now leases the building from the Filderklinik e. V. association and assumes practical clinic operations. A shrewd arrangement that has proved successful to this day.
A Legacy with a Future
What began in 1963 as the bold vision of several doctors and was made possible through the foresight of two entrepreneurial brothers is today an established force in the German medical landscape. The Filderklinik demonstrates daily that anthroposo-
phical medicine and state-of-the-art medical technology are not contradictory, but can combine to create a healing art that takes the human being seriously in their entirety.
Hermann and Ernst Mahle would have been delighted: from their vision has emerged not merely a hospital, but a living place where "public welfare before private gain" is practised daily – entirely in keeping with their foundation's philosophy.
From Vision to Reality: 50 Years of Filderklinik Hospital
What began in 1975 as an ambitious experiment has become an established force in German healthcare. For five decades, Filderklinik has demonstrated that anthroposophical medicine and cutting-edge technology are not contradictory forces — but can unite to create a healing art that takes the whole human being seriously.
Laying of the foundation stone for the Filderklinik (Oct 15, 1972)
When more than 6,000 curious visitors flocked to the opening of Filderklinik on 29 September 1975, this was more than merely the inauguration of a new hospital. It was an encounter with a vision to reimagine medicine itself. “The building was festively decorated and resembled a sea of flowers,” Ernst Mahle later recalled of that memorable day.
Yet between dream and reality lay – as so often – unforeseen challenges. The originally planned 70 to 120 beds had long since grown to 216. What had begun as an internal medicine clinic had evolved into a comprehensive acute care hospital with departments of internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology/obstetrics, paediatrics and – revolutionary for its time – psychosomatics.
Making Anthroposophical medicine teachable
Rudolf Steiner had set physicians a particular task: they were to provide practically oriented training in anthroposophical medical methodology. The founders of Filderklinik embraced this challenge with the seriousness of pioneers. As early as 1982, the Independent School of Nursing opened at Filderklinik, financed by MAHLE Foundation funds and a federal training programme.
From this impulse grew an entire educational universe. The Nursing Education Centre, established in 2012, ventured into innovative concepts such as “Learning Pathways – Individual Learning in Nursing Education”. Here, future nurses learn through new cooperative learning approaches and opportunities for personal and professional reflection, preparing them from the outset to meet the structural challenges of healthcare.
The Anthroposophical Medical Seminar, later renamed the Eugen-Kolisko-Academy, became an international training institution with influence extending far beyond Germany's borders. Here emerged not merely competent physicians, but ambassadors of a different approach to healing
Innovation and Tradition in harmony
The early decades were marked by continuous growth and gradual establishment as a medical centre of supraregional significance. Growing acceptance was aided by the construction of a helicopter landing pad in 1977 and Filderklinik's inclusion in the district emergency plan in 1978. What had once been dismissed as alternative medicine increasingly proved itself an indispensable component of regional healthcare provision.
Today, the successful synthesis of tradition and innovation is particularly evident in the medical technology equipment. “We now have 4K resolution; that's four times as much as an HD television, so you can really see every detail during surgery,” explains Prof. Dr. Marty Zdichavsky about the state-of-the-art laparoscopy systems. Simultaneously – and herein lies the distinctive element – patients receive special eucalyptus applications after operations to improve lung ventilation, or soothing rosemary foot rubs for thrombosis prevention. Cutting-edge medical technology and nature work hand in hand without fanfare.
Medical Excellence with human touch
Three areas in particular developed rapid supraregional recognition: paediatrics, psychosomatics, and obstetrics. The latter became the clinic's true hallmark. In 2003, Filderklinik became the 14th hospital in Germany to receive the coveted “Baby-Friendly Hospital” certification. By 2014, the 45,000th child had been born in Filderstadt – a figure that speaks for itself.
Palliative medicine is – contrary to popular perception – not merely end-of-life care
Dr. Stefan Hiller
The 2021 expansion of the neonatology unit exemplifies this philosophy. Here, state-of-the-art medical technology is available for monitoring, ventilation and care of newborns and premature infants. Yet what distinguishes this high-tech facility from others is that the rooms are so generously designed that mothers' beds can fit alongside – technology in service of humanity.
Another milestone was the 2009 opening of the “Centre for Integrative Oncology”. “Palliative medicine is – contrary to popular perception – not merely end-of-life care,” clarifies Dr. Stefan Hiller, head of the centre. “Rather, its focus is on giving quality to the lives of terminally ill patients for as long as possible.”
In 2023, Professor Thorsten Kühn joined as an established expert in gynaecology, under whose aegis a certified breast cancer centre was established in 2025.
Finally, in 2024, the clinic received certification as an obesity centre – an area where the interplay of medical expertise and human care is particularly crucial. “Obesity is a complex interplay of physical, psychological and social factors,” explains Dr. Ute Gunzenhäuser, consultant and head of the centre. With remarkable candour, she adds: “Thanks to MAHLE Foundation, we don't face the same economic pressures as other facilities. This gives us the freedom to sometimes care for a patient three months longer if it leads to success.”
Mastering Economic challenges
The introduction of diagnosis-related groups in 2004 presented all German hospitals with new challenges – Filderklinik particularly so. “People are not discharged as healthy, but as no longer requiring hospital care,” an experienced nurse described the new reality. Anthroposophical therapies sometimes need time to take full effect – a luxury the new billing system only partially allowed.
To maintain flexibility, Filderklinik was converted to a non-profit limited company in 2006. MAHLE-STIFTUNG holds 70 percent of the shares today, underlining its enduring commitment to the project.
Research as Bridge Between Worlds
In 2010, the ARCIM Institute was established –an institution conducting academic research in complementary and integrative medicine. Here, scientific investigation validates what anthroposophical physicians have known from practice for decades: that holistic therapies work. The results are impressive: one of the first ARCIM studies demonstrated the effectiveness of rhythmic massage for back pain. Further investigations show that mistletoe therapies alleviate chronic fatigue, and that nearly half of young patients with pneumonia can be successfully treated without antibiotics thanks to integrative therapeutic approaches.
Architectural Development reflecting success
The clinic's success was reflected from the beginning in continuous building projects. The first managing director, Ernst Harmening, captured it perfectly: “Since opening, we've been living for the day of the relief building.” What was meant as charming exaggeration proved prophetic.
In 1996, with MAHLE Foundation support, the 11,000-square-metre extension was completed. In 2007 came a new entrance hall, which patients have since experienced as a “light-flooded green oasis” – as the Esslinger Zeitung enthusiastically described it. Architecture as contribution to therapy, one might say.
Looking Forward: preserving proven, embracing the new
In doing, the gods incline
Ita Wegman
Today, 50 years after its founding, Filderklinik faces fresh challenges. Demographic change, digitalisation, staff shortages and exploding costs dominate discussions about medicine's future. Yet these very challenges demonstrate how relevant the founding idea remains: “In doing, the gods incline,” anthroposophical physician Ita Wegman once said. This sentence, placed in the foundation pit during the groundbreaking ceremony, is as relevant today as it was then. Filderklinik demonstrates daily that technical excellence and human care are not opposites – but two sides of a coin that deserves the name healing art.
The Filderklinik in Transition
Germany’s healthcare system faces profound transformation. Whilst many hospitals fear for their survival, the Filderklinik looks to the future with surprising confidence. Managing Director Nikolai Keller on prudent preparation, the power of specialisation, and a medicine that aims to be both: cutting-edge and humane.
A Reform That Changes Everything
Since the end of 2024, the Hospital Care Improvement Act has been in force – bringing with it one of the most comprehensive structural reforms in German healthcare in decades. The old system of case-based fees, which drove hospitals to provide ever more treatments, is gradually being replaced by 65 nationally standardised service groups. In future, hospitals will only be permitted to offer services for which they meet the corresponding quality criteria: from specialist medical staff and medical technology through to specialised departments. Around 60 per cent of operating costs will then be financed through so-called standby remuneration – regardless of how many patients are actually treated.
What raises existential questions for many institutions has an almost paradoxical effect on the Filderklinik in Filderstadt-Bonlanden: it stands comparatively well. “We’ve done our homework over the past seven years,” says Managing Director Nikolai Keller. The reason: the clinic has consistently focused on specialisation and certification – a strategy that now proves prescient.
We started 50 years ago as an institution for basic and standard care,” Keller explains. “We still have the aspiration to be there for the people here in the region.”
5 Centres, One Clear Profile
Five certified centres are the result of this strategic realignment: a breast cancer centre that received its certification at the end of 2025, an obesity centre, a minimally invasive surgical centre, a hernia centre, and the perinatal centre with its traditional maternity department. Added to these are specialist departments working at a high level – from internal medicine and surgery through to psychosomatic medicine.
But we had to ask ourselves: What do we actually stand for? What can we do really well? And we should only do that.
The Filderklinik has been granted all the service groups that matter to it. Whilst other institutions now face the challenge of having too few specialist staff for too many areas, the anthroposophical clinic benefits from its deliberate concentration on essentials.
The Special Role of the MAHLE Foundation
That the Filderklinik could pursue this path is also due to a distinctive feature that sets it apart from most hospitals: it is an institution that the MAHLE Foundation – founded in 1964 by brothers Hermann and Dr. Ernst Mahle – continues to support as shareholder to this day
“The MAHLE Foundation’s resources flow almost exclusively into infrastructure,” Keller explains. “This helps us enormously, because it enables us to develop our medical equipment technology and our buildings in ways that would never normally be possible for an institution of our size.”
In concrete terms, this means state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, from MRI and mammography through to radiography, and the ability to keep pace with technological developments. The clinic is currently introducing AI-assisted endoscopy, for instance – a system in which a computer analyses the images in the background and provides guidance to experienced specialists.
Regeneratively into the Future
The next major investments are already being planned. At the top of the list is a new energy centre that will supply the entire clinic site – including residential facilities, kindergarten and nursing school – with renewable energy. The planning permission application has been submitted; implementation is planned for the next two to three years.
“We want to move away from gas and oil,” says Keller. Sustainability is close to the Filderklinik’s heart in any case: its own sustainability manager coordinates efforts; a catalogue of meas-ures has been developed together with the University of Stuttgart. The spectrum ranges from converting lighting and reducing anaesthetic gases – one of the greatest environmental burdens in hospital operations – through to food waste reduction.
We’re not greenwashing,” the managing director emphasises. “Good sustainability doesn’t cost money, it saves money – at least in the long term. But it’s demanding.” The Filderklinik has deliberately decided against compensation schemes involving forest planting or emissions trading
Instead, it focuses on genuine operational changes – and includes collaboration with suppliers: “We can’t negotiate every contract partner down to the pain threshold. Both sides must be satisfied – those are sustainable relationships.”
Humans at the Centre
The shortage of skilled staff doesn’t stop at the Filderklinik’s door. Yet the conditions – from affordable housing and free parking through to excellent staff catering – make the institution attractive. More decisive, however, Keller emphasises, is something else: development prospects.
“With us, nursing isn’t reduced to personal care and medication administration,” he explains. “Our professional profile is nursing and therapy. Nurses are equal members of the therapeutic team.” This goes down well – even with people who initially come to the clinic without any connection to anthroposophical medicine.
One example makes this vivid: during an observation, Keller witnessed a nurse washing an elderly patient – with rosemary oil in the water. “The reaction was immediate. The lady said: ‘That felt so good.’ That invigorating bodily sensation – you don't get that with normal washing.”
Renaissance of anthroposophical physicians
For a long time, the next generation of anthroposophically oriented physicians was a cause for concern. The old luminaries were retiring; younger generations showed less willingness to sacrifice their free time for further training. But the Filderklinik has responded.
First, the institution had itself certified by the Society of Anthroposophical Physicians. Since then, junior doctors can complete their entire training – including the anthroposophical-medical additional qualification – in-house. Then a working group of young physicians emerged, experimenting with different formats.
“Every Tuesday morning at 7.30 there's training on an anthroposophical-medical topic,” Keller recounts. “It's very well attended.” Added to this are observations, ward rounds, and short training units – low-threshold offerings that can be integrated into professional routine. With each new junior doctor, the working group conducts an onboarding conversation: Is there interest in integrative medicine? What wishes exist?
