Tag Archives: Berlin

Ivy Circle Berlin Stammtisch – 6 May 2026

by Carl Kruse

The Ivy Circle Berlin Stammtisch now takes place every first Wednesday of the month, changing our long-standing “First Tuesday” of the month schedule. Many venues in Berlin have been shifting their closing days to Monday and Tuesday, making it somewhat more difficult to plan a first Tuesday of the month date.

So from now we move with the flow of the city and it’s the “First Wednesday” of the month. 🙂

And for this next first Wednesday, May 6, 2026 we return to our haunts at FREDERICKS, located at Bellevue Str 1, 10785 at Potsdammer Platz.

We have gathered at Frederick’s before and everyone likes it.

For those who have not been, Frederick’s is an upscale restaurant and bar housed in the historic Kaisersaal of the former Grand Hotel Esplanade. The space blends Belle-Époque details—soaring ceilings, chandeliers, ornate marble—with contemporary art and a dramatic, wraparoud bar. It feels at once grand and playful.  Fredericks’ is happy to welcome the Ivy Circle once again for after work cocktails.

Complimentary wine while it lasts.  Cash bar.

Come meet old and new friends alike.  

See you at Fredericks on Wednesday, May 6!

Cheers,
Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle
Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association of Germany

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Former events include Champagne and Art with Jade Cassidy, and the Boros Bunker Sammlung Tour.

Factory Visit: Siemens Energy in Berlin

Hello All!

The Wharton Club of Germany And Austria invites us to an exclusive factory visit at Siemens Energy in Berlin. During the visit, we will have the opportunity to tour the gas turbine manufacturing facility as well as the electrolyzer factory, gaining insights into advanced technologies for energy generation, hydrogen production, and to the future of sustainable power.

This behind-the-scenes experience provides a rare opportunity to see advanced engineering processes, innovative production techniques, and the expertise that drives Siemens Energy’s global impact.

Date and Time:

Thursday, March 26, 2026
6:00pm— 7:00pm 

Location:
Siemens Energy
HuttenstraĂźe 12
Berlin 10553

Contact:
Isabel Matz
isabelmatz.wcga@gmail.com 

Participation Fee:

10 Euro for Wharton Club members

20 Euro for non-members

To register please visit this link:

https://www.whartongermany.com/factory_visit_siemens_energy

Cheers!

Carl Kruse

Ivy Circle Berlin
Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association of Germany

Harvard Club Invite: Dinner with Author Jamaica Kincaid


Hello all!

The Harvard Club of Berlin invites us to an evening discussion with renown author Jamaica Kincaid on November 5 at 6:30pm at Restaurant Luther & Wegner, Charlottenstr. 56 10117 Berlin.

The invite is below.

Cheers!  

Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle and Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association in Germany

P.S.  Stammtisch, Tuesday, Nov 4 at Fredericks in Potsdammer Platz.

Dear members and friends of the Harvard Community in Berlin,

The Harvard Cub of Berlin is honored to invite you to a Leadership Dinner with Jamaica Kincaid.

Jamaica Kincaid will begin with a short reading followed by a conversation on her experiences as a writer and professor at Harvard University as well as her impressions so far as an American Academy Fellow in Germany.

The evening will be moderated by Clara PĂ©ron, the club’s vice president.

About Jamica Kincaid:

Jamaica Kincaid is a writer and Professor Emerita of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. She holds honorary degrees from Amherst College, Tufts University, Middlebury College, and the University of the West Indies, among others. Celebrated for her evocative reflections on family, memory, gender, colonialism, her native Antigua, and gardening, Kincaid is the author of numerous award-winning and widely translated essays, short stories, and novels, including At the Bottom of the River (1983), Annie John (1985), Lucy (1990), A Small Place (1988), The Autobiography of My Mother (1996), My Brother (1997), Mr. Potter (2002), Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas (2005), See Now Then (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013), and most recently An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children (with Kara Walker; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024). Her “Talk of the Town” columns for The New Yorker appeared in Talk Stories (2001). She is the winner of the 2022 Paris Review Hadada Prize for Lifetime Achievement, 2017 Dan David Prize, a 2014 American Book Award and 2000 Prix Femina Étranger, among many other awards. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2004, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.

We look forward to seeing you at our Leadership Dinner.

When?: Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 6:30 pm

Where?: Restaurant Luther & Wegner

CharlottenstraĂźe 56, 10117 Berlin

Dresscode: Smart Casual

Tickets:

Members & partners: 45 € p.p.

Non-Members: 55 € p.p.

Welcome drinks and two course menu are included.

Drinks with the meal will be charged separately.

30 tickets are available for this event.

Please register via the following link: Registration  until October 29, 2025.

Payment options:

  1. Bank transfer: Please transfer the ticket to our bank account:

Harvard University Alumni Club of Berlin e.V.

IBAN: DE33 1007 0848 0036 7532 00

BIC: DEUTDEDB110

Reference: your name & HLD Kincaid

  1. Paypal: frohn@pwwl.de  family and friends

Reference: your name & HLD Kincaid

A Conversation With Pulitzer Prize Laureate Elizabeth Kolbert

by Carl Kruse

Something of a last minute invite courtesy of Bill Woodward – an evening with journalist Elizabeth Kolbert taking place Monday, September 22 at 7pm at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Please see the invite below for full information.

