Welcome to the realm of knowledge in the Baroque era: Stepping onto creaking floorboards into the quiet grandeur of our historical library hall, one is immediately enveloped by the collective knowledge of the Early Modern period. Like stage sets in a Baroque theater, the original bookshelves jut into the space, housing around 50,000 books from all fields of knowledge. Behind unassuming book spines lie remarkable treasures, such as the first German Bible printed in America.

At the end of the 17th century, the orphanage's library was established as one of the first public libraries in Germany. Primarily through donations, book exchanges, and their own publications, the library grew so rapidly that within a few years, it was comparable to significant German university libraries. In 1728, it received its own building, which is considered the oldest surviving secular library structure in Germany. Not only in recent times has the library been visited by guests and researchers from around the world: Albrecht von Haller, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe all admired its bibliophilic treasures. We present a selection of them for you in rotating cabinet exhibitions in the former reading room of the library.

10 am - 5 pm

A nameless man. By his side, Antonia. A couple that gives nothing to each other. Once they loved each other very much. Little of that remains. Who is to blame? From Antonia's point of view: the man. He cheats on her. Not with one woman, but with many. The man wants his wife to do the same. Antonia goes along – or at least tries to. While he presents her with new candidates every day, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to find a lover. The demands on women in the dating market are unfortunately much higher. Moreover, she lacks the sincere interest to actually find a new partner. Her strategy: emotional blackmail in the form of a series of creative suicide attempts meant to reignite the old spark in her husband. Where once there was love, only respect seems to remain now. When she finally meets a young, handsome professor, the man's openness quickly comes to an end. – The celebrated tragicomedy by Franca Rame and Dario Fo portrays marriage as an emotional battleground, where Antonia has the upper hand.

The relationship is out in the open, along with all the gradients and imbalances, the boundaries of loyalty and jealousy, the freedoms one takes and those one is willing to give.

Palace-like, the orphanage rises on Franckeplatz. Then as now, it is the centerpiece of the Francke Foundations. Erected in 1698 as the first building of the school city, it represents a new facet of European Baroque, combining confident representation without extravagant ornamentation and setting the tone for orphanage architecture.

Today, the orphanage is our museum and cultural center. Right from the start, two permanent exhibitions guide you through the history of the foundation and the global impact of Pietism. On the first floor, the former prayer and singing hall surprises with its bright architecture. Today, it enjoys an excellent reputation as a concert hall due to its fantastic acoustics. In the adjacent conference rooms, a photo exhibition showcases the impressive renovation work since the foundations were reestablished in 1991. The second floor is reserved for our changing special exhibitions, which provide insight into important themes of the foundation's history from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Passing through the art and natural history collections in the attic, you reach the balcony via a narrow wooden staircase. Here, a wide view opens up over the impressive ensemble with school buildings from three centuries. There is also a splendid panorama of the Old Town of Halle from here. In the basement, children can explore their own paths in the Krokoseum.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

What power does the word have? For Halleschen Pietismus, the word was of central importance. On the ground floor of the Historical Orphanage, we show you how August Hermann Francke's reform movement could spread around the world.

Francke developed central reformative goals of Martin Luther's with Halleschen Pietismus. His approach was as clear as it was revolutionary: Every person should find God through their own Bible reading. However, for this to happen, everyone - boys and girls alike - had to learn to read, everyone should be able to afford their own Bible and it should be printed in their own native language. Therefore, Francke established schools for all social classes, printed millions of German-language People's Bibles, and created an international network through which the Bible was translated into many other languages. His educational initiative allowed a broad population to engage with the word. In the 18th-century evangelical parsonages, the authors of the Romantic and Enlightenment periods were highly regarded. A culture of self-reflection spread in Pietism, which was reflected in diaries and personal testimonies, giving us remarkable insights into the spiritual life of people of that time. Symbolically, the power of the word is also evident in the meticulously restored pulpit from the Church of St. Ulrich in Halle, where Francke preached from 1715 and which you can admire in the exhibition.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

The exhibition organized together with the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven is the largest solo exhibition of Sung Hwan Kim in Europe to date. It features complex installations by the Korean artist, including many video and performance works created in musical collaboration with musician and composer David Michael DiGregorio (alias dogr).

The world in stories
In his works, Sung Hwan Kim (*1975, Seoul) weaves multifaceted stories in the manner of a storyteller, using folklore, myths, gossip, and rumors as a means to access his complex installations.

