Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center
German Community and Culture
The Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center, built in 2000 in the early 20th-century Bauhaus style, offers a unique immersive living experience at Valpo. Twelve students live upstairs in the German House with a native German speaker, sharing meals, practicing language skills, and enjoying suite-style rooms, a balcony, and inviting common areas—including a fireplace and fully equipped kitchen. Depending on student interest, the house functions either as a dedicated German-language residence or as part of the World Language Community.
Downstairs, the Cultural Center hosts classes, films, lectures, conversation hours, and a wide range of German program events. Students can work at the front desk as Student Building Managers or teach children in the weekly Kinder lernen Deutsch program. Scholarships supporting students in the academic German program are administered through the Cultural Center. For students interested in learning more about the academic German program, visit the German minor page.
Applications, Facilities, and Activities
Facilities
Student Residence
The upstairs of the German House offers living space for 12 American students and one native-speaker “project assistant.” It’s a great way to improve your German skills!
German House residents cook and eat together several nights a week.
Students pick a night to cook that works well with their class schedule and extra-curricular activities. In the event that students do have night classes, residents work together to find a time when all students can be present at meals. Residents are accommodating of allergies and other dietary restrictions.
If you’re lucky, the project assistant from Germany might even teach you how to make some authentic German food like Spätzle and Zwiebelkuchen!
The German House includes:
- Suites with movable furniture and shared bathrooms for 2, 3, or 4 students
- Balcony access
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Large dining area
- Living room with sofas and fireplace
- Television
- Separate lounge for recreation
- Room with university computers and free printing
- On-site laundry and parking
- Wi-Fi
Inquiries about the apartment can be directed to Professor Timothy Malchow, director of the German Cultural Center, at 219.464.6511.
Facilities
The Cultural Center downstairs offers programming space open to the Valparaiso University community. Space options include the general purpose room, library, and lobby:
General Purpose Room:
(Note: This room can be partitioned into two spaces.)
- 21 tables
- 52 chairs
Library:
- Large conference table
- 16 tall-backed chairs
Lobby:
- Fireplace
- 4 large chairs
- Baby grand piano
Space in the German Cultural Center can be reserved by Valpo–affiliated departments. Please schedule your event as far in advance as possible. Inquiries about reservations can be directed to Professor Timothy Malchow, director of the German Cultural Center, at 219.464.6511.
The Kade-Duesenberg Scholar’s Apartment offers University guests a comfortable place to stay during their time on campus. The apartment is reserved for the use of international guests affiliated with Valparaiso University.
The apartment includes:
- Full kitchen
- Dining area
- Living room
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Office with sleeper sofa
- Laundry facilities
Inquiries about the apartment can be directed to Professor Timothy Malchow, director of the German Cultural Center, at 219.464.6511.
Cultural Center Activities
Our Kaffeestunde takes place on the ground floor of the Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center (822 Mound Street).
During the 2026-2027 academic year, we will meet on the following Fridays, 4-5 p.m.:
September 4, 18
October 2, 23
November 6, 20
December 4
January 22
February 5, 19
March 5, 19
April 2, 16, 30
German speakers at all levels are welcome.
Parents: In the Kinder lernen Deutsch program, your child in grade 2, 3, or 4 will be introduced to the German language and culture through fun activities, games, and songs. Both beginners and children with previous exposure to German are welcome.
This year, the program takes place Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m., in the Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center on the campus of Valparaiso University (822 Mound Street, Valparaiso, Indiana). The 2026-2027 dates are:
September 29
October 6, 20, 27 (no program on Oct. 13 for VCS fall break)
November 3, 10, 17
January 19, 26
February 2, 9, 16, 23 (parents invited to the celebration on the last day)
Kinder lernen Deutsch is taught by Valpo undergraduate students of German, who are supervised by Professor Timothy Malchow.
Cost: $75 (cash or check made out to Valparaiso University, to pay at the start of the first day of the program). If your child normally receives a free or reduced lunch at school due to your financial situation, contact the director to discuss discount options: .
Health Information: We want everyone coming to Kinder lernen Deutsch and everyone going home again to be healthy. If your child feels ill or has not been in school due to illness, your child should stay home.
Space is limited, so register soon.
22nd Annual High School German Theaterfest:
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Valparaiso University German faculty and students invite you to participate in Theaterfest, where your students can showcase their theatrical and German skills, meet German students from other high schools, and have a glimpse into what university-level German students are like.
FAQ:
- When: Thursday, April 9, 2026, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (arrival beginning at 8:15 a.m.; event starts at 9:00 a.m.)
- What: Drama competition: 10–15 minute dramatic scenes memorized and presented in German. Scenes could be adaptations or excerpts from plays in German, dialogues written for language learners, or original works composed by the students and/or the instructor. Memorization is encouraged, but a prize may be awarded in a separate category for students who read from scripts.
- Where: Valparaiso University: in the Center for the Arts.
- Who: High school students of German from northwest Indiana schools. One school may enter up to three performances in the competition, but teachers in larger programs may contact Professor Tim Malchow about the possibility of bringing more.
- Why: Let’s show our students that they aren’t alone in their study and use of German. There is a whole community learning and using German every day! This event addresses all five “C’s” and all of the standards!
