2019 Saxony travel news:
Where arts and culture have the wow effect
Saxony in Germany’s southeast is the place to be for discerning travellers, offering arts and culture of international standing. Not only musicians, painters and master builders, but also nature itself have created great works of art here. Each year, approximately 9.7 million German and international guests decide to spend their holidays in Saxony. Adding day trippers, this number rises to more than 30 million.
The joy of Saxon towns and cities
Saxony’s charm is manifold and not last the region’s towns and cities are a delight, full of splendid architecture, fascinating history and joy of life. Today’s visitors can create their very own personal experiences in places that are steeped in history, be it Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz or smaller towns such as Meißen, Pirna or Plauen. All of them offer a wealth of cultural treasures. Annaberg-Buchholz, Bautzen and Freiberg are perfect for leisurely strolls. Görlitz, Zittau or Zwickau feature romantic cobblestone lanes and bustling market squares. Grimma, Kamenz, Radebeul and Torgau offer fascinating insights into Saxony’s cultural history. Exploring the region’s beautiful towns and cities is not only inspiring, it also highlights what makes Saxony not only such a unique destination with 1,000 years of cultural history but also the number 1 cultural destination for German and international guests alike. Tip: Saxony’s towns and cities are particularly charming during the festive season, offering a unique wealth of traditional Christmas events and special occasions.
Best in class music
Cultural highlights in Saxony include the many top musical events that can be visited and enjoyed in the region. In 2019, Leipzig celebrates the 200th anniversary of Clara Schumann, with the annual Schumann Festival Week (12 to 29 Sep 2019) putting the remarkable compositions and piano concerts of the famous pianist centre stage. Other classical music favourites are Bach Festival Leipzig (14 to 23 June 2019), Dresden Music Festival (16 May to 15 June 2019) and Moritzburg Festival (10 to 25 Aug 2019). Lovers of jazz and Dixieland tunes should put the Dixieland Festival in Dresden on their agenda (12 to 19 May 2019) and maybe even combine it with Görlitz Jazz Days a few days later (22 to 26 May 2019).
Explore Saxony on the art trail
Anyone exploring Saxony on the art trail will soon realise how incredibly varied Saxony’s history of art is. From anonymous Gothic masters to the New Leipzig School of contemporary time and including the Cranach family of painters, Canaletto, Caspar David Friedrich, Ludwig Richter, Max Klinger, Otto Dix and Oskar Kokoschka, A.R. Penck and not last Georg Baselitz and contemporary art star Gerhard Richter – the history of art in Saxony is not short of big names and internationally renowned artists who have lived, worked and left their traces in this region. “The Allure of Art – History, Museums, Workplaces”, a new, free brochure, curates everything worth knowing about Saxony’s unique art scene in one place. Perfect for an overview of 800 years of art in Saxony as well as the most important museums, galleries, innovative arts spaces and art schools.
2019 reopenings
“The Chocolate Girl”, one of this year’s art highlights focusing on one of the most famous paintings of Dresden’s Old Masters Gallery, is still on until 6 January 2019 in the Zwinger. After comprehensive renovation, the Old Masters Gallery and Sculpture Collection are set to reopen in December next year. Another reopening scheduled for 2019 is the west wing of the “Residenzschloss”, Dresden’s Royal palace and former residence of the House of Wettin. Five of the ceremonial halls and historical rooms, dating back to the 16th century and destroyed in 1945, are being restored to their original state and due to reopen next year on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of their inauguration and wedding of Frederick August, Elector of Saxony, and Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria. The splendid spaces will feature many original items and include, among others, two antechambers and a bedroom with a huge imperial bed. Last but not least, Fortress Dresden, currently closed for renovation, will also reopen in 2019 with the multimedia exhibition “Splendour. Tears. Disaster. Closer Than Ever”, providing insights into the world of Germany’s oldest fortress.
If yet another special occasion for a trip to Saxony is needed, 2019 will also see the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, including what promises to be a very emotional “Festival of Lights” in Leipzig on 9 October 2019. All event highlights in Saxony’s cities and regions are listed in the “Cultural Highlights in Saxony 2018-2019” brochure.