Kim combines video, music, light, performance, drawing, and sculpture in the exhibition space, utilizing a variety of media to change the audience's perspective. In this way, the Honolulu-based artist develops a unique narrative approach to themes such as migration and immigration, translation, and renewal.

“How can one address the issues beyond a national border, let alone the border of one’s own skin?” (Sung Hwan Kim)

As an exhibition designer, Sung Hwan Kim creates a unique architectural environment for his installations that illuminate the theme of “Borders” in nuanced ways and explore various states of subjectivity.

Sung Hwan Kim at ZKM
The exhibition »Sung Hwan Kim. Protected by roof and right-hand muscles« brings together Sung Hwan Kim's works from over two decades. It is his largest solo exhibition in Europe to date. Originally produced for the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands, it was first curated by Yolande Zola Zoli van der Heide in collaboration with the artist. An opening event for the exhibition took place at Framer Framed in Amsterdam. The exhibition is financially supported by the Korean Art Management Service (KAMS) as part of the "Korean Art Abroad" program. Partners and additional exhibition venues include the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and the Bergen Kunsthall, Norway. The exhibition design for the respective venues (including lighting and sound) was developed by the artist in collaboration with David Michael DiGregorio. An accompanying monograph for the exhibition will be published in spring 2025 by the Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Cologne, designed by Linda van Deursen and produced in collaboration with the participating institutions.

Wed to Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Sat and Sun 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Playing, laughing, being loud, romping, doing nothing – and that in an exhibition house! From September 4, 2024, BAUBAU invites exactly that. In the play space for children designed by artist Kerstin Brätsch, more is allowed than forbidden. Colorful wallpapers, structures, objects, and a range of “Loose Parts” form spaces on the ground floor of the Gropius Bau that do not impose fixed guidelines but are determined by the activities of the children. They dictate the direction and form of what happens here. Thus, this place becomes a space of possibilities that can change day by day.

BAUBAU will launch in September 2024 in a prototype version and will continue to develop and grow over the coming years both inside and outside the Gropius Bau – in close exchange with the children and their wishes, as this is their place.

The Play
All children have the urge to play. This is how they learn to understand themselves and the world. Especially open, self-determined play is of great significance for emotional and social development. The educational concept for BAUBAU is therefore based on the principles of free play: Here, there is time, space, and permission for children to follow their own needs and interests. They are accompanied by playworkers – trained staff who create a safe and supportive environment where children can play freely.

 
The Art
BAUBAU playfully questions what a museum or an art institution should be. The comprehensive spatial design developed by Kerstin Brätsch is full of references and inspirations: elements from her previous works, such as marbling, paintings, or stucco marble work, reappear here in altered forms and materialities. The wallpapers, curtains, fabrics, seating furniture, and climbing structures are inhabited by dinosaurs, fantastical beings, termite mounds, and abstract elements. With their strange, funny, and perhaps a bit eerie shapes, they create an open framework for free play.

Kerstin Brätsch's practice is designed to allow and incorporate influences from outside. While she has previously collaborated with artists or artisans, she now does so in a completely different way with children: She invites the children to reshape and further develop the space according to their own ideas and visions, without the influence of the artist in unpredictable ways.

Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 12:00–18:00
Sat, Sun 11:00–18:00
Tue closed

The rose is a fascinating flower. Not only is it an ornament for any garden and wonderfully fragrant – no, it has also influenced wide parts of life with its symbolic power, such as love, politics, art, mythology, religion, and much more. Furthermore, rose oil and rose water are used in the cosmetics and food industries, and 42 percent of all cut flowers sold are roses, with cultivation in non-European countries and trade being problematic.

As particularly beautiful flowering plants and an indispensable part of the ecosystem, roses can also raise awareness of the pressing issues of the present, such as biodiversity and conservation, and thus the climate problem. All of this is at the center of the exhibition on the cultural history of the rose, while of course the plant and its role in garden culture will not be overlooked.
Interesting objects from the fields of fashion, design, art, as well as everyday life, are meant to convey a sense of the allure that the rose has exerted and continues to exert – even with its dark side.

Scent stations promise an experience for the senses, and several interactive stations make the exhibition an experience for the whole family.

Sponsored by the MWK and the Lüneburg Landscape Association, the VR Foundation of the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken in Northern Germany, Volksbank Celle, branch of the Hannoversche Volksbank, and the Museumsverein Celle e.V.