Success vindicates the concept. “We now have many interested junior doctors here again,” says Keller. “The vitality we wished for is back.” He even ventures a bold claim: the Filderklinik is Germany’s most anthroposophical hospital. “No one takes the subject so seriously and pursues it so consistently as we do.”
Care as Competitive Advantage
But is anthroposophical medicine still relevant in a world of increasing standardisation, guideline orientation and digitalisation? Keller sees no contradiction here – quite the contrary.
Medicine is becoming ever more technical,” he says. “And precisely for that reason, anthroposophical medicine is a wonderful counterweight. It's a medicine of personal attention.” Whilst AI systems deliver diagnostic guidance and guidelines prescribe treatment pathways, the personal encounter between therapist and patient, between nurse and person in need, remains central.
At least once a week, each department holds a case conference: all patients are discussed, all professions involved in treatment are present – sometimes 30 people in one room. “You only get this form of care with us,” says Keller.
The Hospital of Tomorrow
And in 25 years? Nikolai Keller has a clear vision. The beautiful buildings from 1975 will have served their purpose as an acute hospital – the requirements of modern medicine grow too quickly. But the Filderklinik will have transformed itself: into an integrated outpatient-inpatient care centre with highly technical facilities and offerings for people’s daily health questions.
The development is already evident: a medical care centre with ten practices has emerged, along with numerous specialist outpatient clinics. Much that was once treated on an inpatient basis now happens as outpatient care – and this trend will accelerate. Even breast cancer operations, Keller relates, are already offered largely on an outpatient basis in England.
“Medicine will be more patient-centred,” the managing director is certain. The rigid sectoral boundaries between hospitals, practising physicians and care facilities would fall.
What remains is the core: a medicine that combines technical excellence with human care. A healing art that takes people seriously in their wholeness – physically, psychologically, spiritually. Just as the founders envisaged it 50 years ago.
Making Visible What Society Overlooks
In the south of Brazil, Instituto Compassos is demonstrating how genuine inclusion can work – through biodynamic farming, felt-making and the conviction that a person is more than their diagnosis.
Daisy Buchele is one of those people who, once they have seen something, cannot let it go. In the 1980s she spent time at a Camphill community in Scotland – and what she experienced there was to change the course of her life. For the first time, she saw young adults with disabilities who were not hidden away, not overprotected, not treated as children, but who took on responsibility, worked with a degree of self-determination and were part of a genuine community. At the heart of everyday life was work in the fields: the connection between human beings and the natural world. “Those experiences never left me,” she recalls, “because what I saw there was so utterly different from what I knew in Brazil, where people with disabilities were hidden away in their homes.”
But I had experienced first-hand how people can learn, grow and take on responsibility through working in the fields.
Daisy Buchele
Back home, she quickly understood that such a model could not simply be transplanted to Brazil – the economic and cultural conditions were too different, state support too sparse. Yet the idea that working the land could be therapeutic, that it could make people with disabilities the protagonists of their own lives, refused to release its hold. “What I saw in the cities were jobs in supermarkets, or tasks that were completely devoid of meaning,” says Buchele. “But I had experienced first-hand how people can learn, grow and take on responsibility through working in the fields.”
An Idea Takes Shape
Years later, Buchele presented her vision to a group of specialists in education and healthcare. What had begun as an idea quickly gathered form: in 2016, the newly founded Instituto Compassos was granted free use of a disused plot of land in the Campeche district of Florianópolis. Step by step, the team cleared the site of scrub, restored the soil and laid out beds and greenhouses – all according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture. With grant funding and prize money, a modest infrastructure gradually took shape, including a composting toilet and an administrative building.
he simplicity of the site is no accident. “We wanted to show that good work does not require elaborate structures,” explains Buchele. “If others want to start a similar project, we want them to see: this is doable.” Today, nearly a decade on, that patience has borne fruit – in the most literal sense. Instituto Compassos is the only urban market garden in Brazil to hold Demeter certification, the hallmark of biodynamic quality. Thirty vegetable boxes leave the small enterprise every week. A mixed team of people with and without disabilities works there side by side – and everyone receives a wage.
Beyond the City Boundaries
The idea is for the institute to become a school, a multiplier
Daisy Buchele
The project’s success bred new ambitions. For whilst biodynamic vegetables were growing on the institute’s own land, access to fresh, healthy food remained scarce in the city’s poorer neighbourhoods. This gave rise to the idea of bringing biodynamic farming methods to where they are needed most: to socially disadvantaged communities. The institute has since established community gardens in two such districts. And here the real strength of the concept reveals itself: the team members with disabilities lead the planting workshops, passing on their knowledge and explaining to local residents how to lay out and tend vegetable beds. For six months, the institute offers intensive support; after that, the local community takes over – with the institute remaining on hand as a point of contact.
“The idea is for the institute to become a school, a multiplier,” says Buchele. “For us to go into communities, and for communities to come to us and say: this exists, this is possible!”
Beyond the Diagnosis
For the seven-strong team that works daily with the institute’s members with disabilities, a diagnosis is never the starting point. In fact, only the therapists know which syndromes or impairments individual members have. “There was a time when we worked with people with disabilities,” says Buchele. “But today, we simply work with people.”
This attitude shapes the institute’s entire approach. Every individual is seen in terms of their strengths and encouraged to go beyond what they thought possible – regardless of diagnosis. And it was precisely this individual perspective that gave rise to a further pillar of the project: working with felt.
Not everyone was drawn to outdoor work, and so the team developed, in collaboration with the Federal University of Santa Catarina, a programme in wet felting – an ancient craft technique. From sheep’s wool, the team now produces blankets, cushions, plant pot covers and garments, all of which the institute sells.
At the same time, Compassos is establishing itself as a cultural hub: a place of encounter and learning for the wider community. Workshops, events and gatherings have become a fixture in the programme.
A Dream for the Future
And because fertile soil also tends to produce fertile ideas, new plans are already in the making: a residential project that combines work and living for team members – not unlike the Camphill model that Daisy Buchele first encountered in Scotland. “We never work with a fixed end picture,” she says. “We work with processes. It is important to take the first step in a direction, but where that leads we cannot know. If you plan too rigidly, things dry out and it ceases to be a living process. And that is exactly what matters to us: to remain alive.”
Florianópolis may soon have another innovative inclusion project to add to its name. One that does not ask what people with disabilities cannot do – but what becomes possible when you trust them.
From Gene Bank to Garden Bed – How a Forgotten Bean Returns to the Fields
In Stuttgart-Möhringen, more than vegetables are growing: here, dedicated seed gardeners preserve a culinary heritage that has long been lost to the high-performance varieties of industrial agriculture. The story of a yellow bean shows how passion for diversity creates a project that brings together regional cultivation, biodiversity and food sovereignty.
A Treasure from Grandmother's Garden
The story begins at a nature park market in Aspach-Rietenau. An elderly gentleman from Auenwald hands Ingo and Mechthild Hubl a small collection of bean seeds – family varieties that have been cultivated for generations.
“We sorted them out, grew them, and watched what became of them,” recounts Ingo Hubl, leading a tour through the “Vielfaltsgarten” (Diversity Garden) near the Möhringen outdoor pool. Between greenhouses and autumnal beds, far more than vegetables grow here: it is a living archive of crop diversity, a “Genbänkle” – seed bank – as they so aptly say in Baden-Württemberg.
It forms sturdy plants with a decent yield of medium-length pods that shell easily
Mechthild Hubl
One bean from that collection would prove to be a particular stroke of luck: the Yellow Einbohne. “It stood out during the first propagations,” reports Hubl. “It forms sturdy plants with a decent yield of medium-length pods that shell easily.” Even more importantly, during a tasting at the Botanical Garden of Tübingen University, the bean kernels convinced across the board – with a short cooking time and a pleasant, slightly sweet flavour. Qualities that are suddenly highly relevant again in times of plant-based diets and regional value creation.
Seed Autonomy as a Life's Mission
For Mechthild Hubl, agricultural engineer and the driving force behind the Diversity Garden, working with old varieties is more than a hobby.
That's when I realised it works. You can make seeds yourself
Mechthild Hubl
“In the past, we were taught at university that seeds couldn't be made yourself,” she recalls. “Supposedly they degenerate, they deteriorate.” A fallacy that drove generations of gardeners into dependence on the seed industry. Mechthild Hubl refused to accept this: “An important step for me was to eventually achieve seed autonomy,” she explains the philosophy behind her work. A course with the Austrian association Arche Noah 11 years ago opened her eyes: “That's when I realised it works. You can make seeds yourself.”
Since then, she has been gardening with unmatched energy and consistency. Today, the Hubls not only manage the 1,600-square-metre community garden but also a third-hectare organic-certified field for seed propagation following the principles of permaculture. “The organic aspect is important to us,” emphasises Ingo Hubl. “For many people, soil is simply a substrate. But it's also about soil life; the microbiome has to function.”
A Network for Diversity
The Hubls are part of something larger: the Genbänkle association, a network of 126 members dedicated to preserving old vegetable varieties in Baden-Württemberg. Under the leadership of Professor Roman Lenz, former dean of Nürtingen University of Environmental and Business Studies, the association, founded in 2018, has set itself the goal of networking initiatives and organisations concerned with old and rare vegetable varieties. “We see ourselves as a network,” explains Ingo Hubl, who manages the association's finances. “It's about bringing together variety rescuers and preservers.”
The seed determines what humanity eats.
Ingo Hubl
The concept works: through an online database and regular seed markets, interested parties find access to regional, open-pollinated seed varieties that can be replanted and don't, like hybrid seed, lose their characteristics after one generation. “We want to spoil people for industrial seed,” says Ingo Hubl with a twinkle in his eye, though he means it quite seriously. Behind the seed question lies a political dimension: “The seed determines what humanity eats. And these aren't always positive developments.”
Indeed, the global seed market today is dominated by three major corporations. What they breed is optimised for industrial agriculture not for self-sufficient gardeners, hobby growers, or small-scale farms. “These high-performance varieties are as delicate as sports cars,” Ingo Hubl puts it succinctly. “They drive wonderfully on smooth tarmac, but as soon as there's a pothole, they're stuck.”
From Hobby Garden to Agriculture
With the Yellow Einbohne, the Hubls now want to prove that there’s another way. What works on a small scale should be “scaled up” – into agricultural practice. Together with Till Brodbeck’s Bioland farm in Stuttgart-Sonnenberg, a three-year trial cultivation has been running since 2025. “We propagated the beans until we had about 14, 15 kilos of seed,” recounts Ingo Hubl. “Then we agreed with the farmer Till that he'd give it a try.”
It’s about local marketing and value creation.
The project is meticulously designed: the beans are sown, tended and harvested using agricultural machinery. All parameters are documented – hours worked, machinery use, yield. “The point is to see how something like this works under agricultural conditions,” explains Hubl. “We're hobby gardeners, that's all well and good, but something like this needs to go into proper cultivation.”
The initial results are promising. In the first year, the yield was to be determined and the insights gained used to recruit more farmers for bean cultivation. In parallel, the participants are developing processing and marketing strategies. The vision: the Yellow Einbohne should reach farm shops, organic markets, and perhaps even commercial kitchens. “The Plattsalat organic shop in Stuttgart-West would also be interested,” reports Hubl. “It’s about local marketing and value creation.”
The Yellow Einbohne is “scaled up” in the field
Taste and Stories
What distinguishes the Yellow Einbohne is not only its cultivation suitability but also its culinary potential. At tasting events – such as in spring in Stuttgart-Möhringen, where Mechthild Hubl prepared a stew and hummus from the bean – it was extremely well received. “The creamy consistency of hummus made from it and the short cooking time are an enrichment of the bean variety selection,” enthuses Mechthild Hubl. “And the name ‘Einbohne’ comes from the fact that you sow them individually – one kernel every ten centimetres.”
Yet for all their pragmatism, the Hubls and their fellow campaigners at Genbänkle are concerned with more than just yields and sales figures. It's about stories, about cultural heritage, about passing on knowledge. “We want to find out if there’s a story behind a variety,” says Ingo Hubl. “Is it from the area, is it established, or did someone bring it from somewhere?” A tomato that a prisoner of war brought back. Beans from Transylvania that a church sexton passed on. Varieties whose names recall grandmothers or long-vanished nurseries.
