The highlight of the Center’s public activities is the annual Hegel Lecture. The lecture is given by outstanding figures in international intellectual and cultural life and is aimed at both the university and the general public. The lecture is especially committed to the concept of freedom, which is central to Hegel's philosophy and the conecpt to which the university at which the DHC is located owes its name and existence.

The first Hegel Lecture was held by the French philosopher, essayist and author André Glucksmann on January 8, 2008. On this occasion the Center was opened officially in the presence of Federal Minister for Research, Dr. Annette Schavan, and the Berlin Senator for Education, Sciences and Research, Prof. Dr. E. Jürgen Zöllner.