Cheers!

Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle


You are warmly invited to join us for the conversation

Our Climate Past and Future:
An Evening with Elizabeth Kolbert, Journalist and Pulitzer Prize Laureate

 
Monday, September 22, 2025
7:00 pm CET/GMT+1
Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Jägerstr. 22-23, 10117 Berlin 


Climate change continues to reshape both domestic and global policy and politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite a shared reality in how the world is changing around us, Europe and the United States under President Trump are approaching the crisis in dramatically different ways. In conversation with Joshua Yaffa Bard College Berlin’s writer-in-residence, prominent journalist and Pulitzer Prize laureate, Elizabeth Kolbert, will share stories, and prognoses from the frontlines of a changing climate. Kolbert will speak to the way humans are changing the world around them, and how those changes reflect back on humanity. She will also address the current state of climate politics and policy in the U.S. and Europe—a gap in approach and even basic understanding that is quickly widening to a gulf. Is it possible to speak of a shared transatlantic climate policy, or even climate understanding? And can technology save us if politics doesn’t? 

Kindly register here.
 
For questions, please contact Dr. Berit Ebert, Director of Public Programs and Strategic Initiatives: b.ebert@berlin.bard.edu.

I hope everyone is well!

Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle

Introductory Tango With The Ivy Circle

by Carl Kruse

We’re excited to invite you to a special evening — a private Argentine tango introduction workshop followed by networking over wine and the chance to experience Berlin’s famous Milonga. All exclusive and private for the Ivy Circle.

No experience? No problem! Most of us have never been introduced to tango and this evening we’ll be guided by Berlin’s top tango teachers at Nou Tango Berlin, the city’s most prestigious tango school.

We start completely from zero:

  • Learn tango basics, the unique etiquette, and how to walk comfortably
  • Get a glimpse into the rich, magical world of Argentine tango.
  • No partner or special shoes needed — just bring yourself!

Program:
🕓 4:30 PM – Private tango class exclusively for the Ivy Circle.
🕕 6:00 PM – Wine & networking in our private mirror room at the venue.
🕢 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM – Join or watch Berlin’s famous Milonga (the lively social dance event open to the wider tango community)

You can either join the dancing and try your new skills or simply relax with a glass of wine and watch beautiful tango dancers in action.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Location: Nou Mitte (ChausseestraĂźe 102, 10115 Berlin). (U-Naturkundemuseum).
Cost: 20€ (includes the workshop + one glass of wine)

Milonga? A milonga is a traditional tango gathering — a warm, welcoming evening full of music, dancing, and community.

Fun fact: Berlin has the largest and most vibrant tango community in the world outside Argentina!

RSVP:

Please RSVP to Carl Kruse at carl@alumni.princeton.edu before Saturday 03 May if possible.

+1s are warmly welcome! Bring a friend, partner, or fellow alumni — the more the merrier.

Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the magic of tango, make new friends, and enjoy a beautiful evening with the Ivy Circle.

We look forward to dancing and toasting with you!

Cheers!
Carl Kruse

P.S. May thanks to LSE Alum Avitosh Sawhney for the original idea and organizing of the event.

Champagne and Art Exhibition With Jade Cassidy in Berlin


The Ivy Circle Berlin is happy to invite all to an art exhibit of artist Jade Cassidy taking place on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 from 6-9 p.m. at the Quantum Gallery on KurfĂĽrstendamm 210 in West Berlin.

The event will feature complimentary champagne from the Lombard champagne company, who will be represented by champagne ambassador Fanny Thiel, and a complimentary open wine bar from 6-7pm.  A full cash bar goes on all night.

Originally from South Africa, Jade Cassidy is an emerging artist who resides in Berlin.  Her work explores themes of renewal and resilience, and the exhibition invites viewers to reflect through her paintings and sculptures on cycles of destruction and revival, often using the South African Protea flower for inspiration.

The event is free and open to all friends of the Ivy Circle and while an RSVP is not mandatory, it would be good to have a head count for the champagne and the bar.

For any questions (and to RSVP) contact Carl Kruse at carl@alumni.princeton.edu

Cheers and to a great gathering on the 12th in Berlin!

Carl Kruse
The Ivy Circle’s last event was a tour of the Boros Bunker in Berlin.

Boros Art Bunker Tour in Berlin

Dear Alumni Leaders and Friends,

The Cambridge Society invites the Ivy Circle for a private tour of the iconoclastic Boros Bunker art collection in Berlin.

  • Date & Time: Tuesday, 19/11/24, 5:00-6:30 pm
  • Place: Boros Foundation, ReinhardtstraĂźe 20, 10117 Berlin
  • URL: https://www.boros-foundation.de 
  • Cost: 35€

Spread over 3,000 sq m of a converted air-raid bunker, this is the fourth exhibition featuring works from the private collection of Karen and Christian Boros, showcasing international artists from 1990 to the present. The couple purchased the bunker, originally designed by Albert Speer to both house their contemporary art and to make it accessible to the public.  The redesign of the bunker was awarded the Beton Architectural Prize in 2008.

