SIGHTGEIST THE SAXONY MAGAZINE
LEIPZIG’S LIONESSES LEAVING NOTHING TO CHANCE THE AGE OF THE AUTOMOBILE
NEWS
EVENTS
STORIES
No. 11
Moving Traditions
Visit Dresden www.dresden.de/events www.dresden-elbland.de
Green Vault, Blue Wonder bridge, Goldener Reiter statue – Dresden is a riot of colour. LackStreicheKleber – Urban Art Festival Dresden 1st – 11th AUG 2018 CANALETTO – The 20th Dresdner Stadtfest Dresden city centre 17th – 19th AUG 2018 Fast Forward – The European Theatre Festival for Young Directors 13th – 18th NOV 2018
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So many stories! Here’s a story you might not have heard before: When the brilliant engineer August Horch, who had recently been fired from his own car-making company for his bad business sense, wanted to establish a new business in 1909, he ran into more trouble. He wanted to make cars again that bore his well-respected name, but was told in no uncertain terms by the lawyers of his old company that he had to choose a different brand. So he simply translated his surname into Latin, and “Audi” was born. The original Audi factory in Zwickau is now a museum showcasing more than 100 years of car manufacturing in Saxony. It has recently doubled its space and offers fresh insights into the glorious racing history of the Auto Union, a company that Audi later became part of, and its post-war history, when the factory made the small, plastic-bodied Trabant as well as many modern constructions that never went into production. Read all about it in this edition of SIGHTGEIST along with a wide range of other stories from Saxony. From modest beginnings in a small village on the outskirts of Saxony’s capital city, Jazztage Dresden has grown into a major festival that attracts all the big names in jazz. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra has delighted music lovers for much longer – 275 years to be exact. Considered one of the best orchestras in the world, it now has a new musical director and conductor, Andris Nelsons, himself an icon in the world of classical music. Saxony’s largest city is also famous for its contemporary art scene. While male artists like Neo Rauch are much talked about, SIGHTGEIST puts the spotlight on female artists who are also very much part of the movement known as the “New Leipzig School”. Leipzig also has a long tradition of printing and publishing, which has earned it the name of the “City of Books”. It seems that business investments are always focused on large cities and their surrounding areas. Not so in Saxony, where businesses have always been spread throughout the region. Meet the highly successful company GK Software from Schöneck, whose founder and CEO even considers it an advantage to be located in a small town. This has never stopped the famous watchmakers of Glashütte from conquering the global market, either. Saxony is home to many inventions. We could claim that gin is one of them, but this would not be true. However, you might want to sip a glass of Juniper Jack as you read this edition of SIGHTGEIST. The gin has already made a name for itself among gin lovers, despite its young age. Enjoy and enjoy the read!
Hans-Jürgen Goller Editorial Director SIGHTGEIST 3
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Up-to-date tradition
Contents 03
Editorial
06
Kaleidoscope News and events
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Music as Alive Today as Ever The Gewandhaus Orchestra celebrates 275 years
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The Age of the Automobile Technology meets emotion
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Leipzig’s Lionesses Female painters on the prowl
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Freiberg – Silver Rush City 850th anniversary of mining in the Ore Mountains
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A Must for Jazz Enthusiasts Dresden’s blue note extravaganza
Audi’s birthplace
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Leaving Nothing to Chance The power of independent spirit
Pleasure and paint
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Leipzig – City of Books History of printing and publishing
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The Finest Leather Gloves Handcrafted masterpieces made in Saxony
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Giving a Helping Hand Start-up network in Leipzig
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Timeless Watches The myth of Glashütte
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“Where we are is the Cutting Edge” Culture of digitalisation at GK Software
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Cultural Highlights & Events Calendar 2018/19
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Imprint
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Mind the miners
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Readers’ choice
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Access to success
Jazz and the city
“So many stories”
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A clear proposition
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Hands not off!
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Masters of time
Global player
Photo: www.istockphoto.com, malerapaso · Design: www.sandstein.de
Just add yours.
Your ‘golden egg’ is systems technology, automation, automotive engineering or any other pioneering technology of the future? And you aim to see it thrive? Then take the image literal and have it hatch in Saxony. Right there where the heart of Europe’s microelectronics beats. The place where Industry 4.0 is already at work. Where the automobility of the future is well under way. Saxony makes you become part of a worldwide unique business and research network. To lay another ‘golden egg’. Interested?