“Now is the time when you might still have elderly people who have old varieties,” warns Ingo Hubl. “At almost every seed market, you hear the same story: we’d love to have a tomato that tastes like Grandmother’s. And when you ask, the story is always the same: Grandmother closes her eyes, the little house is sold, and then there are three terraced houses on the plot. The seed is gone.”
Large-scale cultivation should enable placement in food retail stores.
A Political Statement in the Field
The work of Genbänkle is more than nostalgia or romantic retrospection. It is a contribution to biodiversity climate adaptation, and food sovereignty. “The good adaptation to regional conditions could enable simple, organic cultivation even with fewer disease problems,” explains Mechthild Hubl regarding the agronomic advantages of regional varieties. Unlike well-travelled grain legumes from China or Turkey, the Einbohne is climatically adapted, robust, and doesn't need 20,000 kilometres of transport.
“The reintroduction of the Yellow Einbohne into regional value creation would also contribute to the conservation and promotion of genetic resources and thus to biodiversity,” she adds. In times of climate change and dwindling variety diversity, this is no small matter. While industrial agriculture relies on ever fewer high-performance varieties, the genetic basis of our food is shrinking. What was still self-evident in the 1920 variety catalogue has largely disappeared today. “If you visit the seed trade museum in Gönningen,” recounts Ingo Hubl, “there are old catalogues. It’s fascinating what existed 100, 120 years ago. And what's been lost.” Genbänkle wants to counter this trend – variety by variety, garden by garden, field by field.
We want to encourage people to try it with seed.
Ingo Hubl
Encouraging DIY Spirit
Another concern is knowledge transfer. “We want to encourage people to try it with seed,” says Ingo Hubl. Many people are inhibited from collecting seeds themselves – fuelled by horror stories such as the “killer courgette” that became poisonous through cross-pollination. “But that story is used to frighten people,” Hubl regrets. “If a tomato cross-pollinates or a bean gets mixed up, nothing happens. The variety is ruined, but not poisonous.” His advice: “Just let a lettuce go to seed, let a radish grow. It's not rocket science. This is what all home gardeners did 50, 60, 70 years ago.”
The Hubls offer courses, give tours of their garden, and answer questions at seed markets. Their organic-certified seed is aimed at home gardeners and self-sufficient growers. And they demonstrate that what has worked since the Neolithic period – cultivation, selection, propagation – still works today.
Ötzi didn't pop down to the garden centre and buy three colourful packets
Ingo Hubl
“Ötzi didn't pop down to the garden centre and buy three colourful packets,” says Ingo Hubl with a laugh. “They did nothing different: cultivated, looked at what was good, and propagated that.” This is how adapted, robust varieties emerged over millennia. This is how they can emerge again – in the Diversity Garden, in Genbänkle, on the field in Sonnenberg.
When, in the third project year, the Yellow Einbohne has been made known, marketed and documented, then Ingo and Mechthild Hubl will have achieved more than just the rescue of a forgotten variety. They will have shown that food sovereignty is not a utopia. That local value creation works. And that in every seed – however insignificant it may seem – lies a piece of the future.
A video about the project:
From Fear to Respect
In Brazil, an extraordinary beekeeping project is transforming not only the relationship between humans and bees – it is also forging new communities and breathing fresh life into ancient knowledge.
When the project started, I had a panicked fear of bees.
“When the project started, I had a panicked fear of bees”, admits a farmer who today belongs to the programme’s most dedicated beekeepers. “I thought they were aggressive and would sting me. But as the project progressed, we learnt to work with them. We realised they need gentleness, care and, above all, attentiveness. What moved me most was the realisation that the way we should treat bees is the way we ourselves want to be treated throughout our lives – with respect.”
This transformation stands as emblematic of a remarkable project now entering its fourth year. The Brazilian Association for Biodynamic Agriculture, supported by INSTITUTO MAHLE, has trained dozens of rural families and conventional beekeepers in sustainable beekeeping – using a method that is as ancient as it is revolutionary.
Back to the Roots
At the heart of the project is the construction of log beehives – a traditional technique with roots in Eastern Europe, Africa and the indigenous communities of Brazil. Some are crafted in variants of straw and clay, all materials far closer to the bees’ natural way of life than the rectangular boxes of conventional beekeeping.
“Log beehives are intensively researched in biodynamic beekeeping because they mimic the bees’ natural habitats – which are normally found in tree hollows,” explains Felipe Mendes, the project’s technical adviser and beekeeper. What might at first sound like romantic nostalgia has very concrete practical reasons: years of research and fieldwork have shown that bees in conventional rectangular boxes – artificial structures with 90-degree angles – can be up to twenty times more aggressive than in log hives.
Log Beehives: Back to Nature
Log beehives are the most original form of beekeeping, mimicking the natural nesting sites of wild bees – hollow tree trunks. Whilst conventional hives are designed for maximum honey yield, log hive beehives place the wellbeing of the bees and the natural rhythms of the colony at the centre. The bees are free to build their combs according to their own instincts, rather than being pressed into prescribed frames.
A Solution Tailored to Brazil
This insight is especially pertinent in Brazil, where bees – the result of a European-African crossbreeding – are disease-resistant but also more reactive. For smallholder farms, where people and bee colonies often live in close proximity, the natural dwellings are therefore ideal.
The project has long since surpassed its original target audience. Alongside farming families and Waldorf schools that take part in workshops and collaborative building sessions, more and more people with no prior experience in beekeeping are joining. “The reach of the project has been surprising,” says Felipe Mendes with evident delight. “Beyond agriculture and the Waldorf movement, it has drawn in people who previously had nothing to do with beekeeping whatsoever, and who are now contributing to workshops and hands-on experiences. That is deeply enriching.”
Producers of Honey
For those involved, bees have long since become far more than mere suppliers of honey – they are understood as essential beings of central importance to functioning ecosystems and to humanity’s connection with nature. This holistic perspective corresponds to the approach of biodynamic agriculture, which conceives of farms as living organisms in which all elements stand in relationship to one another.
The reach of the project has been surprising.
Felipe Mendes
What began as an educational project has grown into a small movement, one that weaves traditional knowledge together with modern ecological understanding. At a time when the decline of bee populations is making headlines worldwide, the Brazilian project points to a different way: a path of respect, mindfulness and the recognition that the relationship between human beings and nature can be shaped by mutual understanding.
The farmer who once fled from bees puts it simply: this is not just about a different way of keeping bees – it is about a different way of living together.
Brazilian Biodynamic Agriculture Association:
When the Cowshed Becomes the Classroom
The Rudolf Steiner School Loheland combines Waldorf education with biodynamic farming – opening up entirely new learning worlds for children.
The morning begins as it always does: Year One pupils gather in their classroom, greet each other, and tune into the day with a shared verse. But then something rather extraordinary happens – instead of turning to the blackboard, they pull on their wellington boots and head out to the farmyard. There, the cows are already waiting for their breakfast, the goats need milking, and the hens require feeding. Welcome to the “Loheland Experience Space”, where, since last academic year, the cowshed has become a classroom.
Tradition Through Evolution
Loheland boasts over a century of history. In 1919, Louise Langgaard and Hedwig von Rohden founded a school for movement, gymnastics and dance in the Hessian Rhön region – with the aspiration of holistic human development. From the very beginning, biodynamic agriculture was part of the vision, viewing soil, plants and animals as a living organism.
Yet whilst the Waldorf school and the Demeter farm existed side by side for decades, the deeper connection was missing. “There were certainly encounters between children and animals from time to time, but the children couldn’t take on genuine responsibility in such brief periods,” explains Managing Director Maximilian Abou El Eisch-Boes, describing the former situation.
This was set to change fundamentally. Inspired by Loheland's founding impulse – not merely to think about societal transformation but to live it – those responsible took a bold step: the complete integration of the farm organism into the school organism.
Learning Through All the Senses
At the heart of the new concept lies “animal and plant-supported action pedagogy”. Whilst this might sound rather unwieldy, it describes a straightforward yet unconventional idea: children learn best when they’re fully engaged with all their senses, when they take on real responsibilities and can experience immediate success.
What happens there goes far beyond farmyard romanticism: the children take complete responsibility for animal care – from mucking out stables and feeding to tending the animals.
“Years One through Five each spend one day per week on the farm”, explains Hannah von Bredow, who leads the project as an educator with agricultural training. “The first three years come in the mornings for several hours, whilst Years Four and Five come in the afternoons.” What happens there goes far beyond farmyard romanticism: the children take complete responsibility for animal care – from mucking out stables and feeding to tending the animals. Additionally, they help with various tasks in the garden and fields.
The pedagogical masterstroke lies in focusing on developmental stages: Year One pupils begin playfully, accompanying adults in their activities. “They explore their new living space and gradually settle into time and place,” von Bredow describes this gentle introduction. As they grow older, children take on greater responsibility – progressing to complex tasks such as sowing and harvesting grain or building hen houses.
Transformation Through Encounter
The effects are often quite remarkable. Hannah von Bredow recalls a boy from Year One: “He arrived with a complete ‘can't-be-bothered’ attitude, would rather have gone home to play video games.” But then he fed hay to a cow for the first time. “The cow took it, and he was absolutely fascinated. Through feeding the animals, he gradually became more engaged.” Today, the boy helps enthusiastically and shows development that extends throughout his entire school experience.
Equally impressive is the story of a girl who arrived at school with considerable anxieties: “She was genuinely frightened of unfamiliar situations, always pressed herself into corners, and didn’t dare do anything,” von Bredow recalls. Initially, she was also rather wary of the animals. “But over the course of the school year, this changed. Her development is noticeable not only on the farm but in ordinary lessons, too.”
These observations align with the experiences of class teachers. When children spend time in the classroom after a farm day, they're particularly calm and focused – not tired, but balanced in a rather special way.
Authentic Learning
What distinguishes “Loheland Farm” from conventional teaching is the authenticity of learning situations. Rather than abstract tasks, children experience immediate meaningful connections. When a Year Three class sowed wheat in autumn and didn't have time to complete the entire field, their class teacher promptly used this experience for an entire mathematics block: “The children calculated how many grains they needed, always with the hook: ‘Mrs von Bredow forgot the time – so how many grains would that be?’” The children's enthusiasm was palpable because they had a concrete connection to their experiences.
This linking of practical activity with theoretical learning corresponds to a central principle of Waldorf education, founded by Rudolf Steiner in 1919 – the same year as Loheland.
From Petting Zoo to Heritage Farm
Alongside its pedagogical dimension, Loheland pursues an important ecological goal: developing into a Demeter heritage farm. Heritage farms serve as arks for endangered livestock breeds. According to the World Food Organisation, on average one breed becomes extinct each month. The mission is therefore rather urgent.
We hear nothing but praise – both for the concept and for the work with the children.
The farm already houses Red Highland cattle, Thuringian Forest goats, and various sheep breeds. The animals have been specifically selected and developed to be suitable for pedagogical work. “It'll take a few more years before the cattle herd is truly gentle,” von Bredow acknowledges. “But the goats are already fully involved – the children walk with them and do everything with them.”
Response and Growth
The project’s success is reflected in concrete figures: pupil numbers have risen from 485 to over 515. “For my Year Three class, it's their favourite day of the week,” reports one class teacher. Parents are equally enthusiastic: “We hear nothing but praise – both for the concept and for the work with the children,” the educator notes.
For my Year Three class, it's their favourite day of the week
Particularly gratifying is recognition by the Hessian education authority: the farm day officially counts as science lessons due to its pedagogical focus and is accordingly co-funded through independent school financing. “That was an important breakthrough”, emphasises Abou El Eisch-Boes. “The school organism can now support the entire farm organism.
Looking to the Future
The vision extends far beyond the current state. Plans include research collaborations for scientific monitoring of the project, a STEM centre for the sixth form, and increased integration of health promotion and remedial education. “We want to discover how animal and plant-supported action pedagogy affects children's development,” explains Abou El Eisch-Boes. Initial discussions with universities and research institutions are already underway.
Opening to the outside world is also planned: other schools should be able to spend project weeks at Loheland, teachers receive training, and families experience “holidays on the farm.” A curriculum is to be developed and made available to other Waldorf schools.
A Living Classroom
We want to give children a connection to nature and to the foundations of our existence once again.
Abou El Eisch-Boes
What’s happening at Loheland is more than an extraordinary pedagogical concept – it’s an example of what education can look like when it addresses the whole person. When children tend cattle in the morning, harvest carrots at midday, and paint and write about their experiences in the afternoon, they’re learning more than just biology and mathematics. They develop responsibility, self-confidence, and a deep understanding of life’s interconnections.
