SightGeist The Saxony Magazine
Divine comfort The continuity of change Attraction makers
NEWS
E v en t s
S t o r i es
No. 13
OUR CITIES ARE FULL OF FLAIR. WE'VE BEEN WO R K I N G O N T H I S F O R OV E R 10 0 0 Y E A R S. ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ | BAUTZEN | CHEMNITZ | DRESDEN | FREIBERG | GÖRLITZ | GRIMMA
K A M E N Z | LEIPZIG | MEISSEN | PIRNA | PLAUEN | RADEBEUL | TORGAU | ZITTAU | ZWICKAU
They say true beauty comes with age, and you’ll find the best proof of this in Saxony. For instance the cities of Dresden and Leipzig with their historical buildings and unique cultural scene. If you’re looking for more peace and quiet, discover the
dreamy towns of Görlitz and Bautzen, with the me dieval and relaxed flair that makes Saxony so special. For more information, go to www.visitsaxony.com, or write to TMGS, Bautzner Straße 45 - 47, 01099 Dresden, Germany, or call us on + 49 351 491700.
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Trying times … As this year’s edition of SIGHTGEIST goes to print, coronavirus has brought life almost to a standstill and has already had a severe impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Yet there is hope – after all, it is in our nature to stand together in times of great crisis and rise from the rubble. And I mean that literally. After Dresden’s darkest hour in 1945, when the city centre was destroyed by bombs, there was nothing much left but hope for a better future. The Semper Building, home to the Old Masters Picture Gallery, was reconstructed with great difficulty between 1955 and 1960. However, as all major museum buildings in Dresden had been destroyed, further restoration of the Semper Building was delayed for many decades. Now, after thorough renovation and years of partial closure, it has been reopened in new splendour, presenting one of the best collections of paintings in the world, including Raphael’s Sistine Madonna with the two famous, slightly bored-looking cherubs. Just a few months ago, a region of Saxony called the Ore Mountains was awarded the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This unique mountainous region, which also extends into the Czech Republic, has been shaped by mining for more than 850 years. Not only do the many monuments to mining bear witness to this, but also architectural treasures as well as the rich traditions of the “Erzgebirger”, the people who live in the Ore Mountains. “Everything comes from the mountains”, as they say in Saxony. That is also true for a fine whisky that matures in a mine in Freiberg, the oldest mining town in Saxony. Thanks to the technical knowledge gained from centuries of mining, Saxony became Germany’s foremost industrial region in the 19th century, with Chemnitz as the cradle of German engineering. The spirit of innovation is still very much alive, so it is no surprise that this city is home to a company that makes bicycle spokes from – believe it or not – textiles. In Dresden, the remains of what used to be the largest fortifications of any city in Germany have been brought to life in a new kind of virtual reality exhibition called the “Fortress Xperience”. Last but not least, there are anniversaries to be celebrated in Germany’s no. 1 cultural destination: Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra turns 150, Dresden’s International Dixieland Festival, the largest festival of traditional jazz outside New Orleans, was first held 50 years ago, and the ViaThea street theater festival in Görlitz, for many the most beautiful town in Germany and therefore a perfect stage for this event, has been going for 20 years. So join in the celebrations and enjoy this edition of SIGHTGEIST!
