HDMUN 2025

Between the 28th of May and the 1st of June, SGMUN sent a delegation of five students to HDMUN 2025. Our delegates participated in two different committees, in the intermediate European Council and the historical Alexander the Great expert committee. HDMUN also entertained us with many fun socials, notably an evening of ballroom dancing in the Heidelberg Castle. We made new friends, worked through difficult resolutions and created many, mostly remembered, memories!

Wednesday 28th – Arriving in Heidelberg

In the early hours of the day, our delegation departed St. Gallen for Heidelberg, travelling by train. The trip ran smoothly, with only minimal delays, and was filled with last minute prep but mostly banter between our delegates. Once arrived, it was only a short walk to our hotel to check in. From there we grabbed a kebab as late lunch and begun discovering the wonderful city of Heidelberg. Making our way through town, we happened upon a lovely walk named the Philosopher’s Way, which took us into the surrounding forest and up high above the city. Though it did start raining, we were not dissuaded and finished the impromptu hike, arriving back into town very wet and in need of a warm drink. Luckily we happened upon a quaint, renaissance style coffee house where we enjoyed very good hot chocolate and coffee to the tune of a light piano melody. After sprucing up in the hotel, we were back out on the streets looking for good food and ideally even better beer. And that we did find, stopping at a proper traditional German restaurant (according to our German delegates). The night ran long, with our delegation enjoyed hearty food and large quantities of excellent beer. Conversation was also far from lacking, of course topics ranging from the serious to random tomfoolery. As we left, not in the mood to return to the hotel just yet, we made our way to one of the oldest hotels in Heidelberg, the Europäische Hof, for a night cap. It must be said though that some of did have an ulterior motive, as the clock slowly ticked past midnight it was officially the birthday of one of our delegates. So a speech was naturally made and we all wished him the most excellent of birthdays.

Thursday 29th – Exploring the City with Speed

It must be said that a couple of people in the delegation are avid runners, so naturally they dragged the non-avid ones out for a morning group run. Though it did put some out of breath, the run allowed us to discover Heidelberg just as it was waking up. Once we had cooled off and changed, we celebrated properly our friend’s birthday, with song and presents. After which we made our way up to Heidelberg Castle, a breathtaking structure with magnificent gardens and a commanding view over the entire valley. A mini highlight of that part of the day was Mama Duck posing next to an actual mother duck and her ducklings, finally achieving her ultimate form. After lunch, our delegation split up with most continuing to discover that area of Heidelberg, whilst another went to participate in the dance lessons that HDMUN had prepared for us. Though he started out with plenty of stumbling and fumbling, he rapidly gained poise and somewhat managed to master the Viennese Waltz. Rejoining the delegation we enjoyed a relaxing dinner, aiming for an early bed so that we were ready for the next day.

Friday 30th – HDMUN 2025 Begins

So it began, HDMUN 2025 was officially opened by the secretariat with several stimulating speakers including the mayor of Heidelberg and Prof. Dr. Aurel Croissant, the later speaker grasping the audiences attention as he explained the consequences of autocratisation on peace in the world. After a quick lunch, our delegates got to work in their committees. Two of which were in the European Council debating the possibility of a European Defence Union, they rapidly stood out by standing firm against any idea violating their country’s position. The other three found themselves travelling back in time and changing personalities as they represented various members of the Council of Babylon. Their task would be to decide what would happen to the empire of Alexander the Great now that he was dead, not an easy task. After these preliminary debates concluded, our delegation grabbed some food from the supermarket and enjoyed a pleasant picnic by the river. However, as the sun was beginning to set they had to get moving, as the Diplomatic Ball awaited them. Held within the halls of the Heidelberg Castle, it was a magical night of ballroom dancing, much cheer and heartfelt moments. It was a night that will not be forgotten for many years to come. 

Saturday 31th – The Debate Intensifies

This day was going to be a long one, filled with nine hours of committee session, broken up by coffee breaks and lunch of course. Nonetheless, our delegates performed admirably, they quickly became the centre of power in both committees, leading the debate and ultimately the form and content of the resolution. Great speeches were held in both rooms, charming some and dominating others. After such a tiring, yet productive day, our delegates were met by short lived yet epic thunder storm. Faced with that, we decided that a simple yet tasty kebab would be the perfect way to end the day. Instead of joining the official social, our delegation took a trip to the supermarket to buy some snacks and drinks for a relaxing evening together in the hotel room. Whilst initially we were mainly searching for Apfelwein, as a present to a German friend who couldn’t make it, two of our delegates wandered off and found the Baileys’ shelf. Though they had only decided to grab one bottle, Mama Duck made an executive decision to buy two. With good music and entertaining discussion, we partied the night away, it was a good thing we bought two bottles. 

Sunday 1st – Closing Day

With the last day of the conference came the rush to pass a resolution. Our delegates worked hard to ensure that not only did one pass, but also that their positions would play centre stage within it. They achieved that goal quite successfully, with the resolutions in both committees being predominantly written by our delegates. This showed when it came time for the awards at the closing ceremony. What a monumental event it was, with every single SGMUN delegate being recognised. Two received shout outs, whilst the other three received the Honourable Mentions awards and the Best Delegate award with the customary fountain pen. We are immensely proud of our delegates for their commitment and excellence throughout the conference. 

Before we made our way home, we toasted a good friend of ours from overseas, Charles Waterhouse. These were his last few days in Switzerland with the SGMUN club before heading back home to New Zealand. He performed incredibly well not only during the conference, but also throughout the entire year, either by participating constantly in the weekly debates or by being the life of the party during the socials. You will be greatly missed by us all and we look forward to the next time we can see you.

Reflecting on HDMUN 2025

For most of our delegates this was just another day in the park, but this conference was one which will stand out in our collective memory for many years to come. From the hilarious brain-dead moments and morning runs to the heartfelt conversations late into the night, this conference was special for our delegation. Beyond that, we achieved an incredibly impressive feat by having every single one of our delegates recognised by the conference. We are enormously proud of them and hope to see the same excellence at future conferences. Thank you for making the conference such a wonderful experience and see you at the next one in 2026.