Education
EDL - Borderless education: successful exchange Enschede – Coesfeld
From April 13 to 15, 2026, the second part of the student exchange between Bonhoeffer College in Enschede and Gymnasium Nepomucenum in Coesfeld took place. Under the theme "The Connection Between Enschede and Coesfeld – Past, Present, and Future," the young people experienced three varied days filled with encounters, joint activities, and fascinating insights into Dutch-German history.
The exchange began in Coesfeld, where students got to know each other better in mixed groups during a joint breakfast. After a presentation of the program and a tour of the school, former Mayor Heinz Öhmann gave a lecture on the significance of the Coesfeld–Enschede cooperation for the EUREGIO. The students then explored the city, visited the town hall, and were received by Mayor Diekmann-Cloppenburg.
On the second day, the group traveled to Münster. At the Stadtmuseum, the students took part in a guided tour focusing on Dutch-German relations during the Thirty Years' War. Afterwards, they attended a workshop on the peace negotiations of the Eighty Years' War at the University of Münster’s Haus der Niederlande. The day ended with a joint dinner and a movie night in Coesfeld.
On the final day, the Dutch students participated in lessons at the Nepomucenum, followed by a joint lunch during the closing ceremony.
What made this exchange special was that it marked the first school partnership within EDL in which students stayed with host families. This allowed for many personal encounters and a more immersive introduction to daily life on both sides of the border. As such, the exchange served as a wonderful example of neighborliness and European connectedness in practice.