The Bauhaus turns 100: Saxony’s icons of Classic Modernism
In 2019, the Bauhaus art and design school celebrates the 100th anniversary of its establishment. A lot of the groundwork for this eminent movement was laid in Saxony where renowned architects of the so-called “Neues Bauen” (New Building) style left their mark. Germany’s first garden city “Hellerau” in the northern part of Dresden was rooted in the “Deutsche Werkstätten für Handwerkskunst“ (German Workshops for Craftmanship) who were also co-founders of “Deutscher Werkbund” (German Association of Craftsmen) that is closely related to the Bauhaus movement.
Architecture and design lovers will also find numerous icons of Classic Modernism throughout the region, such as Josef Albers’ glass window in Leipzig’s Grassi Museum, the “Versöhnungskirche” (Church of Reconciliation) in Leipzig and the Schocken department store in Chemnitz, which today houses a museum for archaeology. “Haus Schminke” in Löbau is one of four global eminent examples of the “Neues Bauen” style of avantgarde architecture that originated in Germany in the 1920s. In preparation of next year’s 100th Bauhaus anniversary, the house has been completely renovated.
Saxony offers many more special events and exhibitions for design afficionados, such as the “Bauhaus Saxony” exhibition at Leipzig’s Grassi Museum (19 April to 6 Oct 2019). Also in Leipzig, the Museum of the Printing Arts hosts a special exhibition (30 June to 27 Oct 2019), highlighting the art of printing in 1919 and looking at how innovative German graphic arts influenced the Bauhaus. To see the most widely performed avantgarde artistic dance, head to Dresden where Oskar Schlemmer’s “Das Triadische Ballett” (Triadic Ballet) will be performed on 7 and 8 June 2019 during Dresden Music Festival. Dresden City Museum is taking a look at Modernist architecture in its “Modernism in Dresden? Architecture and Urban Planning 1919 – 1939” exhibition (22 June to 6 Oct 2019). Chemnitz’s Industrial Museum is planning a special exhibition (5 Oct 2019 to 27 Jan 2020) on the occasion of the Marianne Brandt Competition to show 60 works of young artists.
On the occasion of the 100th Bauhaus jubilee, the competition, which is the only one in Germany dedicated to a female Bauhaus representative, will completely focus on the complex artistic and design work of Marianne Brandt. The painter, sculptor, photographer and designer studied at the Bauhaus school and in 1928 became head of the metal workshop.
Saxony’s industrial heritage
Saxony also has a long history of industry and manufacturing which today provides fascinating experiences and insights for travellers. The heyday of Saxony as an industrial powerhouse in Germany has left numerous sights and attractions that can be toured on the “Route of Industrial Culture in Saxony” with altogether 51 stops. The former Audi factory in Zwickau, today the August-Horch-Museum, is a special highlight. The museum which opened a modern extension in 2017 has a splendid collection of historic cars from the beginning of the 20th century. In 1904, Saxony became a centre for car manufacturing in Germany when August Horch started producing cars in Zwickau in a venture that eventually became today’s car giant Audi. The museum will also be one of the sites of the “4. Sächsische Landesausstellung“. This regional exhibition is organised every few years, focusing on different themes, and from April to November 2020 will highlight Saxony’s industrial heritage.
Easy travel planning
To plan your Saxony itinerary, the “Sales Guide Saxony” provides all necessary details on towns, cities and different regions as well as information on tourism service providers, such as hotels and restaurants for groups, palaces and castles, industrial heritage sites, museums, meeting and event venues, as well as suggestions for themed routes. The brochure also informs about typical regional food and provides shopping tips. Tourism professionals will also find a handy list of 2018 and 2019 events and festivals as well as contacts for incoming agencies and services provided by Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen.
About Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH
Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH has been marketing Saxony as an attractive travel destination in Germany and abroad since 2000. Using the slogan “Saxony. State of the Arts”, it positions the region as a top cultural destination, focusing on arts, culture and city breaks as well as family, wellness and active holiday. Corresponding holiday packages can be booked via reservation systems and tour operators. Saxony’s main source markets are Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, USA, UK, Poland and Italy.
Contact: Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH, Bautzner Str. 45-47, D-01099 Dresden, Phone.: +49 351 491 700, Fax: +49 351 496 9306, infoge-@sachsen-tour-schützt.de, www.visitsaxony.com, www.facebook.com/visitsaxony; www.instagram.com/visitsaxony