This year Albert Schweitzer would have turned 150 years old. Schweitzer, who was born in Kaysersberg in Alsace in 1875, is known to many as the ‘jungle doctor’ because of the hospital he founded in Lambaréné in what is now Gabon in 1913. Schweitzer described himself as an ‘Alsatian’ and a ‘world citizen’. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 and spent the rest of his life campaigning against nuclear armament.
Albert Schweitzer's life made him a suitable namesake for the youth centre that the Volksbund built in Niederbronn in 1993. His commitment to peace corresponds to the aim of the educational work of the Volksbund, and during his lifetime, the region where he was born was repeatedly at the centre of the Franco-German conflict, when the two countries waged war over Alsace on multiple occasions. The team at the youth meeting centre is committed to promoting Franco-German exchange, particularly for young people: the JBS is a popular location for third-party encounters between German and French youth groups and offers language activation and joint activities at the JBS and in the surrounding area to promote mutual understanding. The JBS-team hopes that this will also contribute to peace between people of different origins and nationalities.