Your responsibility:
- Register by February 15, 2026. We need a head count by this date so that we can order lunches and make preparations. To register, send an email () with your name, your school, the total number of students you will bring, and the title of each performance. For each performance, indicate whether the students are Intermediate (German II-III) or Advanced (German IV-V). You may bring a maximum of three groups to perform (or contact Professor Timothy Malchow about possibly bringing more or other requests).
- Obtain permission from your school to attend. Arrange transportation to Valpo.
- Collect $14 registration fee per student (includes lunch). (German instructors and students on reduced or free lunch are our guests.) These funds can be brought with you to Theaterfest.
- Rehearse your students! Check the Judges Sheet (PDF) to share our criteria with your students.
Valpo’s responsibility:
- Hand out awards.
- Organize event logistics and welcome your students.
- Plan for a box lunch for everyone.
- Arrange for Valpo student hosts and judges.
Each year, the Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center hosts a Josef Eberle Visiting Scholar from Germany, who holds the annual Josef Eberle Lecture.
| Year/Month | Speaker | Lecture |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 – 2026 October | Prof. Dr. Baldur Veit Mr. William Levi Reutlingen International Office Hochschule Reutlingen | Lecture “The Past, Present, and Future of Valpo’s Exchange with Reutlingen University in Germany” |
| 2024 – 2025 September | Dr. Iris Dostal-Melchinger Scientific Assistant Diocesan Museum Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “St. John Nepomuk – Awarded with Five Stars” |
| 2023 – 2024 September | Prof. Dr. Sebastian Bunnenberg Professor of Finance Hochschule Reutlingen | Lecture “So Near, yet so Far: A Ramble through German Regional Culture” |
| Fall Semester | Guest Professor in the College of Business | |
| 2021 – 2022 April | Dr. Margaret Hampton Professor of German (retired) Earlham College | Lecture “People of Color in Germany and Austria” |
| 2019-2020 October | Rev. Britta Taddiken Thomaskirche Leipzig | Lecture “The 30th Anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution in Leipzig” |
| February | Mr. Peter Ehrman Archivist, Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “Mechthild, Mother of Carnival: How a 15th-Century Noblewoman Started the Mardi Gras in Rottenburg” |
| 2017 – 2018 February | Mr. Henning Eichinger Ms. Yvonne Kendall Hochschule Reutlingen | Lecture “Intercultural Collaborations” Installation: “Overwhelming Beauty” with Gallery Talk at Brauer Museum of Art |
| 2016 – 2017 September | Mr. Dirk Müller Hochschule Reutlingen | Lecture “The Geo-Politics of Reunification” |
| April | Mr. Karlheinz Geppert Director of Culture, Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “Lutherans, Anabaptists, and Roman Catholics: the Reformation in Southern Germany, (1517-1555)” |
| 2014 – 2015 October | Mr. Heinrich Walther Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Rottenburg am Neckar | Guest Organist Recital |
| 2012 – 2013 September | Mr. Heinrich Walther Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Rottenburg am Neckar | Guest Organist Recital |
| 2011 – 2012 October | Prof. Dr. Stefan Schuck Professor of Choral Conducting, Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Rottenburg am Neckar | Guest Conductor Valparaiso University Chorale Family Weekend Concert Lecture “The Reception of Hugo Distler’s Vita after World War II as a Paradigm of Historically Informed Performance” |
| Fall Semester | Prof. Dr. Bernd Thomas Professor of Engineering Hochschule Reutlingen, Reutlingen | Guest Professor in the College of Engineering |
| 2009 – 2010 September – October | Prof. Dr. Stefan Schuck Professor of Choral Conducting, Hochschule für Kirchenmusik, Rottenburg am Neckar | Agreement – Partnerabkommen A one-on-one exchange agreement between Valpo and the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik was signed during Prof. Schuck’s visit to Valparaiso University. |
| 2005 – 2006 April | Mr. Karlheinz Geppert Director of Culture, Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “Who Came When the Germans Left? The Alemannians in Southwest Germany (300-1300 C.E.)” |
| 2003 – 2004 October – December | Ernst and Waltraud Heimes Sülchgauer Altertumsverein, Rottenburg am Neckar | Exhibit “Baroque Manger Scenes from the Sülchgauer Altertumsvereinin Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany” |
| 2002 – 2003 | Dr. Stefan Schmidt-Lawrenz Director, Römisches Freilichtmuseum Hechingen-Stein | Lecture “An Ancient Country Villa in Roman Germania Superior: a Visit to Hechingen-Stein in Southwest Germany.”(a presentation co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America) |
| Prof. Dr. Bettina Baronesse von Freytag gen. Löringhoff Director of the Museum Schloss Hohentübingen, Tübingen | Lecture “Today I’ll Find a Marble: New Archaic Finds from the Kerameikos in Athens.”(a presentation co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America) | |
| 2001 – 2002 | Mr. Peter Ehrmann Archivist and Historian, Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “Fools or Devils in Disguise? Preparing for Lent in Southwest Germany.” |
| 2000 – 2001 | Mr. Karlheinz Geppert Archivist and Museum Director, Rottenburg am Neckar | Lecture “The Romans in Germany: A Case Study of the Ancient City Sumelocenna (Rottenburg am Neckar).”(a presentation co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America) |
Fall 2026 Hours
Monday:
9:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday:
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
9:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday:
CLOSED
Friday:
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Closed on Academic Holidays
German House & Cultural Center
Professor Timothy Malchow, Ph.D.
Director, Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center
822 Mound St.
Valparaiso, IN 46383