“We want to give children a connection to nature and to the foundations of our existence once again”, Abou El Eisch-Boes summarises the mission. In an era when children encounter digital media increasingly early and their connection to the natural world threatens to fade, Loheland demonstrates an alternative path – one where the cowshed becomes a valuable classroom.
Loheland’s transformation is far from complete. But it’s already clear: something unique is emerging here – a place where children learn not just for school, but for life. A place where a century-old vision can finally unfold its full potential.
Waldorf for Everyone
In Brazil, the Waldorf movement has grown at a remarkable pace — yet for a long time, anthroposophical training remained a privilege of the few. For eighteen years, the “Fundo de Bolsas” has been opening up access to Waldorf education and therapeutic anthroposophy. Supported by INSTITUTO MAHLE, the scholarship programme has already enabled more than 1,000 teachers and therapists to complete a qualified training.
Nearly seven decades have passed since anthroposophy first took root in Brazil. Of all its fields of practice, Waldorf education has developed most dynamically: today, 267 Waldorf schools spread across 23 federal states bring together more than 21,000 pupils and 2,500 teachers. Anthroposophical curative education and therapy are likewise expanding steadily, with 13 institutions in seven cities dedicated to supporting children, young people and adults with disabilities.
The graph charting the growth in school numbers tells a striking success story: from a single school in 1956, through steady growth in the 1980s and 1990s, to a veritable boom in the 2000s. Even the Covid pandemic could only briefly interrupt this upward trajectory. Yet behind the bare figures lay a social reality that had long been problematic: for decades, access to anthroposophical educational and therapeutic provision remained restricted to Brazil’s upper classes.
A Pioneer Breaks Down the Barriers
Support for this training is an acknowledgement of the right of access to Waldorf education. It means that people with limited financial resources can also choose Rudolf Steiner’s teachings as a path for their own spiritual development.
Until relatively recently, anthroposophical offerings in Brazil were available almost exclusively through private institutions — and therefore only to those with the financial means to afford them. A remarkable exception was the “Associação Comunitária Monte Azul”, founded in 1979 by the German educator Ute Craemer in a favela on the outskirts of São Paulo. At a time when anthroposophical work was firmly in the hands of privileged circles, Craemer created a place where people in precarious circumstances could access Waldorf education, anthroposophical medicine and artistic therapies.
Monte Azul became the seed of a new movement. Craemer’s vision of combining anthroposophical impulses with social engagement inspired numerous initiatives that would emerge in the following decades. The organisation became a living example of how Rudolf Steiner’s ideas can be relevant and accessible not only to an elite, but to all strata of society.
The Training Question Becomes Urgent
The rapid growth of Waldorf schools and curative education institutions in the 2000s brought a pressing problem to light: demand for qualified teachers and therapists rose dramatically, yet the costs of an anthroposophical training remained out of reach for many. Those who most wanted to work in social projects, state schools or low-income communities were precisely the ones stopped by the financial barrier.
Out of this need, the “Fundo de Bolsas” — a scholarship fund — was established in 2008 as a collective project to provide financial support for anthroposophical training. The underlying idea was as simple as it was effective: a network of anthroposophical institutions and supporters would work together to ensure that a training place would no longer depend on the size of an applicant’s bank account.
Since its founding, the fund has given more than 1,000 people from across Brazil access to one of the 28 anthroposophical courses that form part of the curriculum for Waldorf schools and curative education institutions. The range spans foundational Waldorf teacher training, specialist programmes in art therapy, and advanced courses in curative education and social therapy.
INSTITUTO MAHLE Takes Responsibility
Two years after the scholarship fund was established, INSTITUTO MAHLE joined the group of supporters in 2010. The decision was rooted in the conviction that high-quality anthroposophical training should be accessible regardless of financial circumstances. Today, INSTITUTO MAHLE is the only non-anthroposophical institution to support not merely the “Fundo de Bolsas” but anthroposophical projects in Brazil at all.
Transformation on Every Level
The voices of those who have benefited speak for themselves. “Support for this training is an acknowledgement of the right of access to Waldorf education,” says one participant in the Waldorf teacher training at the Centro de Formação Intamarés. “It means that people with limited financial resources can also choose Rudolf Steiner’s teachings as a path for their own spiritual development.”
For many of those supported, the stakes are far higher than professional qualification. “The training is a true journey of transformation — personal, artistic and pedagogical,” reports a student on the postgraduate programme in art within Waldorf education at the Faculdade Rudolf Steiner. Another participant, attending a primary school teacher programme, puts it this way: “With each stage, I gain knowledge that changes how I see the world and strengthens my work as an educator. I live in hope that more people will be able to experience such powerful paths of training.”
A Model with a Future
Over eighteen years, the “Fundo de Bolsas” has demonstrated that anthroposophical education need not be a luxury.
In a country marked by enormous social disparities such as Brazil, this work carries particular weight. The scholarship fund makes it possible for qualified Waldorf teachers and therapists to work precisely where they are needed most: in disadvantaged urban districts, in rural regions, in state schools and in social projects.
The commitment of INSTITUTO MAHLE not only secures the continued running of the programme but sends an important signal: anthroposophical education deserves broad social support, beyond the anthroposophical movement itself. It is a contribution to educational justice and to improving conditions of life in one of the most populous countries in the world.
When the Lecture Hall Comes to the Favela
Brazil is fighting extreme social inequality – and civil society is fighting back with projects in its most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Yet the social workers on the front line have had almost no access to academic education. An innovative postgraduate programme is changing that, with a solidarity-based funding model and the courage to place theory and practice on equal terms.
Brazil is a country of contradictions. The world’s fifth-largest economy is home to the planet’s greatest biodiversity and a cultural richness born from the encounter of countless peoples. Yet behind this façade lies a bitter reality: the majority of the population has no access to the basic conditions of a decent life – health, education, care. The United Nations ranks Brazil sixth in the global inequality index; some analyses place it even higher.
Where the state falls short, civil society steps in. Since the mid-1990s, social projects have emerged across the country – above all in the favelas of the major cities – attending to needs that public institutions cannot or will not meet. Today, Brazil counts roughly 880,000 registered civil society organisations; the actual figure is likely far higher.
The Invisible Pillars of Society
This programme is innovative in so many respects
Cristina Velásquez
At the forefront of this movement are the social workers – people who are teachers, psychologists and counsellors all at once. They are often the sole point of support for those living in poverty, and many come from the very communities in which they work. They learned to be social workers by simply doing it: through lived experience, through daily solidarity, through an intimate understanding of local reality. Few ever had the opportunity to undertake formal training that might help them navigate the complex challenges they face day after day.
This is precisely where an extraordinary educational initiative comes in. In 2024, the Rudolf Steiner Faculty – the only anthroposophical university in Latin America – launched a postgraduate programme in community education, in partnership with the Associação Comunitária Monte Azul. Monte Azul has been working in the favelas of São Paulo since 1979, and over more than a decade developed the Mainumby project, a concept that now forms the academic foundation of the programme. Its aim: to empower participants to act as agents of social change, rooted in an anthroposophical understanding of the human being as a whole.
“This programme is innovative in so many respects,” says Cristina Velásquez, director of the Rudolf Steiner Faculty. “In its block-seminar format, in the partnership between a university and a social project, in the way we secured financial viability, and in the dialogue between anthroposophy and Brazilian educators such as Paulo Freire.”
Paulo Freire – the Brazilian educational theorist whose concept of the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” brought him worldwide recognition – developed in the 1960s a method that conceived of education as an act of liberation. Learning was not about “filling vessels” but about awakening critical consciousness and enabling people to understand and transform their own reality. That this emancipatory vision now enters into dialogue with anthroposophical principles within the programme is nothing short of programmatic.
When Money Must Not Be a Barrier
One of the greatest challenges in developing the programme was funding. Almost all prospective participants earn far less than they need to live on – the full cost of a postgraduate programme was simply out of reach. With support from INSTITUTO MAHLE, an unusual experiment became possible: solidarity-based financing.
The principle is as simple as it is radical. All students were shown the actual costs of the programme, alongside the funding already secured. The remaining sum had to be raised by the participants themselves – but each person decided individually what they could contribute each month. No proof of income required. No assessment. No oversight. Monthly contributions ranged from 50 to 500 Brazilian reais – roughly €8.50 to €85 – with even the lower amounts representing a considerable financial sacrifice for many. Taken together, the contributions added up to exactly what was needed.
This model of “economic brotherhood” is now practised by several anthroposophical organisations across Brazil – with success. It makes anthroposophical knowledge accessible to people and places that previously had no access to it.
Associação Comunitária Monte Azul
Monte Azul was founded in 1979 and has worked since then in several favelas across São Paulo. The organisation runs nurseries, schools, health centres and cultural projects – all grounded in anthroposophical principles. Monte Azul is a pioneer of social work in Brazil’s urban periphery and has accompanied thousands of children and families over the decades.
When Theory and Practice Meet as Equals
The faculty was clear-eyed about one thing: reaching people who are often entering a university building for the first time means not only offering a theoretical framework but honouring the practical knowledge they already carry. Many participants bring dec-ades of experience – and that experience was to be recognised as equal in value, not treated as a deficit. “Our approach is to appreciate the practice of these social workers and to start from what they bring,” explains one of the programme’s coordinators. “From there, we enter into dialogue with contemporary themes and analyse contexts.”
A central element of the curriculum is accordingly the history of Brazil itself – the formation of its people, the roots of the social problems participants encounter every day in their communities. Particularly significant is the high proportion of participants from communities of colour and indigenous backgrounds. For them, a university qualification is far more than an academic credential: it is an achievement, a piece of justice long overdue.
A Hummingbird Picks Up Speed
The programme takes its name from Mainumby – the Guaraní word for “hummingbird”. The tiny bird is sacred to the Guaraní, a symbol of perseverance and hope. Like the hummingbird that moves tirelessly from blossom to blossom, graduates of the programme are meant to carry knowledge and new impulses into their communities.
By the end of 2025, the first cohort will have completed the programme. What they leave behind is already palpable: in the students themselves, in the teaching staff, in the institutions involved. The coordination team is already working to develop the format further and extend it to other regions of Brazil. For the project has demonstrated something compelling: when experience meets knowledge, when theory and practice encounter one another on equal terms, something new comes into being – something alive. And that is precisely what a society like Brazil’s needs.
Where the Earth Learns to Breathe Again
Nestled among the granite rocks of Zimbabwe, Kufunda Village is working to bring biodynamic agriculture into the local landscape – creating a web of knowledge that extends beyond the boundaries of a single farm as they are building a network of farmers willing to try something different.
When Maaianne Knuth speaks about the land, her eyes light up. “The earth has its own wisdom,” says the founder of Kufunda Village, crumbling a handful of rich soil between her fingers. “We simply need to learn how to listen to it.” What began as an experiment more than two decades ago continues to unfold as the community is learning how biodynamic practices can support soils, people and community life.
When a Farm Becomes a Classroom
Twenty-five kilometres outside Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, Kufunda Village occupies 50 hectares. Since 2019, the project has committed to biodynamic methods, weaving together traditional African wisdom with the principles of biodynamic cultivation.
This year in April 2025, it hosted a five-day Learning Festival, which includes a special module for collaborating farmers. 34 Zimbabwean farmers journeyed to Kufunda. “We’d decided to bring people here so they could learn from what’s already been established,” explains Knuth. “And to strengthen the network of people who work with farmers directly in their own communities.”
When Soil Becomes Revelation
In the morning participants as part of the full conference of almost 100 people were learning about participatory community building inspired by anthroposophy, whilst practicing social eurythmy and social art together.
Each afternoon, the farming participants worked on soil improvement – but rather than dry theory, they experienced firsthand the transformative power of the biodynamic preparations. Through simple soil tests, they compared compost, horn manure preparation 500, Cow Pat Pit (CPP) and untreated soil. “It gave them – and even us – such a profound sense of how effective this work truly is,” notes the project team’s report.
The farmers were deeply inspired by their own capacity to learn from the earth
Maaianne Knuth
Particularly striking was their work with the broad- fork, a soil aeration tool imported from Israel. The farmers learnt to craft compost preparations, observe soil life, and assess the earth’s vitality through careful observation. “The farmers were deeply inspired by their own capacity to learn from the earth,” Knuth reflects on the experience.