WWW.BUSINESS-SAXONY.COM Saxony Economic Development Corporation
Bertolt-Brecht-Allee 22, 01309 Dresden, Germany info@wfs.saxony.de
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“The most beautiful pastel ever seen” The Old Masters’ Gallery in Dresden is for the first time dedicating an exhibition to one of its most famous paintings, from 28 September 2018 to 6 January 2019. “The Chocolate Girl” by Swiss artist Jean-Étienne Liotard was added to the collection in 1746. The exhibition presents the success story of probably the most beautiful pastel in the world. Pastel as a medium suited the Rococo style and allowed Liotard to create flawless, porcelain-smooth surfaces. Another reason for the popularity of this picture is that it depicts a simple housemaid, a rare motif in that era. In addition, chocolate was a new, exotic and above all expensive luxury in the 18th century, much like tea, coffee and tobacco. The exhibition is at the Zwinger in Dresden, one of Germany’s best-known landmarks, and presents some 80 outstanding works, half of them on loan from major, international collections like the Louvre or the British Museum. https://gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum
The allure of art in Saxony The history of art in Saxony is extraordinarily diverse, from the Gothic period to the Reformation, Romanticism, Baroque, Classicism, Impressionism, Expressionism, East German art and the New Leipzig School. Famous names include artists of European rank, such as the anonymous masters of the Gothic period and the Cranach family of painters, as well as Canaletto, Caspar David Friedrich, Ludwig Richter, Max Klinger, the artists of the “Bridge” group, Otto Dix, Oskar Kokoschka, A.R. Penck, Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter. A glossy brochure “The Allure of Art – History, Museums, Workplaces” now provides the most important facts. It gives a brief summary of 800 years of Saxon art history, followed by an overview of the most significant museums of fine art and the places where great artists worked. It also offers
900 YEARS OF ZWICKAU It may be widely known that Robert Schumann and Max Pechstein were born in Zwickau, that the town bears the title of the “European City of the Reformation”,
readers an insight into the development of a society that culti-
that “black gold” clings to it from its coal mining past
vates close ties between politics, economics and art in a way that
and that it is the cradle of Saxon car-making. But who
is symptomatic of culture in Saxony. This brochure is unique in
knows that the oldest preserved ensemble of residential
Germany and ideal for culture enthusiasts in Saxony.
buildings in Central Germany can be found in Zwickau? That paperbacks were invented here and front-wheel
www.visitsaxony.com
drive introduced in mass-produced vehicles? There is still so much to discover in Zwickau, Saxony’s fourthlargest city with 91,000 inhabitants, which celebrates its 900th anniversary this year. The programme lasts until the distinctive music of the impressive miners’ parade has faded away in December. www.900jahre-zwickau.de (in German only)
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PAULINUM IN LEIPZIG – A LANDMARK REBUILT Leipzig University has regained its chapel: The Paulinum has been re-opened after more than twelve years of construction. The assembly hall and university church of St. Paul have now been restored and once again form the intellectual and spiritual centre of the University of Leipzig. Architecturally reminiscent of the university chapel that was demolished in 1968, it is home to countless art treasures that were saved from destruction. The Paulinum was built between 2007 and 2017 based on plans by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat on the site where the old church was demolished on 30 May 1968. Intended as a venue for academic events, university church services and concerts by the university orchestra, the Paulinum is a vibrant meeting place for students and employees of the university, the people of Leipzig and guests from all over the world. www.campus-augustusplatz.de (in German only)
Party at the foot of Cosel Tower Saxon Switzerland National Park is always worth a visit, and this year there is one reason more to go there: The fortress town of Stolpen, east of Dresden, which played a part in history during the reign of Augustus the Strong, turns 800 this year. The town, where the Saxon elector held his once beloved Countess Cosel captive, is celebrating its anniversary in style. Highlights include a historic festival procession through the narrow cobblestone streets leading up to the castle on 10 June, and a special exhibition “Stolpen – The Beginning” from 3 June to 12 August inside the thick walls of this fortress with its famous Cosel Tower, where the beautiful countess was banished until her death. www.stolpen800.de (in German only)
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Leipzig Zoo gets a 360-degree underwater tunnel When it opened in 1878, Leipzig Zoo attracted 4,500 visitors, who came to marvel at the kangaroos, parrots, antelopes, Royal Bengal tigers and a pair of lions. Now, 140 years later, more than 1.7 million visitors come here every year to discover exotic worlds. To celebrate the zoo’s 140th anniversary, a new continent has now been added to its various theme worlds: South America. Visitors can travel from humid Pantanal to Patagonia, populated by rheas and guanacos, and as far as Tierra del Fuego. They get to see not only Humboldt penguins and various sea birds, but also seals swimming in the wild ocean surf. Visitors then have the unique opportunity of watching the animals in a walk-through, 360-degree underwater tunnel. Situated in a 27-hectare park, Leipzig Zoo is one of Europe’s zoological gardens with the largest variety of species. www.zoo-leipzig.de
ONE FOR ALL. g, exciting, Leipziger Messe – surprisin ily. inspiring. Fun for all the fam siness. For leisure, hobbies and bu Discover our diversity!
EN JOY. DI SC OV ER . M ARVE L.
