Jena, September 02, 2026 – The travel and adventure festival ‘Lichtbildarena’ returns to Jena this year with a special edition. The 21st installment is dedicated to the memory of Vincent Heiland, who, alongside Barbara Vetter, played a decisive role in shaping the festival over many years.
- Event: 21st Lichtbildarena – Jena – Jemen
- Date: November 13, 2026
- Start: 5:30 PM
- Venue: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Campus am Ernst-Abbe-Platz, Hörsaal 1, Jena
- Tickets: Available at Ticketshop Thüringen; balcony tickets offer a panoramic view and priority entry.
The historic Jena-Jemen bicycle journey as a time capsule
The evening focuses on the legendary 13-month bicycle journey that Barbara Vetter and Vincent Heiland undertook as a young student couple in the late 1990s. With a meager daily budget of only ten Deutsche Marks, they covered approximately 14,000 kilometers in the saddle – from Jena to Jemen. In addition to numerous personal encounters, they meticulously documented their impressions for academic work and collected countless rolls of film. This retrospective of their adventure serves as a living memory of an extraordinary person and companion.
The commemorative speech during the event will be delivered by Dieter Glogowski, a long-time friend and mentor of the duo. The presentation is part of the special ‘Entdecker’ series of the Lichtbildarena on the university campus.
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Background: The Lichtbildarena in Jena
Over two decades, the Lichtbildarena has developed into a permanent cultural anchor point in Jena. The festival regularly provides a stage for extraordinary travelogues, documentaries, and photo reportages from all over the world, attracting thousands of visitors to the city on the Saale every year.
Source:
21. Lichtbildarena – JENA – JEMEN – Takt Magazin
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI assistance.