The Venues

The solution of bridging the interior courtyard of the Albertinum with a workshop and depot complex is technically spectacular and aesthetically unique. A steel truss bears the weight of the new two-storey building, which is 60 metres long and weighs 2,700 tons. Since 2010, the space presents itself to the visitor like a light-flooded atrium which also offers room for events and concerts. Thus, not only painting and sculpture meet at the Albertinum, but also visual arts and music.

Built between 1871 and 1873, the first central abattoir of the city has not served its original purpose since 1907. Since 1998 the main building of this impressive industrial monument has hosted high-carat events of various genres. The sandstone building with its nave and two side aisles seems predestined for unique festival sound experiences.

Der an das Residenzschloss angrenzende Schlossplatz in Dresden bildet als Gebäudeensemble eine der wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten der Altstadt. Von ihm aus geht es über eine eindrucksvolle Treppe zu der als »Balkon Europas« bezeichneten Brühlschen Terrasse. Diese verdankt ihren Namen Graf Heinrich von Brühl, der das Gelände einst vom Kurfürsten Friedrich August II., dem Sohn Augusts des Starken, geschenkt bekam.

The monumental building in the style of Neue Sachlichkeit (»New Objectivity«) was erected by Wilhelm Kreis between 1928 and 1930 and is home of a museum, initiated in 1912 as »People’s Education Facility for Healthcare«, that today considers itself as »museum of humankind«. As part of the refurbishment that was finished in 2010 the great hall was compleately redesigned and reconstructed.

In 1911, the Festspielhaus Hellerau (Hellerau Festival Theatre) was built after a concept of the architect Heinrich Tessenow within the Gartenstadt Hellerau (Garden City) of Dresden. Its architectural clarity gave direction to the Bauhaus style. It was the Swiss music pedagogue Émile Jaques-Dalcroze who initiated the construction of the Festspielhaus and whose »Bildungsanstalt für Musik und Rhythmus« (School for Music and Rhythm) was located in this building. The Festspielhaus is considered a center for contemporary art, especially for dance and music, and therefore is a constant of Dresden's contemporary cultural scene.

The Frauenkirche is uniquely moving in its combination of space and sound and the spirit of reconciliation that resounds throughout the concerts. Destroyed in 1945, the church, reconstructed through monumental civic and international efforts, is a beacon of peace. Its impressive interior makes every concert an incomparable experience.

The St Mary’s Cathedral (Dom St. Marien) with its great art treasures is considered a landmark of the city of Freiberg and annually attracts many visitors from all over the world. Constructed as St Mary’s Church towards the end of the 12th century , it was named cathedral by Pope Sixtus IV. Between 1710 and 1714 Gottfried Silbermann constructed an organ with 44 stops. It was his first great organ in Germany and still is the biggest instrument he has built without any assistance.

The south-eastern part of the Großer Garten is home to the open-air stage »Junge Garde« – located within a former gravel pit east of the Carolasee. With its semicircle of tiered rows for the audience, its architecture is reminiscent of an ancient amphitheatre. Building the »Junge Garde« open-air venue between 1953 and 1955 was intended as a contribution to cultural work in Dresden, a city destroyed during the war. Today, the compound, which is considered the city’s most beautiful open-air venue and boasts a multitude of traditional architectural elements such as balustrade walls, dormers and cornices, offers rock and pop, classical and jazz concerts.

Throughout its long history, the Kreuzkirche at the Dresden Altmarkt , founded as early as 1215, was repeatedly destroyed, built and rebuilt. In 1989, it became a center for the peaceful revolution in Dresden. It is one of the most important venues for the performance of sacred music in the capital city of the Free State of Saxony and home to the Dresden Kreuzchor. 

Since 1969, the Kulturpalast on Altmarkt square (architects: Wolfgang Hänsch, Herbert Löschau, Heinz Zimmermann, Dieter Schölzel et al., based on a design by Leopold Wiel) has been Dresden’s central event venue. The founding concept of a cultural venue open to various uses may still be considered visionary today. Dresden’s citizens have valued the clear architecture and varied programme from the very beginning. The new concept for the Kulturpalast, which now houses a concert hall, the Municipal Central Library and the cabaret »Herkuleskeule« after undergoing renovations from 2013 to 2017, has returned the building to its original role as a cultural meeting-place in central Dresden. The concert hall located at the building’s centre is a modern and acoustically high-class performance venue on par with Europe’s finest, seating up to 1,757 visitors.