During the 1.5-hr tour in English, an art mediator from the Boros team will tell us about the exhibited works, the history of the building, and its architectural background. Christian Boros has often said he only buys art that he does not understand, so the tour will be interesting to say the least.

The event is to be followed by an optional dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Sign up here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/germancambridgesocietyev/1461627

For any questions please reach out to me as soon as possible.

Cheers!

Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle Berlin

Oxford Singles Bouldering Event

Dear Alumni Leaders and Friends,

The Oxford University Society (OUS) – Berlin singles group invites the Ivy Circle to a mixer at the Berta Block bouldering facility on Saturday, October 26 between 7:00-9:00pm. 

The idea is to meet in a fun, relaxed environment.  No prior bouldering experience is necessary.

Berta Block is located at MĂĽhlenstr 62 in Pankow (Berlin).

If interested please contact Aravindh at +49 1525 6001644.

Cheers!
Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle Berlin
Berlin Chair, Princeton Alumni Association of Germany

Art Brunch on October 5 at the Kauppila Art Studio in Berlin

by Carl Kruse

The Ivy Circle Berlin would like to invite all to its second Art Brunch at the studio of Helena Kauppila, on Saturday, October 5, 2024, starting at 11:45 am on the fourth floor of Ackerstrasse 81, 13355 Berlin

There will be a welcome and brief introduction by the artist at 12:15 am. 

A mathematician turned painter, Helena is fascinated by complexity and emerging systems. While her colorful paintings may appear random and disjointed, there is a systems thinking behind them, often anchored in mathematics. Her work touches on the structure of DNA, mathematical theories, and the human connection to nature and the world around us..

Kauppila resides in Berlin. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Columbia University and is the recipient of the Reginald Marsh and Felicia Meyer Marsh scholarship at the Art Students League of New York. 

Light brunch food and drinks will be served. Featuring “Elixir of Life” DNA Canapes and a color-changing welcome drink.  RSVP helpful (but not required).

At 1 pm other ateliers in the building open as well, so there will be further opportunity to explore other art and meet other artists.

For any questions please contact Helena directly at helena@helenakauppila.com.

I look forward to seeing everyone on October 5!

Cheers!
Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle Berlin
Also find Carl Kruse at the Princeton Alumni Association of Germany

Stanford Summer Event At TU Berlin

by Carl Kruse

The Stanford University Alumni group invites the Ivy Circle to their end of summer event hosted at the brewery of the TU Berlin. If you are not  familiar with them, they are one of the world’s top universities for Brewmeister training. The event will feature free flowing beer and a catered menu. Tickets are 49€ for adults. 10€ from every ticket goes to the charity of the TU Berlin.

DATE: 4 September 2024 – 18:30

WHAT: Stanford Summer Party @ TU Berlin Brewery


WHERE:  SeestraĂźe 13, 13353 Berlin

HIGHLIGHTS

 Venue: We’re thrilled to have exclusive access to the renowned Versuchs- und Lehranstalt fĂĽr Brauerei in Berlin (VLB), the Brewery of the Technische Universität Berlin–one of the world’s leading schools for Brewmaster certification.

Dinner & Drinks: A delicious Brewery-style feast will be presented, featuring a variety of gourmet appetizers, mains, and desserts. Enjoy unlimited beer brewed by TU Berlin, as well as soft drinks and water.

Tickets: Secure your spot for an evening of great food, engaging talks, and great connections— all for a great cause! €10 from each ticket will be donated to the TU Berlin charity.

RSVP:  To RSVP complete the Google form at

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelYpkGGcFFNZt6uL2fc4-aWupVsrbmxthh2djZ7GTnsEXyZQ/viewform

PROGRAM

* Private Brewery Tour: At 18:30, Dr. Fontaine, Director of the VLB, will give us an insider’s tour of the brewery. Not to be missed.

* Keynote by Prof. Nick Bambos: Be inspired by insights from the R. Weiland Professor at Stanford University’s Department of Management Science & Engineering.

* Honorary Address: Hear from Prof. Frank Behrendt, Delegate of the Board of TU Berlin

* Special guest: TU Berlin President Geraldine Rauch, who will treat us to a preview performance of her upcoming musical.

TICKETS

* Adults: €49

* Current Students & Young Adults (under 18): €39

* Graduated within the last 5 years? Contact Tracy Prentiss (tracyprentiss8@gmail.com) about the young alumni discount before booking.

RSVP & Payment Details

To join us, please complete payment by 1 September 2024 to:

German Stanford Association e.V.

IBAN: DE85 1001 0010 0915 9481 00

Let’s close the summer on a high note! We look forward to seeing you. For any questions or further information, reach out to Tracy Prentiss at tracyprentiss8@gmail.com.

You can also reach out to carl@alumni.princeton.edu.

Cheers!

Carl Kruse
Ivy Circle Berlin
Former events include the Tour of the Documentation Center and the World Premiere of the Film The Presidents’ Tailor.
There is an ongoing Theater Discussion Group.