A Network Flourishes Through Digital Exchange
This week-long seminar strengthened the local network of farmers committed to learning their way into biodynamic farming. A very active WhatsApp group now connects farmers across Zimbabwe, sharing the weekly biodynamic planting calendar and serving as an active space for exchange. Photographs, questions, and observations from various regions create a digital classroom that transcends the limitations of physical distance.
Of the 34 participants who joined the gathering, eight are actively supporting local groups within their communities. Regular local follow-up gatherings deepen understanding of soil health whilst exploring traditional knowledge about pest control, manure systems and companion planting.
Building Foundations for Growth
The MAHLE Foundation’s support for Kufunda extends well beyond the current biodynamic initiative. Since 2019, the foundation has been a steadfast partner in the village’s development, supporting school building construction and student transportation in 2020, as well as farmer training and capacity building over recent years. This ongoing partnership reflects a holistic approach to community development that recognises how education, infrastructure and agricultural innovation work hand in hand.
Today, this collaboration continues to bear fruit. Drip irrigation systems now serve the agroforest and garden, whilst a new greenhouse was erected in 2025 with support from the Make It Grow project. The foundation's investment in both irrigation infrastructure and farmer education has transformed this space into a hub for learning and cultivation – a place where knowledge and practical skills can flourish together.
Learning from the Pioneers
We’re absolutely delighted to finally have our own cattle as part of our farm organism
Maaianne Knuth
The learning journey also led the Kufunda team to the Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM) in Victoria Falls, where Allan Savory’s groundbreaking work in sustainable land management is practised. ACHM demonstrates how livestock can be employed to restore land, water and wildlife. “Years ago, we conducted initial trials with tremendous success, but it proved difficult to continue without our own herd,” Knuth reflects.
A particular milestone made possible with the Mahle support was acquiring five cattle locally. “We’re absolutely delighted to finally have our own cattle as part of our farm organism,” the team reports. The team has just completed establishing a boma for holistic grazing management – bringing in neighbour’s cows as well as part of working collectively with holistic grazing. A Brown Swiss bull will enhance the genetic diversity of the regional herd whilst improving milk quality.
Challenges as Teachers
Not everything proceeded according to plan – and that proved to be a valuable lesson in itself. The originally planned vegetable box scheme proved more challenging to implement than anticipated: many people struggled with the concept of becoming members of a community-supported agriculture scheme, preferring to order only occasionally. Sometimes too much produce remained unsold; at other times, both local and urban markets could be well supplied.
The solution lay in a shift of perspective: Kufunda now focuses first on supplying its own community and surrounding families. Surplus produce goes to urban customers who are encouraged to become farm members and visit occasionally. “This aligns much more closely with what we're trying to build here,” says Knuth.
A Living Network Takes Root
When farmers begin observing with curiosity and gathering for shared learning and reflection, their practice naturally deepens
Success can be measured in numbers: soil quality has improved markedly, and an active and growing network of over 70 farmers shares knowledge and experience. Yet the real transformation runs deeper. “When farmers begin observing with curiosity and gathering for shared learning and reflection, their practice naturally deepens,” the project team concludes.
We have been cultivating partnerships with initiatives such as the Soft Foot Alliance in Hwange, the PORET Trust in Chimanimani, and Integral Kumusha in Buhera. Through collaboration with these already very active nodes, the biodynamic impulse can spread and grow more sustainably than if Kufunda bore the entire responsibility alone.
Looking Ahead
“This year has brought us into a more consistent and intensive relationship with farmers whilst strengthening our own farm organism from which others can learn,” Knuth reflects gratefully. The next steps are already outlined: furthering our holistic grazing with neighbouring herds, expanding cultivation of preparation plants, vegetables and local grains, and restructuring customer relationships.
What’s happening at Kufunda represents more than an agricultural project – it’s living proof that sustainable development must grow from within, rooted in local knowledge and sustained by a community ready to learn from one another. In an era of global challenges, this small Zimbabwean village points toward a way forward, quietly learning what it means to care for the land and for one another.
A Right to Arrive
Germany has been a country of arrival for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and hardship since 2015. That integration means more than just a language course and a trip to the authorities is widely understood – but what does it look like in practice? The Freie Waldorfschule Kassel has spent a decade demonstrating that school can be a genuine space for protection and personal growth, if you go about it the right way. A portrait of a project that began with tenacity, Waldorf pedagogy’s particular flexibility, and an unshakeable belief in the individual – and continues, ten years on, to make its mark.
It was not a conference, a ministerial directive or a strategic resolution that set things in motion. It was a Year 11 pupil. She had completed her social placement in a refugee hostel in Wolfhagen, 40 kilometres outside Kassel, and came back with a simple observation: “The young people there need school.” She brought that observation to Johannes Hüttich – mathematics teacher in the upper school, and one of the most committed figures at the Freie Waldorfschule Kassel. Hüttich listened.
The rest is school history — at least in Kassel. In the 2015/16 academic year, coinciding with the great wave of displacement into Europe, the Freie Waldorfschule opened its first international class. It was, alongside the Rudolf Steiner School in Berlin-Dahlem, one of the very first Waldorf schools to take that step. Ten years on, the project is very much alive – and has grown into something more.
The Platform School: Flexibility as a Principle
What sets the Kassel model apart from many comparable approaches is its underlying architecture: the so-called Plattformschule – the platform school. The concept is as simple as it is shrewd. Rather than immediately placing refugee pupils into existing mainstream classes – or consigning them indefinitely to separate provision – the school offers a fluid arrangement of different learning environments and forms. “On a platform, you can move pupils according to their needs,” explains Hüttich. “In other school systems, they have to leave the moment something doesn’t work. Here, they don’t.”
The platform rests on three pillars: intensive study in the 10i – a purpose-built international class at Years 9/10 level; gradual integration into mainstream classes for those who can manage it academically; and vocational training across the four workshops of the adjoining Dualwerk – metalwork, woodwork, tailoring and electrical installation. Between these pillars, every imaginable transition is possible. A pupil who begins in the workshop and later shows academic potential can switch tracks. One who cannot manage the step into a mainstream class can return and continue there. “We have the vocational school indoors,” says Hüttich – meaning that learners never have to leave the school entirely, even when the emphasis of their studies shifts.
School as Safe Ground: What Arriving Requires
A young person arriving in Germany from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine or Somalia does not simply arrive with a rucksack full of unfamiliar educational experiences. They often carry sleeplessness, fear, traumatic memories, and the pressure to earn money for the family back home as quickly as possible. “The sense of being a stranger is ever-present – above all, the anxiety,” as the school’s own account puts it. Will I settle here? Am I allowed to stay? Am I good enough? Will I find friends?
The Waldorf school in Kassel has developed a clear pedagogical answer: it calls it Schutzraum Schule – the school as safe ground. This means not merely a sheltering building, but an attitude: the certainty that there is time, here, to arrive. “Young people always need roughly nine months to find their footing and build trust,” says Hüttich. That time simply has to be factored in. The school canteen – often the only source of a regular warm midday meal for unaccompanied young people – is part of that safe ground, as is Rashid, an Algerian-born member of staff who speaks Arabic with pupils and parents. Social pedagogues, voluntary-year workers and Federal Voluntary Service participants round out the teaching team. Without the sustained commitment of the core team – Gädeke-Mothes, Olga Solomenko-Zech, Pejman Behin and Johannes Hüttich – the project’s continuity would simply not be possible.
Parental involvement posed a particular challenge for the Kassel team early on. Waldorf education traditionally rests on three pillars: teachers, parents, pupils. “That was a really fundamental question at the very beginning: can we do this when there is no parental will behind it – when, in many cases, there are no parents at all?” Many of the young refugees arrived alone; their families were in their home countries or scattered along migration routes. The answer that emerged over the years: a committed, stable core team, working alongside the support structures of youth welfare services, can take on much of what parents would otherwise provide – provided everyone is pulling in the same direction. “We can only do this because we are not lone fighters, but a team.”
Ten Years, 180 School Certificates, 40 Journeyman’s Diplomas
The figures speak for themselves. Since opening its first international class, the Freie Waldorfschule Kassel, together with the Dualwerk, has taken in 210 young refugees – from Afghanistan, Algeria, Eritrea, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine and further countries. By 2025, the school had awarded 180 intermediate school certificates, ten Abitur and technical college qualifications, and 40 journeyman’s diplomas in woodwork, metalwork, tailoring and electrical installation. Around 85 per cent of pupils have found a successful pathway into the German school and training system. In the current academic year 2025/26, 49 young people from seven countries are attending various classes and workshops at the school.
Behind each of these figures lies an individual story. Five pupils in the graduating cohort of 2025/26 achieved their intermediate school certificate and moved on to Year 11 or specialist technical schools. Two began apprenticeships in the electrical workshop. Ukrainian young people who arrived mid-year three years ago now face the transition into Year 12. Some are pursuing vocational training in the workshops; three are preparing for their Abitur. For each of these trajectories, the platform school found an individual solution.
Individuation, Not Just Integration: the Waldorf Approach
What distinguishes the work in Kassel from a straightforward language support programme is its pedagogical ambition. From the outset, the aspiration was larger than language skills, school certificates and vocational qualifications. “We did not want simply to integrate those arriving here into what already exists – we wanted to see them as individuals,” says Hüttich. “Integration falls short when it ignores the fact that every person carries their own biographical goals and possibilities within them.”
The breadth of the Waldorf curriculum proves a particular advantage here. Whilst state schools concentrate predominantly on cognitive subjects, the international pupils in Kassel also encounter eurythmy, theatre projects, form drawing, geometry and craft. Geometry, a particular enthusiasm of Hüttich’s as a mathematics teacher, opens a route into learning that requires no fluency in German: “You can introduce people to spatial thinking and imaginative thought without them needing to know the language in order to experience success.” Young people who, within half a year, are producing remarkable geometric drawings discover themselves as capable – and that is a foundation upon which everything else can be built. Enriching that imaginative framework throughout young people’s educational lives: that, at its core, is what ten years of international educational work in Kassel has been reaching for.
A Second Generation – and New Challenges
The project has evolved continually over its ten-year history. In the early years, it was primarily unaccompanied young people – sent directly from youth welfare offices and guardianship services – who found their way to the school. Today, a new group is joining them: the children of families who came to Germany in 2015 or 2016. These young people have often grown up at home speaking their parents’ language, have insufficient German, and are struggling with the demands of mainstream secondary schools. “The second generation often aspires to higher qualifications, having seen how hard life was for their parents without them,” says Hüttich. The Waldorf school offers them a pathway, too.
What has grown in Kassel is not a finished model that can be reproduced from a template. It is a living structure that calls, again and again, for adaptation, courage and reflection. But it demonstrates that school can genuinely be more than a site of know-ledge transfer. It can be a place where people who have lost everything find back what matters most: trust in themselves, and confidence in an open future in a multilingual world.
This work is supported by a network of foundations: the Bürgerstiftung for the city and district of Kassel, GLS Treuhand e.V., Heidehof Stiftung GmbH, Stiftung Hübner und Kennedy GmbH, MAHLE Foundation and the Software AG – Stiftung.
The Poetry of Becoming
A documentary film from Brazil shows how theatre transforms young people.
Seven years – that is how long the journey took, from the first days of filming to the cinema premiere of the documentary “OROBORO” in March 2025. It ran for seven weeks in Brazilian cinemas, was shown in seven cities, and reached audiences far beyond the world it depicts. A remarkable achievement for an independent film made on a modest budget, exploring a subject largely unknown to the wider public: the transformative power of art in human development.
When Pupils Become Protagonists
The film by Brazilian director Pablo Lobato accompanies two classes at the Rudolf Steiner Waldorf School in Belo Horizonte through their theatre projects: the eighth year staging Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, and the 12th year tackling the Brazilian literary classic “Grande Sertão: Veredas” by João Guimarães Rosa. What came into being between 2018 and 2020 is more than a documentary about school theatre – it is a poetic witness to how art touches and shapes the bodies, minds and souls of young people.