Tue - Sun 11 AM - 5 PM

Stopfen, stricken, patchen… Der Kleider neues Leben!               

Artists: Agnieszka Kasztelowicz, Małgorzata Markiewicz, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Anne Peschken & Marek Pisarsky, Alke Reeh

Curator: Prof. Dr. Marta Smolińska

In collaboration with CENTRUM KULTURY ZAMEK in Poznań

Opening: Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 7 PM 

January 24 – April 26, 2025

Gallery of the Polish Institute Düsseldorf, Citadellstr. 7, 40213 Düsseldorf

We live in an era of general overproduction. A sign of this is the mountains of clothing that pile up in Africa and South America into garbage avalanches. They are the result of our entanglement in the highly unecological and unethical mechanisms of Fast Fashion. Fast Fashion: these are cheap discount clothes that are sewn in factories around the world, mostly by workers who are forced to work for dumping wages. The quality of the materials is also not the best. Every season, many of us succumb to fashion fever, buy new clothing items, and throw the old ones away. The artists of the exhibition point out that the materials used in Fast Fashion are not biodegradable. They also draw attention to the exploitation of workers in the clothing industry. However, today mere enlightenment is no longer sufficient – the task of art is also to propose strategies that help us reduce overproduction and throw away less clothing that has become boring to us. Art calls for a change in mentality.

Tuesday – Friday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

„Fly with me! Fly with me!“, calls Albi, the Alpine swift, who nests under the roof of the Linden Museum during the summer months. On your flight through the permanent exhibitions, you will encounter the transparent kangaroo, hear about an extinct bird, and can listen to the conversation with Seraa, the elephant. Whether in pictures or clothing, made from wood, ceramics, and stone – the animals and their representations tell of the coexistence of humans and animals. This relationship is not always straightforward. On one hand, many animals are admired, revered, and appreciated as companions or domestic and farm animals, while on the other hand, their habitats are also destroyed and they are hunted or displaced.

In the exhibition, illustrator Promina Shrestha brings the animals on the objects to life through her images. During the listening and stamping rally, you will discover together with Albi what the animals have to say, solve puzzles, and collect stamps.

€ 4/3 including permanent exhibitions
Children up to 18 years free

Tue to Sat 10 AM - 5 PM / Sun and holidays 10 AM - 6 PM / Closed on Dec 24, 25, and 31

KuTipp series: “Operamobile – CARPE DIEM- 2 Sisters on January 31 in Löffingen
The small traveling singing stage “Operamobile,” founded in 2002 in Löffingen by Anja Muth and Daniel Bosshard, takes the audience into the musically diverse worlds of opera. On Friday, January 31, 2025, the small ensemble will perform as part of the KuTipp series in the Gebertsaal in Löffingen. The performance begins at 8 p.m.
The search for love by two sisters with completely different characters forms the scenic framework in the piece “CARPE DIEM- 2 Sisters,” in which beautiful operatic classics by Mozart, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky will be heard. The unique arrangement of the composers results in a very entertaining, dramaturgically coherent small new work from the team appreciated by the local population.
Let yourself be captivated by the most beautiful melodies and a sweet, entertaining storyline of two sisters in search of true love.
Soprano Gerda Nicole Findeisen from Montreal has been engaged as the stage partner for Anja Muth (mezzo-soprano). The two singers have been friends for decades since their time together studying in Zurich. The starting point for “CARPE DIEM - 2 Sisters” couldn’t be more fitting. At the piano plays the tried and tested “One-Man Orchestra of Operamobile: Daniel Bosshard.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

Additional tickets available at the box office

Welcome to the realm of knowledge in the Baroque era: Stepping onto creaking floorboards into the quiet grandeur of our historical library hall, one is immediately enveloped by the collective knowledge of the Early Modern period. Like stage sets in a Baroque theater, the original bookshelves jut into the space, housing around 50,000 books from all fields of knowledge. Behind unassuming book spines lie remarkable treasures, such as the first German Bible printed in America.

At the end of the 17th century, the orphanage's library was established as one of the first public libraries in Germany. Primarily through donations, book exchanges, and their own publications, the library grew so rapidly that within a few years, it was comparable to significant German university libraries. In 1728, it received its own building, which is considered the oldest surviving secular library structure in Germany. Not only in recent times has the library been visited by guests and researchers from around the world: Albrecht von Haller, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe all admired its bibliophilic treasures. We present a selection of them for you in rotating cabinet exhibitions in the former reading room of the library.