Thanks to the completion of the Culture Palace renovations in 2017, the Zentralbibliothek (Central Library) formed by uniting the Main, Music and Youth Libraries, now has a home at the heart of the city. This new venue for information exchange and communication offers approximately 5,500 square meters of public spaces, including a versatile event space.

Located only 400 metres from the »Blaues Wunder«, the baroque church is part of the exclusive residential area of Loschwitz on the north-eastern shore of the River Elbe. Consecrated in 1708 for the name day of August the Strong, the octagonal building was the first church by architect George Bähr, who later went on to build the Frauenkirche. Today, both the Loschwitz Church and its churchyard, designed in the 18th century and still in its original state, have been designated landmarks.

The Löwensaal (»Lion’s Hall«) is part of a landmark building which was erected by the Deutsche Bank in 1905, including an impressive main cashier’s hall, and most recently housed a branch of the Dresdner Bank. After renovation and construction work, the Löwensaal was inaugurated in November 2019, a new event venue in the heart of Dresden combining historical ambiance with modern amenities.

The Martin-Luther Church, built 1883-1887, is one of the few churches in Dresden that was almost completely spared by the air raids during World War II. Situated amid many houses in Wilhelminian style in the heart of the Neustadt, it plays an important role in the church and cultural life of the city. The neo-romantic interior offers more than 1000 seats.

The romantic palace located in the centre of the Große Garten served as a venue for pompous feasts of the courtly society. Saxony’s first baroque building of Italian design was constructed under Elector John George III between 1676 and 1683. Today it provides an atmospheric ambience and great acoustics for different kinds of chamber music.

Opened in 1936 in a repurposed ballroom, for many years the Programmkino Ost has attracted an audience looking for a programme beyond the beaten mainstream track. Since comprehensive restoration was carried out in 2008/09, the former »Tagesfilmtheater Ost« offers five screening rooms of different sizes, with enough space for a broad-ranging programme including various genres, numerous film and conversation series and an annual children’s film festival.

The Reithalle is part of the Cultural Center Strasse E® - an event center consisting of two red-brick buildings under landmark preservation in Dresden’s industrial area. Originally the entire industrial area was dedicated to military purposes. Its former use as the riding hall of the Royal Saxon Cavalry gave today’s Riding Hall Strasse E® its name. In the early 1990s the area was discovered as an ideal venue for parties and events.

The multi-awarded winning Dresden State Theatre is considered as one of the centres for the contemporary performing arts. The reconstructed impressive original architecture of the theatre that was opened in 1913 offers a stage for such festival productions that combine musical and performing expressions.

Schloss Albrechtsberg, or Albrechtsberg Castle, is one of the three Elbe Castles. It was built between 1850 and 1854 for the Prussian Prince Albrecht, who had to find a home outside of Prussia because he had married beneath himself. Designed in the late classicistic style by Alfred Lohse, the building offers a counterpoint to Dresden’s notable baroque buildings. The Kronensaal, or Crown Hall, boasts a wonderful acoustic and gorgeous view of the River Elbe and is considered one of Dresden’s most beautiful chamber music halls.

The elector Johann Georg IV bought the castle for his favourite Sibylle von Neischütz in 1694. Commissioned by August the Strong his favourite architect Daniel Pöppelmann expanded the first building by the Riverside Palace and the Hillside Palace. Already in 1768, the castle was used as summer residence of the court and was the glamorous location for park and water feasts.

The Imperial count Christoph August von Wackerbarth had this jewel built as his retirement home between 1727 and 1729. The castle, the former home of noblemen where August the Strong celebrated legendary parties, today houses Europe’s first »Adventure Vineyards« that combines tradition and the spirit of the age to an unique experience and provides the ideal setting for outstanding young artists of the classical music scene.

Entering the building visitors are welcomed by the long and rich tradition that is continued until today by the opera house and his orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle. Whether great symphony concert or solo recital – the stage of the impressive Semperoper has always been the place for top class and glamorous festival encounters.

Since first opening in the 19th century, the compound of the former Goehle Works has been used for very different purposes. For example, in World War II it served as an arms factory. In 2015 parts of the landmark ensemble were restored by cultural protagonists from various fields. Ever since, the building complex has been known as »Kulturfabrik Zentralwerk«, offering various multi-purpose event locations, at the heart of which lies the Main Hall.