Veronika Hiebl Editorial Director SIGHTGEIST 3
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Angel delight
Contents The Ore Mountains experience
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Editorial
06
Kaleidoscope News and events
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Divine Comfort Old Masters in new splendour
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A Unique Cultural Landscape Saxony’s latest World Heritage site
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Viva Vinyl! A new spin for records
52
The Sound of Dresden Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra at 150
60
Fasting for the Eyes Zittau’s unique Lenten veils
70
The Continuity of Change Leipzig’s west reinvents itself
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Taking it to the Streets Görlitz and the ViaThea theater festival
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The Secret of Geometry Textile spokes for mountain bikes
94
Gunfire and Ballroom Music A feast for the senses
Black magic
100
Delights from Deep Down Mining for whisky
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Caught Up in the Frenzy Dresden goes Dixieland
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Attraction Makers Atlantics takes you for a slide
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Cultural Highlights & Events Calendar 2020/21
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Imprint
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80
Philharmonious
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Tormented treasure
94
Rain or shine
88
Limited edition
Holding the fort
Reinventing the wheel
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100
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Megamorphosis
Jazzmatazz
114
Down to earth
KALEIDOSCOPE
The myth of Augustus the Strong He was everything to the people of Saxony: sovereign lord, construction tycoon, patron of the arts, lady killer, socialite, horseshoe bender and King of Poland. Augustus the Strong, the former Elector of Saxony, had almost superhuman qualities in retrospect. But many of them are myths that he cultivated during his lifetime. For example, he struck the pose of a Roman emperor for the statue of the “Golden Rider”, appeared as a Turkish sultan or dressed as various Greek gods. Later, the Saxons romanticised him as a lover, womaniser, originator of a fabulous cultural treasure in Dresden, and not least a national hero. Moritzburg Castle gets to the bottom of these myths in a special exhibition to mark the 350th birthday of Frederick Augustus. Lasting until 1 November 2020, it focuses not on the historical, but on the romanticized, glorified, extravagant Augustus the Strong. www.schloss-moritzburg.de
MAX KLINGER – A MODERN HERO A comprehensive temporary exhibition at Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts until mid-June 2020 is dedicated to the Saxon artist and pioneer of Symbolism in Germany, Max Klinger. The museum in the town where he was born and worked for many years boasts the most extensive collection of the artist’s works. His monumental Beethoven memorial is considered a leading example of the Beethoven cult at the time. The exhibition places Klinger’s art in an international, European context. In addition, international expertise on Max Klinger will be augmented in Leipzig with contemporary research on the artist culminating in the publication of catalogues on the collection and on the artist’s work. www.mdbk.de
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100 years of Chemnitz Art Collections Chemnitz Art Collections (Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz), one of Germany’s largest and most important civic art museums, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2020. The works in the collection originally came from art societies such as the Kunsthütte zu Chemnitz founded in 1860, were combined in King Albert Museum in 1909 and turned into a municipal museum from 1920 onwards. Today, Chemnitz Art Collections also comprises the Carlfriedrich Claus Archive, Gunzenhauser Museum, Schlossberg Museum with Rabenstein Castle, and Henry van de Velde Museum. The anniversary exhibition features works from the Middle Ages to the present day, including paintings, sculpture, graphic design and textile art, with a focus on works by artists from the Romantic, Impressionist and Modernist periods. Gunzenhauser Museum, the youngest member of the ensemble of museums, is home to more than 3,000 works by 270 artists with an emphasis on the turn of the century around 1900, Expressionism, New Objectivity and Abstraction in the 20th century. Gunzenhauser Museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of work by Otto Dix with 380 artworks. www.kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de
VINTAGE CARS IN THE “STERN-GARAGEN” Anyone interested in the history of Saxon vehicles should visit the Saxon Motoring Museum in the former “Stern-Garagen” in Chemnitz. Built in 1928, the building is considered Germany’s oldest preserved multi-storey car park. This year, the museum celebrates its 25th anniversary with 200 exhibits by more than 70 manufacturers. The exhibition on historic automobiles, racing and off-road sports vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles also includes former witnesses to Saxony’s automotive history from the late 19th century onwards. The museum is one stop along the “Route of Industrial Culture in Saxony”. This year, it is even more in the spotlight, because Saxony is celebrating 500 years of industrial culture. www.fahrzeugmuseum-chemnitz.de
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The fascination of fortifications The new permanent exhibition of the Bundeswehr Military History Museum opens at Königstein Fortress on 6 June 2020. It presents the cultural history of fortified towns and fortresses in twelve chapters with more than 200 objects and pictures. The focus is on historic and modern offensive and defensive weapons. The tour also addresses topics that go well beyond classical siege warfare, from castles as a romantic ideal and place of refuge, to members of the bourgeoisie defending themselves on city walls or barricades. The exhibition is rounded off with examples of contemporary security threats. www.festung-koenigstein.de
10 years of the Ore Mountains Music Festival Thirteen concerts with vocal and instrumental music from five centuries will take place from 4 to 13 September 2020 at locations from Oelsnitz to Oberwiesenthal. One very special highlight is the Ore Mountain Singers’ Festival, when hundreds of singers from different choirs throughout Saxony will perform Carl Orff’s famous “Carmina Burana” under the direction of Prof. Hans-Christoph Rademann. For the first time, the Ore Mountains stadium in Aue will be used as a venue for a classical concert. As well as outstanding works by Johann Sebastian Bach, visitors can enjoy intoxicating Mediterranean sounds from the L’Arpeggiata ensemble, and entertainment from music cabaret artist Armin Fischer with a programme for all the family. www.musikfest-erzgebirge.de (in German only)
