UNI:Lokal

The UNI:Lokal is a central and open venue and exhibition space in Kassel's city center.

With this offer in Kassel's pedestrian zone, the University of Kassel aims to strengthen its connection to the city's society. With a varied program of exhibitions and events, citizens are invited to enter into a dialogue about current research topics and to discuss aspects. At UNI:Lokal, prospective students can also find out about the wide range of study programmes on offer at any time. With the SDG+ Lab, the regional sustainability laboratory of UniKasselTransfer has moved into the premises as a player.

SDG+Lab Exhibition “Between Upheaval and New Beginnings” | Kickoff for Thematic Year 4: Transformations in Culture and Community Life

In our fourth thematic year, we are exploring transformations in culture and community life:

Our society is changing. But how do we want to live together when the familiar begins to falter? And what possibilities arise when we view change not only as a crisis but also as an opportunity?

The exhibition invites visitors to engage with these questions in a playful and artistic way. In collaboration with the Games Class at the Kassel Art Academy, video games become spaces for experience and possibility: We can adopt different perspectives, try out new realities, and playfully explore what social change might feel like.

The exhibition offers a preview of upcoming activities in the new thematic year “Transformations in Culture and Coexistence.” Together, we aim to create spaces and opportunities where people can come together, discover new approaches, experiment, and engage in dialogue. After all, social change cannot be navigated alone. We need spaces where we can meet one another, shape culture together, and develop new ideas for living together.

Between resignation and hope, upheaval and new beginnings, the exhibition invites you to playfully discover new possibilities—and to return with a fresh perspective on our shared future.

Feel free to join our regular guided tours on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., or schedule a tour at another time by emailing sdgpluslab@uni-kassel.de.

SDG+ Lab

One player in UNI:Lokal is the laboratory for sustainability issues. Together, we address the major sustainability issues of our time. From 2023 to 2027, the SDG+ Lab will bring together science, business and society and develop impulses and concrete solutions for a sustainable region of Kassel and North Hesse along the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

SDG+ Lab: To the website SDG+Lab

Event Series

Coffee Chats

During the “Coffee Talks,” researchers from the University of Kassel address socially relevant topics and present them in a clear and engaging way—briefly and concisely in 15 minutes. These short presentations showcase the broad spectrum of research and teaching at the university, which is committed to developing solutions for a future worth living.

For anyone who wants to start their evening with some interesting insights into current topics—a sweet snack and a hot beverage are provided free of charge.

The talks will take place on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. at UNI:Lokal, starting November 4, at irregular intervals. You can find all the dates here on the website.

Coffee Chats: More Infos

Interdisciplinary Lecture Series by the Kassel Institute for Sustainability | Shaping the Future: Sustainability from Interdisciplinary Perspectives

As part of the interdisciplinary lecture series “Shaping the Future: Sustainability from Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” researchers from various departments at the University of Kassel will share their respective perspectives on current sustainability challenges.

Through discussion and reflection on a wide range of perspectives—drawn from the approaches of various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, and sustainability studies—a holistic understanding of transformation and transformative research emerges over the course of the event.

The series is organized by the Kassel Institute for Sustainability.
The events will take place every Tuesday starting November 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (The sessions on October 27, 2026, and October 3, 2026, are internal events open only to students at the University of Kassel.)

Käte Hamburger Kolleg Lecture Series: Worlds of Raw Materials | Contours of the Future

The world is in turmoil. International conflicts are increasingly centered on natural resources. In some parts of the world, we’re seeing a massive expansion of renewable energy, while elsewhere there’s a growing reliance on oil and gas. These are facets of a massive upheaval whose full scale we still fail to fully grasp: We are at the dawn of a post-fossil-fuel era.This transformation poses challenges for sectors such as the economy, politics, technology and urban development, mobility, and agriculture. There will be new winners and losers; cultures of rejection will grow stronger, and uncertainty, disillusionment with democracy, and fear of the future will increase. At the same time, ideas and innovations are sprouting up. The Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Raw Material Worlds: Cultures in Transition” at the University of Kassel will examine the full picture of this transformation through lectures by selected experts. We will identify problems and discuss how we can work together to overcome today’s challenges for the world of tomorrow.

The series is organized by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg, in cooperation with SDG+ Lab and the Staatstheater Kassel
The events will take place every Thursday starting October 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (c.t.), and beginning October 29 at UNI:Lokal.

Sports at UNI:Lokal

Yoga in Everyday University Life: Move, Breathe, Find Your Center

Between lectures, screen time, and a heavy workload, there’s often little time left to refocus your attention. In this 60-minute yoga class, you can find your center, move mindfully, and become more aware of your breath. You can expect personalized physical exercises—sometimes flowing, sometimes calm—as well as short breathing exercises and moments of stillness. The exercises provide a counterbalance to long periods of sitting and offer small prompts that you can incorporate into your daily study and work routine. No prior experience is required.

The course is offered by UNI:Sports and takes place every Monday starting November 9, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., at UNI:lokal.

Yoga in Everyday University Life: Move, Breathe, Find Your Center: More Information and Registration

Past Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions: Forward

Events at UNI:Lokal

All events

Opening hours

Tuesday to Friday: 12.00 to 18.00
Saturday 12.00 to 16.00
Closed on Sundays and Mondays

Admission to all events and exhibitions is free of charge.

UNI:Lokal

Wilhelmsstraße 21
34117 Kassel

The UNI:Lokal and the exhibition space are accessible to people with disabilities. Some areas of the space, as well as the restroom, are accessible only via stairs and are therefore not wheelchair-accessible.

The UNI:Lokal is air-conditioned.