10 am - 5 pm

Welcome to the realm of knowledge in the Baroque era: Stepping onto creaking floorboards into the quiet grandeur of our historical library hall, one is immediately enveloped by the collective knowledge of the Early Modern period. Like stage sets in a Baroque theater, the original bookshelves jut into the space, housing around 50,000 books from all fields of knowledge. Behind unassuming book spines lie remarkable treasures, such as the first German Bible printed in America.

At the end of the 17th century, the orphanage's library was established as one of the first public libraries in Germany. Primarily through donations, book exchanges, and their own publications, the library grew so rapidly that within a few years, it was comparable to significant German university libraries. In 1728, it received its own building, which is considered the oldest surviving secular library structure in Germany. Not only in recent times has the library been visited by guests and researchers from around the world: Albrecht von Haller, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe all admired its bibliophilic treasures. We present a selection of them for you in rotating cabinet exhibitions in the former reading room of the library.

10 am - 5 pm

Palace-like, the orphanage rises on Franckeplatz. Then as now, it is the centerpiece of the Francke Foundations. Erected in 1698 as the first building of the school city, it represents a new facet of European Baroque, combining confident representation without extravagant ornamentation and setting the tone for orphanage architecture.

Today, the orphanage is our museum and cultural center. Right from the start, two permanent exhibitions guide you through the history of the foundation and the global impact of Pietism. On the first floor, the former prayer and singing hall surprises with its bright architecture. Today, it enjoys an excellent reputation as a concert hall due to its fantastic acoustics. In the adjacent conference rooms, a photo exhibition showcases the impressive renovation work since the foundations were reestablished in 1991. The second floor is reserved for our changing special exhibitions, which provide insight into important themes of the foundation's history from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Passing through the art and natural history collections in the attic, you reach the balcony via a narrow wooden staircase. Here, a wide view opens up over the impressive ensemble with school buildings from three centuries. There is also a splendid panorama of the Old Town of Halle from here. In the basement, children can explore their own paths in the Krokoseum.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The rose is a fascinating flower. Not only is it an ornament for any garden and wonderfully fragrant – no, it has also influenced wide parts of life with its symbolic power, such as love, politics, art, mythology, religion, and much more. Furthermore, rose oil and rose water are used in the cosmetics and food industries, and 42 percent of all cut flowers sold are roses, with cultivation in non-European countries and trade being problematic.

As particularly beautiful flowering plants and an indispensable part of the ecosystem, roses can also raise awareness of the pressing issues of the present, such as biodiversity and conservation, and thus the climate problem. All of this is at the center of the exhibition on the cultural history of the rose, while of course the plant and its role in garden culture will not be overlooked.
Interesting objects from the fields of fashion, design, art, as well as everyday life, are meant to convey a sense of the allure that the rose has exerted and continues to exert – even with its dark side.

Scent stations promise an experience for the senses, and several interactive stations make the exhibition an experience for the whole family.

Sponsored by the MWK and the Lüneburg Landscape Association, the VR Foundation of the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken in Northern Germany, Volksbank Celle, branch of the Hannoversche Volksbank, and the Museumsverein Celle e.V.

Tue - Sun 11 AM - 5 PM

Lucy van Kuhl empathetically sings and comments in her new program "Auf den zweiten Blick" on love, aging, people who are barely noticed in our society, people who (unfortunately) are way too much noticed, situations one has gotten themselves into and from which it is difficult to get out. And she asks herself the question: "When was the last time I did something for the first time?" Because it is worth having a second, third look at our daily routine. The first look is the intuitive one, the second look can be the special one.




Photo: Alexej Hermann




Entry: 6:30 PM




Cancellation! Unfortunately, this event is canceled. For further questions, please feel free to contact the cultural office at Tel.: 08231 606 260

4 talers and 16 groschen are considered the founding capital of the Francke Foundations. How an unparalleled school city grew from this unexpected donation to a simple pastor in Glaucha can be discovered on the ground floor of the Historical Orphanage. A multimedia installation and numerous extraordinary objects will transport you into the fascinating founding and impact history of Francke's work. Because what began with a school for the poor and an orphanage, developed in a few decades into a true reform project that was based on education: Over 2,000 students learned in various schools, specially constructed economic buildings, a hospital, and a pharmacy guaranteed the care of over 3,000 people on the premises, unique cultural-historical collections in the library and chamber of wonders were established, and Francke's ideas were spread within and outside Europe. August Hermann Francke wanted nothing less than a "world change through personal change." Discover everything he set in motion through this.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

With »Fellow Travellers«, we open a multi-voiced and dynamic exhibition space at ZKM, where artists, scientists, communities, and citizens can collaborate and learn from each other. Together, we want to find new, concrete ways to shape our planetary coexistence. 