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2021: The sound of Mahler in Leipzig The Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig is dedicating an entire festival to Gustav Mahler. From 13 to 24 May 2021, all of his symphonies and other orchestral works will be performed by ten world-class orchestras – including London Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras in addition to the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The festival programme will also feature themed city tours and song evenings. In 1743, 16 merchants met in Leipzig to set up the society Grosses Concert (Grand Concert). They organised the first concert on 11 March 1743. When the orchestra moved into the exhibition hall used by cloth merchants, called the Gewandhaus (literally “cloth hall”), in 1781, it was renamed “Gewandhaus Orchestra”. Gustav Mahler was musical director in Leipzig from 1886 to 1888, where he conducted more than 200 performances with the famous orchestra. He also composed his first symphony in Leipzig. www.leipzig.travel/mahler21
VIRTUAL REALITY IN THE BAROQUE ZWINGER This world-famous Baroque structure was commissioned by Augustus the Strong in 1709. The Zwinger shapes Dresden’s skyline more than any other building. Starting in autumn 2020, the “Zwinger Experience” will take visitors on an unprecedented journey through time to an era of exuberance and extravagant parties. The film dome that has been erected in the Baroque courtyard will be replaced in June 2020 by a new, immersive permanent exhibition. Panoramic projections, captivating virtual reality features and state-of-the-art technology will transform the arched gallery between the Semper Wing and the Wall Pavilion into a multimedia showroom. Not only can visitors discover how the Zwinger has changed over time and what utopian plans its originator had for the Baroque building, they are also guests at the wedding of Frederick Augustus II and at glamorous parades. www.zwinger-experience.de
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Floating weightlessly The Saxon state spas in Bad Elster and Bad Brambach in the Vogtland region are known for two very special waters or springs, each of which holds a particular fascination for visitors: In Bad Elster, bathers can float in salt water from a primordial ocean 1,200 metres under the ground that is millions of years old and was only recently discovered and made accessible to the public. This salt water spa has a 15 percent concentration, higher than almost any other indoor salt bath in Germany. One has the feeling of floating weightlessly. Nearby Bad Brambach boasts the world’s strongest radon mineral spring, which guests can drink or bathe in, and promises relief above all to patients with chronic pain. Sächsische Staatsbäder GmbH is investing some 14 million euros in a modern therapy centre in Bad Brambach, intensifying its focus on its unique selling point. www.saechsische-staatsbaeder.de
Sixth consecutive World Championship in the two-man bobsleigh The new record-holding World Champion in the bobsleigh comes from Saxony: Francesco Friedrich. On his home run in Altenberg in the eastern Ore Mountains, he became the first athlete in the world to win the World Championships six times in a row in the two-man bobsleigh in February 2020. But that’s not all: The 29-year-old from Pirna also came first in the four-man event for the third time in a row together with his team. With a total of nine World Championship titles, Friedrich has now smashed the previous record held by Eugenio Monti from Italy, who won five consecutive World Championships 60 years ago. www.bobteam-friedrich.de (in German only)
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TU Dresden still a University of Excellence The Technical University of Dresden has again been nominated one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany. The coveted title comes with funding worth several million euros that is guaranteed until 2026. It also boosts Saxony’s reputation, making it more attractive as business location. The TU Dresden already convinced the Excellence Initiative back in 2012 with its research projects, which currently deal with topics such as: How can humans and the Internet learn from each other? How can we create innovative materials with tailored functions? What physical processes take place in human cells? www.tu-dresden.de
Center of Future Mobility Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory in Dresden is entering a new era of e-mobility: The halls where the VW Phaeton once rolled off the production lines will see the launch of the new ID.3 in autumn 2020. Compact and spacious, intelligent and intuitive, networked and fascinating, the ID.3 is the first of the latest generation of models that Volkswagen is putting on the road as part of its worldwide e-mobility offensive. In its new “Center of Future Mobility”, the company will test innovative technologies and explore new business fields in collaboration with partners from industry as well as start-ups. Some 1,300 vehicles from the Transparent Factory are currently sold to customers every year, and this figure is set to rise considerably in the future. The Transparent Factory is an important showcase for e-mobility and digitalization in Germany. www.glaesernemanufaktur.de
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AN OLD FACTORY IS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE The Knappenrode Energy Factory in northern Saxony produced briquets until 1993 on around 25 hectares. Today, the former production site is almost entirely a museum. After renovations are completed, it will open on 3 July 2020 as a witness to industrial culture with a new, permanent exhibition that brings to life the history of the former Lusatian briquet
Scenes from a marriage between two artists
manufacturer in a multimedia show. The observation deck, 37 metres up on the roof of the building, offers splendid
How did Clara and Robert Schumann live as a married
360° panoramic views of the former mining district and the
couple? The Schumann House in Leipzig examines this
lakes that have now filled the gigantic cavities left from open
question in a permanent exhibition called “Experiment of
cast mining. The tower has an elevator and is accessible for
an Artist Marriage”. Visitors can experience the first four
wheelchairs. Special highlights include the annual Factory
years of the marriage between composer Robert Schumann
Festival and Heritage Day in September.