„Oroboro“ – the name was not chosen at random. It refers to the mythic symbol of the serpent devouring its own tail, representing the eternal cycle of life, death and renewal. A metaphor that mirrors Guimarães Rosa’s singular gift for reconciling apparent opposites: life and death, good and evil, the sacred and the profane. It is precisely this many-layered quality that Lobato discovers in the work of the young performers.
A Phone Call That Changed Everything
It all began with a simple phone call. The 12th-year students were looking for someone to film their performances – limited budget, no great expectations. Pablo Lobato, with no idea of what awaited him, recalls: “I was just leaving my studio when the call came. I wanted to see what was happening there first, to understand how it could even be filmed.”
But the very next day, at the first rehearsal, he was captivated. “What I experienced held me immediately. The intensity was palpable – it wasn’t just the young people’s acting ability that impressed me, but above all the way they were with one another: the mutual respect, the attentiveness they brought to each other.”
A Class Full of Difference
What struck Lobato immediately was the remarkable diversity of the group. “An extraordinary range: pupils from very different social backgrounds, a deaf classmate, different ways of life, different origins. A rare constellation – simply beautiful.” And then they set their sights on one of the most demanding texts in Brazilian literature. “When they chose Grande Sertão, I thought: something truly extraordinary is happening here.”
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the students’ choice. Some teachers harboured doubts about the sheer complexity of adapting one of Brazil’s greatest novels for the stage. But it was precisely this determination – their steadfast insistence on their own decision despite adult scepticism – that fascinated the filmmaker.
About the Director
Pablo Lobato (b. 1976) is a visual artist and filmmaker from Bom Despacho, Brazil. His debut film “Acidente” was shown at prestigious festivals including Sundance, Locarno and Guadalajara, and won the prize for best Ibero-American documentary. In 2009 he was awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. After years of intensive work in the visual arts – with exhibitions at MoMA (New York), the New Museum (New York) and the Museo Tamayo (Mexico City) – he returns to cinema with “Oroboro”.
Trust as the Foundation
The path to realisation was not straightforward. Parents had to consent to their often underage children’s participation; the school hesitated to open such an intimate pedagogical process to the public gaze. Only after many conversations did everyone come to understand the significance of what was being undertaken: showing the world the beauty and transformative force that art holds for young people.
“Only then did they truly open their doors and allow me to film in the classrooms,” Lobato describes the turning point. “A relationship of trust developed, one that allowed me to document school life in all its facets.”
When a Pandemic Cannot Stop Theatre
Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. While theatres closed everywhere, the eighth-year teacher refused to deny his pupils the theatrical experience. He proposed a three-week retreat to stage Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Lobato documented the entire creative process and recognised the potential of weaving both theatre projects into a single film.
“This film came into being entirely unplanned, almost organically,” the director reflects. “Gradually it found its supporters – even colleagues allowed themselves to be swept along. Everyone sensed it: something extraordinary was taking shape.”
This is a film in service of art,” Lobato says of his vision. “We wanted to invite audiences into a space of artistic contemplation – a space that awakens emotion and touches feeling. We chose poetry.“
Making Art Accessible to All
After the successful cinema premiere, the team sought ways to extend the film’s reach. Their goal: to establish “OROBORO” as a tool for reflection and change in educational settings. This is where INSTITUTO MAHLE entered the picture. Together, they brought the film to people for whom access to culture has traditionally been out of reach – whether through geographic remoteness or economic barriers.
Over four months, the film toured 18 Brazilian cities, screening in commercial cinemas as well as in special showings for Waldorf and state schools. “We wanted to bring the film to new audiences – people unfamiliar with anthroposophy,” Lobato explains. “We deliberately chose not to make a didactic film. We wanted audiences to feel the connection between art and human development directly –without theoretical explanations.”
Choosing Poetry
In July 2025, the film was invited to screen at the Goetheanum as part of the official programme of the Alma Humana Congress – a mark of the project’s international resonance.
“This is a film in service of art,” Lobato says of his vision. “We wanted to invite audiences into a space of artistic contemplation – a space that awakens emotion and touches feeling. We chose poetry.”
And so “OROBORO” tells not only of two theatre projects, but of the universal power of art to transform young people and help them find their place in the world. A film that, like the mythic symbol of its name, shows that from every transformation, something new is born.
Official Trailer:
When dot discovers the world anew
A little dot stumbles across a mysterious trail shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow, instantly sparking its curiosity. What follows is a journey of discovery through a world brimming with colours, forms and endless creative possibilitie – a journey that visitors young and old can experience at Stuttgart's Junges Schloss from 18 October 2025.
More than Just Colour
“BUNT” is the 12th interactive exhibition at the children's museum within the Landesmuseum Württemberg – and a special anniversary gift. The Junges Schloss is celebrating its 15th birthday this year and can look back on an impressive success story: around 700,000 young and older visitors have explored the interactive exhibitions since opening in 2010.
With ‘BUNT’, we encourage children to actively create and use the space for experimentation
Ida Schneider
The exhibition, curated by Ida Schneider and Christoph Fricker, invites children aged four to ten to discover together what can emerge from a simple dot. “With ‘BUNT’, we encourage children to actively create and use the space for experimentation,” explains curator Ida Schneider. “Through the hands-on stations, original objects and Dot's story, children sharpen their perception of the world around them.”
A Feast for All the Senses
The exhibition truly lives up to its name: at various stations, young visitors can mix rainbow colours, make lines dance, create patterns or experiment with large building blocks. Creating rhythmic beats together is part of the experience, as is exploring different materials and textures. “The children see, hear, smell and feel – discovering that 'colourful' means so much more than just colour,” describes department head Christoph Fricker.
The children see, hear, smell and feel – discovering that 'colourful' means so much more than just colour
Christoph Fricker
As with all projects at the Junges Schloss, “BUNT” was co-developed by a children's advisory board. These young experts contributed ideas, discussed concepts with the curatorial team and helped develop creative stations such as multisensory “colour clouds” and “colourful” sound experiences. This participatory approach ensures the exhibition is genuinely conceived from a child's perspective.
Treasures from the Collection
A particular highlight of the exhibition are brilliantly coloured glass vases from the 20th century, which came to the Landesmuseum 25 years ago as a donation from a private collector in Laupheim – part of a collection of over 1,000 pieces. The selection followed a clear principle: colour! From vibrant red through deep blue to radiant yellow, the objects showcase the entire spectrum of the rainbow. Labels reading “Murano”, “Made in Portugal” or “WMF – Germany” tell little stories about the pieces’ origins and periods.
“These glass vases are like colourful ambassadors from different countries and eras,” enthuses Dr. Maaike van Rijn, who worked alongside Ida Schneider on presenting the objects. “Children can see how varied design can be – from simple everyday vases to extravagant designer pieces from the 1940s to 60s.”
The glass objects are complemented by further exhibits from the Landesmuseum's collections: wonderfully decorated ceramics with lines and dot-like indentations from the Neolithic period show that humans were using lines and dots to shape their environment thousands of years ago. A metal tea service designed by Christopher Dresser, one of the first industrial designers, captivates through its consistent spherical form. An over 3,000-year-old Egyptian glass vessel shaped like a pomegranate exemplifies inspiration drawn from nature's colourful diversity – to mention just a few objects.
Inclusion as Standard Practice
It’s particularly important to the Junges Schloss team that all children can experience the exhibition. Stations for hearing, seeing and feeling, videos in German Sign Language and audio texts make “BUNT” accessible to everyone. “Diversity and inclusion aren’t empty phrases for us, but lived practice,” emphasises Fricker.
Diversity and inclusion aren’t empty phrases for us, but lived practice
Christoph Fricker
“We want this and we must do this. After all, children have a right to it. Children’s rights play an important role for us as a children’s museum, but also specifically within the exhibition. We link each thematic area with a selected children’s right – as we have in previous Junges Schloss exhibitions,” adds Schneider.
Gratitude to Loyal Supporters
Realising the exhibition wouldn’t have been possible without support from faithful sponsors and supporters. Above all, the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, which made the “BUNT” exhibition possible as a 15th birthday gift to the children’s museum. “Even the children’s museum’s first exhibition was only possible with major funding support,” reflects Fricker. “Today, 15 years later, I can hardly believe how much passion and commitment from companies, foundations and many private individuals have made the Junges Schloss a permanent institution.”
The MAHLE Foundation is also among the project’s long-term supporters. Their commitment enables art and culture to be not just theoretically conveyed to children, but made practically experiential.
Creativity as a Key to the World
“BUNT” is more than an exhibition – it’s an invitation to see the world through different eyes. When children here mix colours, explore forms and develop creative projects together, they learn not only about art and design. They develop perception, creativity and self-confidence – skills that remain significant long after the museum visit.
“Ideally, the children will find joy in diversity, discover colour outside the museum, too, and continue using their creativity with pleasure,” summarises curator Schneider, expressing the team’s hopes. Dot, the mascot, would surely agree – for Dot’s colourful trail doesn't end with the exhibition.
The exhibition “BUNT” runs until 2 August 2026 at Stuttgart’s Junges Schloss.
The Voice of the Stones
The Buna Eurythmie Ensemble set out to give voice to a forgotten cultural heritage – through eurythmy, cello and Bosnian poetry. A tour through the Balkans that became far more than an arts project.
It begins with a shared question. Not with a concept, not with a funding application, but with a question: what does the world need today, and how can art – especially where it is in danger of disappearing – open new paths? Out of this impulse, the Buna Eurythmie Ensemble was born. Buna is the name of a deep spring in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And it gives its name to a project that seeks to build bridges: between people, cultures, past and present.
What interested us was the genuine encounter – with an audience experiencing it for the very first time.
Aylin Bayboga
The ensemble’s idea was to travel to a country where eurythmy remains largely unknown. “We didn’t just want to perform for audiences already familiar with eurythmy,” says Aylin Bayboga, eurythmist and co-founder of the ensemble. “What interested us was the genuine encounter – with an audience experiencing it for the very first time.” That the Western Balkans would be the destination was no coincidence: Bayboga has family roots in Bosnia, speaks the language – and knew that the cultural life of the region had been deeply wounded by the Yugoslav Wars.
Stones That Speak
On a research trip before rehearsals began, Bayboga bought books: fairy tales, poems, stories about the country. In the rehearsal room, the group spread the material out – and came upon a name that would transform their initial plans entirely: Mak Mehmedalija Dizdar. Bosnia’s most significant poet, whose cycle Kameni Spavač – “The Sleeping Stone” – was published in 1966 and brought him renown far beyond his homeland. His poems give voice to the so-called Stećci: those vast, hand-hewn stone blocks scattered across the Balkans whose symbols – spirals, circles, crosses – point to an almost forgotten civilisation, that of the Bogomils.
“When we read those poems – first in Bosnian, then in German – it was immediately clear: this is it,” Bayboga recalls. “Everything else receded into the background.” What captivated the group about Dizdar was the mysterious quality of his imagery: serpent, white lily, apple tree – symbols that stand for something which resists direct comprehension. His verses read like dreams. Dizdar himself described listening to the stones as though they had something to say – as though he had a relationship with the dead who rest beneath them.
The Bogomils, whose legacy the Stećci preserve, were a free-spirited Christian movement of the Middle Ages: they prayed in the open air, rejected ecclesiastical hierarchies, and lived by a strict ethical code of peace. Persecuted by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, they left almost no written records – most were burnt. What remains are the stones. And Dizdar gave them language.
From Rehearsal to Tour
From August 2024, the seven-member ensemble rehearsed in Dornach, Stuttgart and Witten – in intensive phases each lasting a week or more, with regular group calls in between to keep the shared impulse alive. The eurythmy takes up the ornamentation of the stones: spirals become a form of movement, symbols of moon and sun find their way into the choreography. “We tried to translate something that had turned to stone back into movement,” says Bayboga of the approach.
A fortunate turn of events resolved the question of language: Vladimir Bogdanovic, a cellist from Serbia and member of the renowned Werther Quartet, speaks the language – and took on the role of reciting the poems alongside his cello playing. “That turned out to be the best possible solution,” says Bayboga. “He carries the texts from a place of genuine inner connection.” In September 2025, the ensemble set off in two cars and a bus laden with stage props and costumes, for nine performances and eight workshops across seven cities. The route led from Lausanne through Croatia, into Bosnia and Herzegovina, on to Serbia, and back.
We tried to translate something that had turned to stone back into movement.