Human history bears witness to our ability to cooperate and achieve remarkable things. However, we have also succeeded in establishing economic and power structures that have drastically thrown the Earth out of balance today. It seems that we are on the brink of collapse, triggered by the consequences of rapid technological advancement. The problems in the areas of climate, economy, regional conflicts, cultural identity, migration flows, and resource scarcity must be urgently addressed. Artificial intelligence, quantum computers, biosciences, robotics, and technology also pose enormous challenges.

So far, we have not succeeded in realizing an alternative form of society that could restore balance to our world. However, even though large alternative utopias like communism have failed, most people share the ideals of a just society. These intellectual travel companions or „Fellow Travellers“, as they were called in the 20th century, still exist today. However, this type of community is no longer based on a political doctrine but on the goal of creating a livable culture and environment. All over the world, artists and activists use technological tools in their daily lives and at the local level to change the world around them. The geographical location plays less and less of a role in collective action. It should now be possible to build a growing network of these diverse projects that exchange, generate, and implement ideas beyond traditional power centers.

The art of modernity was based on the desire to change the world, but the influences of markets and museums have repeatedly reduced it to "art for art's sake." While socially and politically engaged art has often been critical and challenging, we should now address actual practical change.

The exhibition »Fellow Travellers« at ZKM aims to capture and continue this spirit. The artistic projects presented do not only convey ideas or highlight problems. They all strive to overcome the traditions of representation and take action by actively shaping their environment. In a time when we fear for the future, these projects and their stories give us hope and inspiration.  The exhibition is not designed as a static presentation but is also intended to operate outside the museum – as a laboratory where ideas and tools are exchanged and new projects can grow and be supplemented: a hive of tactics and techniques for changing the world.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the »Useum«: a place that can be utilized by people to connect these ideas and projects and develop new solutions. A place where we can address the issues that affect us locally in exchange with other active communities around the globe. It is a place of joint creation and action.

Mon to Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Sat to Sun 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Playing, laughing, being loud, romping, doing nothing – and that in an exhibition house! From September 4, 2024, BAUBAU invites exactly that. In the play space for children designed by artist Kerstin Brätsch, more is allowed than forbidden. Colorful wallpapers, structures, objects, and a range of “Loose Parts” form spaces on the ground floor of the Gropius Bau that do not impose fixed guidelines but are determined by the activities of the children. They dictate the direction and form of what happens here. Thus, this place becomes a space of possibilities that can change day by day.

BAUBAU will launch in September 2024 in a prototype version and will continue to develop and grow over the coming years both inside and outside the Gropius Bau – in close exchange with the children and their wishes, as this is their place.

The Play
All children have the urge to play. This is how they learn to understand themselves and the world. Especially open, self-determined play is of great significance for emotional and social development. The educational concept for BAUBAU is therefore based on the principles of free play: Here, there is time, space, and permission for children to follow their own needs and interests. They are accompanied by playworkers – trained staff who create a safe and supportive environment where children can play freely.

 
The Art
BAUBAU playfully questions what a museum or an art institution should be. The comprehensive spatial design developed by Kerstin Brätsch is full of references and inspirations: elements from her previous works, such as marbling, paintings, or stucco marble work, reappear here in altered forms and materialities. The wallpapers, curtains, fabrics, seating furniture, and climbing structures are inhabited by dinosaurs, fantastical beings, termite mounds, and abstract elements. With their strange, funny, and perhaps a bit eerie shapes, they create an open framework for free play.

Kerstin Brätsch's practice is designed to allow and incorporate influences from outside. While she has previously collaborated with artists or artisans, she now does so in a completely different way with children: She invites the children to reshape and further develop the space according to their own ideas and visions, without the influence of the artist in unpredictable ways.

Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 12:00–18:00
Sat, Sun 11:00–18:00
Tue closed

Eight Classical Concerts

Tickets may still be available at local box offices or at the door.