The future is who we are: www.leipziger-messe.com
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Down-under goes Germany Adina Apartment Hotels has opened a new establishment in Leipzig combining large, individually designed studio apartments and full 4-star hotel service in the premium segment with an Australian flair. Located in the heart of the city, just five minutes on foot from the main railway station, the hotel’s 166 spacious suites and apartments have an individual style, ranging from two-storey suites to large corner rooms and apartments with high-quality furnishings for long-term stays and business trips. All include a fully equipped kitchen with washing machine and clothes drier. Subtle colours and warm red hues combined with stylish furniture define the setting. The hotel also has a restaurant, bar, pool, sauna and fitness room, as well as meeting and conference rooms with an attached roof terrace that can be used as a lounge or chill-out area. Guest will never want to leave! www.adinahotels.com
Over the rooftops of Leipzig Which hotel boasts Leipzig’s biggest event location with a roof terrace? Innside by Meliá Hotel Leipzig is a strong contender with a 900m2 venue spread over two floors. With fantastic views of St. Thomas Church and the rooftops of Leipzig, the 5th floor can be flexibly combined to create spaces of different sizes for events – meetings, corporate events, weddings, receptions or gala dinners – with up to 300 people. To top it off, the hotel also has a spacious rooftop terrace on the 6th floor, the largest in town, with bars that are also open to the public. In the summer months, the lounge furniture and tropical cabanas can be arranged around three separate bars to suit different occasions. The design and lifestyle hotel, with its 177 rooms and prime downtown location, is a homogenous ensemble comprising two historic palaces with a modern glass-roofed extension. The Spanish hotel group Meliá Hotels International, which has more than 370 establishments worldwide, opened the Innside by Meliá Hotel in Leipzig in 2017. www.innside.com
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Chemnitz celebrates its 875th anniversary
It was first mentioned in a document in 1143, was a major economic hub during the industrial era in the 20th century, and its modern appearance astounds locals and international visitors today: Chemnitz, the City of Modernity, celebrates 875 years of exciting and eventful history. The celebrations, set to last the whole year, will be unlike anything else: Throughout the entire city, 130 events with a focus on five topics – Love, Challenge, Form, Top Performance and Progress – will tell stories and inspire visitors to see the city’s history from a different perspective. Chemnitz Industrial Museum presents an exhibition from 1 June to 4 November entitled “The Heart of Chemnitz. 875 Years of Chemnitz – 220 Years of Industrial Culture”. After all, it was the workers, engineers, technicians and entrepreneurs who once brought the city to life with their ideas and their faith in progress. www.chemnitz-tourismus.de
New scheduled flights between Leipzig/Halle and Moscow The Russian airline Pobeda set up a service from Leipzig/ Halle to Moscow in April. Three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a Boeing 737-800 takes passengers between Leipzig-Halle and Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport. Around 30 kilometres southwest of Moscow city centre, Vnukovo International Airport has a rail connection and offers numerous connecting flights to national and international destinations. The Aeroexpress train takes passengers to Kiyevskaya railway station and Kiyevski metro station in just 35 minutes. A bus connection runs between the airport and the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station. Pobeda is the budget travel member of the Aeroflot Group. Flights can be booked online at pobeda.aero, via online flight and travel portals and in travel agencies. www.pobeda.aero
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OTTO DIX IN GUNZENHAUSER MUSEUM Four storeys, one museum, 350 works of art: From 29 April to 2 September, Museum Gunzenhauser at Chemnitz Art Collections presents an extensive exhibition with works by the artist Otto Dix (1891–1969), who was a key protagonist of the New Objectivity art movement. Paintings, watercolours, pastels, drawings and prints from all of his creative phases offer a representative cross-section of his artistic development: from his first self-portrait in oil (1912) to important works from the 1920s and the great symbolic landscapes from his time of inner emigration. Gunzenhauser Museum boasts one of the largest collections of work by Otto Dix. www.kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de
(in German only)
Görliwood® is European Film Location of the Decade The Saxon town of Görlitz has been chosen by movie fans from all over Europe and the Filming Europe – European Film Commission Network (EuFCN) as the “Best European Film Location of the Decade”. The commission was won over by the locations used in the Oscar®-winning US comedy “Grand Budapest Hotel”. Görliwood® was the only German candidate among eleven nominations in total, including locations in Croatia, Spain, Austria, Poland, Greece, Norway and Italy. Görlitz survived the Second World War almost unscathed and today serves as the backdrop for numerous historic films. Almost 100 cinema and television films have been shot in Görlitz since the 1950s, including “Around the World in 80 Days” with Jackie Chan, “The Reader” with Kate Winslet and “Inglorious Basterds” with Brad Pitt. The film locations can be visited on a guided tour. Alternatively, you can explore them by yourself with the “Welcome to Görliwood®” movie map, which takes you to 40 settings, mainly in Görlitz’s historic old town and city centre. www.visit-goerlitz.com
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