Aylin Bayboga
Full Houses – and Collapsed Roofs
The tour was no triumph. It was an adventure – exhausting, deeply moving. In some places the posters never went up; coordinating with local organisers proved laborious. Shortly before curtain-up, Bayboga and her colleagues ran through cities handing out flyers. At one venue, the main entrance to the theatre had been closed for years due to a collapsed roof; audience and ensemble alike entered through the back door. “That was a reflection of the times,” Bayboga observes drily. “You could see that life wasn’t exactly flourishing there.”
And yet: the people came. The impact was strongest where a workshop had taken place beforehand – where pupils had experienced eurythmy for themselves before taking their seats in the audience. “Those were the most beautiful evenings,” Bayboga remembers. “At first, always that tension in the hall – what on earth are they doing? And then, as the evening unfolded, it got better and better.” After one performance, an audience member said the show had felt “like a dream”; after a eurythmy workshop, a pupil remarked that one really needed neither music nor language for it – the most fitting version, he suggested, would be to do the whole thing in silence. He meant it as a compliment. A theatre director in Bosnia spoke of “physical theatre” and enquired whether a collaboration might be possible.
At the Historical Museum in Sarajevo, where Stećci form part of the permanent collection, the ensemble had a particularly striking encounter: genuine experts on the Bogomil stones came to speak with the group after the performance, sharing what they knew. The museum had previously offered its own workshops on the stone symbols – a context that turned the performance into a genuine event.
Onwards Through Europe
After the Balkans tour, the programme moved into the German-speaking world: Stuttgart, the Netherlands, the Goetheanum in Dornach, and a eurythmy festival in Italy. For audiences in Germany and the Netherlands, the programmatic opening – a “gateway” introducing the themes – was shaped in the respective local language. “You are welcomed in,” Bayboga explains. “You know what it’s about – people to whom something happened, and out of what happened to them arise movements, feelings, texts.”
Eleven further performances are currently planned through to autumn 2026. The message of the stones, says Bayboga, is just as urgent today as it was in the time of the Bogomils: “The spiritual force that rests within the Stećci – it is waiting to be heard.”
OPENING DOORS
Interview with Manuela Lopes
Managing Director, Instituto MAHLE
Manuela Lopes has been managing Instituto MAHLE for six years. Her path to this position was anything but conventional – from Waldorf teacher to financial controller at Tecpar – Motorola CAR to dance club manager, and finally to leading the MAHLE Foundation’s partner organisation in Brazil.
This diverse background has proved invaluable in steering Instituto MAHLE through a period of remarkable growth and transformation.
Manuela, your career path is quite unusual. How did someone who once managed a club in São Paulo end up running Instituto MAHLE
It’s a long story! Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by the human soul and human development. I wanted to be a psychologist, and through studying psychology I discovered anthroposophy. I trained as a Waldorf teacher and taught for ten years. But when I divorced, I faced a harsh reality – teacher salaries in Brazil are so low that I couldn’t afford to send my own daughters to a Waldorf school. So I completely changed direction and went into finance, working at Motorola’s repair centre.
During those years, I ran that club – it was a famous venue for Brazilian music in São Paulo. I needed to support my children, so I did what was necessary. But I never lost my connection to anthroposophy; my daughters remained in the Waldorf school, and I stayed involved in the movement.
When Tecpar – Motorola CAR closed in Brazil, I realised I could combine my two worlds. I started helping Waldorf schools with their finances. That’s how I met Henner Ehringhaus, who was working with Instituto MAHLE at the time. He invited me to join the committee, and I was later invited to assume the Executive Management of the Institute. It was natural, really – I could connect health, agriculture, and education through both my anthroposophical knowledge and my practical financial experience.
Manuela Lopes as a Waldorf teacher.
You've been at the helm for six years now. How has Instituto MAHLE evolved during this time?
The most significant shift has been in clarity of purpose. When anthroposophy first came to Brazil, it arrived within the elite – only wealthy people could access Waldorf pedagogy, biodynamic food and anthroposophic medicine. I think Instituto MAHLE’s crucial role is opening these practices to far more people. We focus on projects that offer these approaches to people who cannot afford them.
This represents something quite new in Brazil. We now have about 300 Waldorf schools in the country, and 10 per cent of them are social schools – most of them supported by Instituto MAHLE. We’re working with Quilombo communities – descendants of enslaved people – introducing biodynamic agriculture on their small farms. These communities produce a portion of Brazil’s organic food.
In the health sector, we've achieved something remarkable. Brazil has a unique public health system, the SUS, which provides universal free healthcare. For many years, anthroposophic medicine wasn't recognised within this system. Now it is, and I believe this wouldn’t have happened without Instituto MAHLE supporting the projects that demonstrated its value to poor and middle-class people.
That's quite an achievement. I read that the number of applications has increased dramatically - from 109 in 2023 to 188 in 2024. What does that tell us?
It reflects both growing awareness of our work and, unfortunately, growing need. Brazil faces deep structural problems – enormous social inequality, persistent racism. Half our population is black, yet they still face systematic exclusion. The anthroposophical movement itself has been very white, very German in character. We're only now beginning to wake up to the need for change.
The increased applications also show that more organisations are discovering that Instituto MAHLE can help them. This was the first year that social organisations linked to public policies invited us to participate in strategic meetings. We’re starting to be recognised beyond the anthroposophical movement as an important player in the broader field of social development.
We’ve also strengthened our evaluation methods. In 2024, we developed a “Theory of Change” and detailed indicators to measure project impact more systematically. This helps us understand not just what we’re funding, but how it’s genuinely changing people’s lives and communities.
Can you give us examples of projects that particularly impressed you?
Several come to mind, but let me tell you about two that really stand out.
The first is Murundu Community Association, a school in Palmeiras, a small city in Chapada Diamantina in Bahia state. It’s a remote, poor area. An educator named Ana Claudia founded a free Waldorf school there and was asking Instituto MAHLE for support year after year. I told her she needed to find a way to become autonomous – we couldn’t support the school forever.
For me, this shows the wisdom of connecting different areas - agriculture and education together - to improve a whole community. And it shows what one determined person with a creative idea can achieve.
One day she phoned me and said, “Manuela, I’ve found a way.” Someone had given her a machine for making fruit pulp, and she’d had an inspiration. Walking through the town, she’d noticed that almost every house had fruit trees in the garden – native trees that simply grew there. The fruit was falling to the ground, unused. She thought: what if I connect these women with the biodynamic agriculture association? What if we create an agro-industry that processes this fruit and sells it at the organic markets around Chapada Diamantina?
She did it, and part of the proceedings go to the school. She introduced biodynamic agriculture to more than 70 women. They started producing organic fruit – they’re now certified organic and transitioning to biodynamic. But Ana didn’t just help the school. She transformed the entire city. The mayor saw what was happening and decided to support the school anyway, because he was so amazed by the change everywhere.
Murundu Community Association in Palmeiras
And the second example?
This one’s from the health sector. Nileni is a doctor at the Instituto Nacional de Câncer in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil’s leading public institute for cancer control. She was working in paediatric oncology when she discovered anthroposophic medicine through Waldorf education. She asked her director, Sima, for permission to use some anthroposophic medicines with children in palliative care.
What’s remarkable is that Sima agreed. It’s very unusual in the public health system to allow someone to try something completely new. Nileni began treating these children, and the results weren’t primarily about curing – these were palliative cases – but about transforming the relationship between the children and their families, and how families could face the child’s death.
The anthroposophic medicines opened the spirituality of these people. The hospital recognised this not because of healing power in the conventional sense, but because of the healing of relationships, the changed way of looking at death. That was the breakthrough that convinced the hospital director to let them continue and expand.
We visited with Dr. Marion Debus Head of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum this year, and she was amazed by their work. Now we’re supporting a project to really grow this area of anthroposophic medicine within the hospital. Sometimes one person in a huge institution has the courage to try something new and can change an entire department.
You mentioned research as a concern. Where do you see the challenges?
We need much more academic research in Brazil. We’re discussing this intensively with Jürgen Schweiß-Ertl from the MAHLE Foundation. The problem with gaining full acceptance in any health system is proving that it works according to conventional research standards. We think anthroposophic medicine operates at a higher level conceptually, but that’s not enough. We need research that meets conventional medical standards to truly integrate into public healthcare.
Jürgen Schweiß-Ertl from the MAHLE Foundation with some employees of the Instituto MAHLE.
In education, we’re doing better. We’re supporting 100 to 150 teachers every year to complete their training. But in medicine, training courses are actually declining – not as many new doctors are studying anthroposophic medicine as before. That worries me.
Agriculture is different again. It’s not perceived as a social field in the same way as health and education, even though it feeds people. It takes time for mindsets to shift, to understand its necessity in the context of climate change and food security.
Looking ahead, where do you see Instituto MAHLE in five years?
I hope we continue this work of opening access. We’re talking about 90 per cent of Brazil's population that previously had no access to anthroposophical practices. Imagine – at the beginning, we were reaching perhaps 1 per cent of the population. Now it’s spreading.
The anthroposophical society itself is changing. Last year, for the first time, they celebrated Black Consciousness Day – a national holiday that the anthroposophical community had never celebrated before. They’re beginning to recognise that they need to expand beyond old German anthroposophical families, that everyone should have access.
I believe anthroposophy can help people see everyone as a human being in development, giving access to the best for as many people as possible. It’s not easy, but this is Instituto MAHLE’s mission. We’re not alone in the area of anthroposophy in Brazil anymore – other organisations are starting to recognise us and invite us to collaborate.
I think that’s our future: continuing to support projects that truly transform communities, demonstrating that anthroposophical approaches work for everyone, not just the priv-ileged, and building bridges between the anthroposophical movement and the wider world of social development in Brazil. We’re only at the beginning of this journey.
The interview was conducted by Antal Adam.
By GenZ, for GenZ: The ÜBERMORGENMACHER
Fresh perspectives on the big questions
For two years, a student editorial team produced content by and for Generation Z – across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. The range of topics was as broad as the interests of its target audience: from sustainable finance and complementary medicine to resilience, feminism, inclusion and the very real challenges facing young adults – unaffordable flat-shares, pensions, AI and the question of whether today’s dream job will still exist tomorrow.
Throughout, the format stayed firmly rooted in the lived experience of its audience: no lecturing, but plenty of concrete ideas and inspiring examples. Video podcasts featured expert guests such as Nadine Raißle from the GLS Bank, who spoke with refreshing accessibility about money as a tool for shaping society. The editorial team also accompanied the MAHLE Foundation’s lecture series at the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart, translating these impulses into the language of social media.
Food for thought, not finger-wagging
Whether philosophy in everyday life, education policy ahead of the federal elections or the question of what Stoicism has to do with a fulfilling life: the ÜBERMORGENMACHER offered thought-provoking content that invited further reflection – always with an eye towards a fairer and more empathetic future. After two successful seasons, the project is now on hiatus. What remains is a platform that demonstrated convincingly that Generation Z is far from interested only in the ephemeral – but very much in the day after tomorrow.
Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok: @uebermorgenmacher
Lifelines in an Age of Change
With the continuation of its lecture series “Lifelines in an Age of Change” at the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart, the MAHLE Foundation once again broadens its perspective on the pressing social challenges of our present and future, addressing the questions that weigh on people’s minds as they grapple with profound shifts in our world. These are topics that matter to people in our society – themes that help us meet the most important challenges in shaping our future: what it means to remain human, and to stay human, in difficult times. The lectures are held under the guiding theme: “Europe's Legacy – Taking Stock of a Community of Values”.
In a world of upheaval and the threat of globally diverging values, we seek to reflect on our shared foundations: freedom, human rights, the Enlightenment, tolerance and humanity, Christian ethics, and democracy. The series also explores the emancipation of humankind during the Renaissance and Reformation, and throughout the Age of Enlightenment.
The lectures are recorded and available in our media library:
The MAHLE Foundation Team
The MAHLE Foundation Application Portal is Now Live!
A good project idea is the essential starting point for any funding application – and, until now, a healthy supply of postage stamps was almost equally indispensable. That is about to change: the MAHLE Foundation has launched its new online application portal, making it possible to submit funding applications entirely digitally. No more paper files, no trips to the post office, no waiting for returned forms.