and pianist Clara in an audiovisual, multimedia show. The
www.saechsisches-industriemuseum.com
fundamental idea that extends through all six rooms is of a marriage on equal terms. To illustrate this, their vitae are placed side by side and made more tangible with the help of experiments and installations. New events in the museum include a “Discovery Salon”, where Leipzig music publishers present modern-day composers, and a “Philosophical Salon”, where prominent figures from the worlds of literature, research and publishing are discussed. From 12 to 20 September, Schumann Festival Week gives an insight into the artists’ life as musicians and as a couple. The Schumann Haus in Inselstrasse 18, east of the city centre, was Robert and Clara Schumann’s home in Leipzig. www.schumannhaus.de
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HISTORIC WEAPONS IN RANK AND FILE The reconstruction of the Royal Palace in Dresden is nearly complete. Every year, newly renovated rooms are opened to the public. In autumn 2020, it is the turn of the “Langer Gang” (Long Corridor) between the Georgenbau and the Stable Yard. Following the restoration of the historic room with its coffered ceiling, a representative selection of more than 500 magnificent and technically outstanding firearms from the 16th to 18th centuries will return to the “Langer Gang”. Rifles and pistols from all over Europe will be exhibited chronologically and geographically based on modern exhibition criteria. In the rear of the exhibition space, firearms from 1733 will be exhibited in a historic presentation. Finally, six additional display cases will show particularly outstanding exhibits in a thematic context. www.skd.museum
Görlitz
Travel to one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. With 4,000 historical monuments, Görlitz is one of the great urban masterpieces in Europe. Experience a rich cultural life here with Gothic arcades, Renaissance hall houses, Baroque palaces and Art Noveau villas. Hollywood has already taken notice of these stunning backdrops, what are you waiting for?
Fotos: Nikolai Schmidt 2x, Rainer Weisflog
Architectural Treasures in Görliwood
visit-goerlitz.com
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HOTEL NEWS New SEEFLÜGEL wing with “Flying Pool” HOTEL BEI SCHUMANN in Kirschau near Dresden, soon to be awarded its 5th star, opened its new SEEFLÜGEL wing for discerning guests in autumn 2019. It offers spacious, deluxe double rooms with panoramic views, luxurious bathrooms and terraces with all-day sunshine and infrared heating in winter. The architecture of the hotel’s new wing is inspired by the nearby forests, mountains and lakes, which are incorporated in an innovative, minimalistic “slow living” design concept. The highlight of the new SEEFLÜGEL wing is Germany’s first spa with a “Flying Pool”. Seemingly suspended in the air with views of surrounding nature, the “Flying Pool” is heated to a comfortable temperature of 31 degrees all year round. www.bei-schumann.de
Prime position and a new look Under new ownership since January 2020, the former Westin Bellevue Hotel now also has a new name: Bilderberg Bellevue Hotel Dresden. The first-class hotel is one of Dresden’s most traditional and renowned establishments, and the only one situated right on the banks of the River Elbe with unobstructed views of the old town. The Bellevue Hotel is a perfect addition to Bilderberg’s exclusive portfolio of high-quality hotels with a long tradition in unique locations. The new owners have renovated the hotel both inside and out, with great attention to detail. The stylish, modern interiors with muted colours and carefully coordinated materials make a harmonious impression and offer guests a cosy retreat. www.bilderberg-bellevue-dresden.de
Smart sleeping “Charly’s Leipzig” opened its doors to guests in October 2019. Located a short distance from Leipzig’s city centre, it has 161 guest rooms for up to four people in a new-generation hotel. It boasts fully digitalised check-in, but also a level of hospitality that only humans can provide. The courtyard garden has been turned into a kind of kitchen-cum-living room that is an ideal place to hang out and relax. www.charlys.online
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