A step-by-step path to a completed application
After a one-time registration, applicants are guided through the online form step by step. The application can be saved at any point and returned to at a later date – there is no need to complete it in a single sitting. Once all required fields have been filled in and the application is ready, a single click on “Submit” passes it on to the MAHLE Foundation, where it is prepared for review by the committee. After submission, the application remains accessible in the portal, giving applicants a clear overview of their application history at all times.
Looking ahead
The new portal is only the beginning. In the longer term, it is intended to evolve into a comprehensive funding portal that handles all administrative steps digitally – from the initial application through to the close of a project. In doing so, the MAHLE Foundation is taking a clear step towards modern, efficient processes, in the interest of the projects it supports and the organisations it funds.
Despite thorough preparation, a newly launched system may occasionally not run entirely smoothly. The MAHLE Foundation team is on hand to help with any questions, uncertainties or technical difficulties at any time.
Die MAHLE-STIFTUNG in Zahlen
A: Statistics
Applications approved | 121 |
Applications vetted by the Foundation’s committees | 184 |
Funding requests (verbally and in writing) | approx. 550 |
Overview of Grants Awarded in 2025
Main Funding Area Healthcare
Filderklinik gGmbH | 1,500,000.00 € |
Verein Filderklinik e. V. | 2,500,000.00 € |
Other applicants | 100,000.00 € |
Total | 4.100,000.00 € |
Further Funding Areas
Youth welfare | 35,000.00 € |
Education, national and vocational training | 2,125,979.00 € |
Science and Research | 744,000.00 € |
INSTITUTO MAHLE, Brazil | 1,397,831.00€ |
Total | 4,302,810.00 € |
| |
Total sum | 8,402,810.00 € |
Business Review 2025
For the MAHLE Foundation, 2025 was once again a year of growing intensity – in its project work as much as in its own organisation.
Change of Legal Form and New Articles of Association
One of the year’s central concerns was preparing the conversion of the Foundation in order to avoid the risk of a limited liability company (Stiftungs-GmbH) – risks which, in particular, apply to the shareholders personally. The focus here was on the establishment of a foundation under civil law and the transfer of MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH’s shares in MAHLE GmbH to that foundation. The relevant resolution was passed in 2025 by the shareholders of MAHLE Stiftung GmbH. This necessitates a revision of the existing articles of association to bring them into line with the legal framework of a civil law foundation, which have remained virtually unchanged since its establishment in 1964; the Foundation’s internal compliance arrangements must be updated in parallel. Both undertakings are well advanced, though not yet complete.
The conversion also has implications for MAHLE GmbH – 99.9 per cent owned by the MAHLE-STIFTUNG – and for MABEG e. V., the second shareholder of MAHLE GmbH, which holds a 0.1 per cent stake but all voting rights. Close coordination with both parties is essential, and we are grateful that they have engaged with the process constructively and with an open mind. The implications – particularly for MAHLE GmbH – are nonetheless far from trivial, and the Foundation will actively accompany and support the clarification process throughout. Our goal is to fully complete the transformation by the end of 2027.
Funding Work under Growing Pressure
A welcome dividend of €8 million for the financial year 2025 enabled us to continue our funding activities at a satisfying level. That said, we faced – as does society at large – considerable challenges: crises are multiplying in Germany and around the world, and with them the expectations placed on funding institutions. The number of applications remained broadly comparable to the previous year, but the reality behind the figures has shifted: fewer projects were supported overall, whilst the amounts awarded were on average higher – a sign that our funding partners find themselves in increasingly difficult circumstances and require more substantial assistance. The MAHLE Foundation cannot, and will not be able to, meet every request made of it. This constraint will in all likelihood remain a defining feature of the years ahead.
The Filderklinik Hospital: Responsibility and Plans for Reconstruction
The MAHLE Foundation holds a 70 per cent stake in Filderklinik gGmbH in Filderstadt – and with it a considerable share of responsibility for the hospital’s future. The German hospital sector is in structural crisis: barely an institution is still operating in the black, and losses are accumulating across the sector. Public-sector providers can absorb deficits, at least in part, through tax revenues; independent not-for-profit hospitals such as the Filderklinik have no such fallback. In recent years, the MAHLE Foundation has supported the clinic with above-average levels of funding.
To this pressing situation is added a strategic decision of some consequence: after fifty years of operation, the Filderklinik is in need of fundamental renewal. The weighing of options – comprehensive refurbishment or a new build – has come down in favour of the latter, as the more economically sound path to carrying the clinic’s work forward at the highest level.
The History of the Foundation: More than Philanthropy
In recent years, interest in the history of the MAHLE Foundation has grown markedly – and with good reason. The motives of the founders, Hermann and Dr. Ernst Mahle, went well beyond the straightforward promotion of charitable causes: their ambition was to create a model demonstrating how business ownership can be exercised responsibly.
The records and papers relating to the Foundation’s establishment have been gradually gathered and rediscovered – a treasure trove well worth thorough scholarly examination. A dedicated research project is currently being planned.
Digitalisation, the Feinstoff Festival and Brazil
The digitalisation of internal processes continues to advance steadily – not least thanks to the committed efforts of our staff, to whom we extend our sincere thanks. Applicants are already benefiting: online applications are now possible and will become standard practice in the future. The largely paperless office remains a stated goal.
A particular highlight of the year was the Feinstoff Festival, held to mark the Foundation’s sixtieth anniversary of funding activity. Over the course of several days, some 2,000 visitors experienced a rich and varied programme dedicated to the theme of “angels” – staged in the church of St Maria in the heart of Stuttgart. A video recording is available in our media library.
We are also delighted by the deepening relationship with our partner organisation INSTITUTO MAHLE in São Paulo, through whom and with whom we shape our funding activities in Brazil. This partnership has grown so close that the present annual report has been compiled jointly for the first time – a format we intend to continue, as it renders the full breadth of the MAHLE Foundation’s work more visible than before.
Our lecture series at the Altes Schloss Stuttgart once again attracted an enthusiastic audience. Those who missed any of the events can catch up in our media library – the speakers are, without exception, outstanding voices in their respective fields.
The Figures in Brief
As the holder of a 99.9 per cent stake in MAHLE GmbH, the MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH is the principal shareholder of MAHLE GmbH and, by extension, of the MAHLE Group. The book value of this holding stands at €273,549,354.72. Voting rights are exercised in a fiduciary capacity by MABEG – Verein zur Förderung und Beratung der Mahle-Gruppe e. V., the second shareholder of MAHLE GmbH.
For the financial year 2025, the MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH received a dividend of €8,000,000.00 from MAHLE GmbH. Interest and similar income from the short-term investment of ring-fenced funds amounted to €61,589.88. The Software AG-Stiftung, Darmstadt, provided a donation of €575,000.00 for charitable purposes in Brazil, which was passed on in full to INSTITUTO MAHLE.
Readers may be surprised by the reported retained earnings, which run into millions. This high figure is the result of a change in the procedure for creating or adjusting project-related provisions, which we have carried out at the start of the year for the previous year in many past years, but did not do so this time. From now on, we will generally set aside project-related reserves at the first shareholders’ meeting of MAHLE-Stiftung GmbH in the following year. This means that the substantial retained earnings at the end of 2025 will be allocated to necessary project-related reserves in April 2026 by resolution of the shareholders’ meeting.
In total, grants and commitments for charitable projects amounting to €8,402,810.00 were made or resolved in 2025. For this we extend our heartfelt thanks to the employees and management of the MAHLE Group – their efforts are the foundation of everything we do.
INSTITUTO MAHLE
Team INSTITUTO MAHLE
The INSTITUTO MAHLE in Figures
Over its 18 years of existence, the MAHLE Foundation has advised, supported and monitored 1,195 initiatives, projects and programmes from 250 non-profit institutions across 160 cities in 21 Brazilian states.
Anzahl geförderter Projekte nach Aktivitätstypen
Instituto MAHLE’s grant-making is guided by a clear purpose: to open anthroposophic practices to those who could not otherwise access them. Where these approaches were once available only to the privileged few, Instituto MAHLE works to ensure they reach the many.
Business Review INSTITUTO MAHLE 2025
The INSTITUTO MAHLE defined as a goal for 2025 the intensification of its support to the most socially vulnerable populations – that is, those who, in addition to facing multiple forms of deprivation, would not have the means to afford anthroposophic medical care, cultivate biodynamic food or attend a Waldorf school. Looking retrospectively at the data collected from the projects supported in 2025, this goal was achieved with great success.
This strategic focus is particularly important in the Brazilian context, given the country’s profound social inequality, which creates a wide gap between those who have access to basic human needs and those who do not.
The situation currently experienced by the Brazilian population is rooted in a colonial system that, for much of the country’s history, exploited indigenous peoples and individuals brought from African countries as enslaved labour. Awareness of this history, combined with a commitment to building a more just, equal and humane world, has led the Institute’s leadership to prioritise the democratisation of access to anthroposophy in Brazil.
In 2025, this policy was clearly reflected in the results: 85 per cent of the people served belonged to socially vulnerable groups, predominantly (64 per cent) composed of black and indigenous individuals.
This data is further confirmed when analysing family income levels – the majority earn up to three minimum wages, equivalent to approximately R$ 4,500 (an amount well below what is necessary to sustain a family adequately).
Another relevant finding is the significant number of projects approved in the field of education (36), along with the activities they proposed (17 focused on professional training, 18 on pedagogical/artistic activities and 1 project in the research sector). This demonstrates the strength of Waldorf Education in Brazil and the consolidation of this educational approach, which currently includes 250 institutions distributed across 20 Brazilian states.
Imprint
Publisher
MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH Leibnizstraße 35 70193 Stuttgart Germany
Tel.: +49 711 65 66 169-0 E-Mail: info@mahle-stiftung.de Internet: www.mahle-stiftung.de
INSTITUTO MAHLE R. Jaceru, 225 – Vila Gertrudes São Paulo – SP 04705-000
Tel.: +55 11 2663 2590 E-Mail: contato@institutomahle.org.br Internet: www.institutomahle.org.br
Concept, Design and Realisation
Editorial Team
Antal Adam, Beatrice Essig, Jürgen Schweiß-Ertl Manuela Lopes, Fernanda Abucham, Teresa Rocha
Concept, Design and Realisation
Texts
Antal Adam, Stuttgart
Photo Credits
Editorial | MAHLE-STIFTUNG |
Greetings | MAHLE GmbH |
Partners & members of the advisory
board of MAHLE Foundation | MAHLE-STIFTUNG
Oliver Willing von Tanja Muennich |
Feinstoff Festival | Johannes Ocker © VG Bild, Bonn 2025 |
Where Entrepreneurial Vision
Meets Healing Arts | Filderklinik gGmbH |
50 Years of Filderklinik –
From Vision to Reality | Filderklinik gGmbH |
50 Years of Filderklinik –
The Filderklinik in Transition | Filderklinik gGmbH, Silicya Roth |
Making Visible What
Society Overlooks | Instituto Compassos |
From Gene Bank to Garden Bed | Die Vielfaltsgärtner |
From Fear to Respect | Brazilian Biodynamic Agriculture Association |
When the Cowshed
Becomes the Classroom | Loheland-Stiftung |
Waldorf for Everyone | Fundo de Bolsas |
When the Lecture Hall
Comes to the Favela | Associação Comunitária Monte Azul, Rudolf-Steiner-Fakultät |
Where the Earth Learns
to Breathe Again | Kufunda Team |
A Right to Arrive | Freie Waldorfschule Kassel
|
OROBORO – The
Poetry of Becoming | Rudolf-Steiner-Waldorfschule Belo Horizonte, Pablo Lobato |
When Dot Discovers
the World Anew | P. Frankenstein / H. Zwietasch, Landesmuseum Württemberg,
Anke Hummel-Franzen, Annika Schulze |
The Voice of the Stones | Buna Eurythmie Ensemble |
Interview: Manuela Lopes | Manuela Lopes, Murundu Community Association |
The ÜBERMORGENMACHER | Screenshots @uebermorgenmacher |
Lebenslinien im Zeitenwandel | bortecristian envato elements, H. Zwietasch, Landesmuseum Württemberg |
A lecture series by the
MAHLE Foundation | MAHLE-STIFTUNG |
The MAHLE Foundation
Application Portal | Screenshots Antragsportal |
Team INSTITUTO MAHLE | INSTITUTO MAHLE |