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

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

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

We all access the internet daily through web browsers. The question of how browsers determine what we experience online has fascinated artists early on. Based on a research project by the KIT Institute for Art and Architectural History on browser art, the exhibition »Choose Your Filter!« provides insights into 30 years of browser development. Here, you can discover and try out browser visions through interactive installations. 

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

With the exhibition of Peter Buggenhout, the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal is launching its new exhibition season on March 8, 2025: The Belgian sculptor presents a total of seven spatially expansive objects from different groups of works in two of the exhibition halls and in the outdoor area of the park. Buggenhout is internationally known for his sculptures, which he forms from discarded materials and which take on shape in space as sprawling bodily forms. The artist refers to his sculptures as "abject things" – as objects that evade familiar cognitive connections and demand more than just a perspective of observation.

The sculptures of Peter Buggenhout, born in 1963 in Dendermonde, Belgium, and living and working in Ghent, consist of things that have been deprived of the use of their original functionality: Waste and artifacts equally form the materials that the artist uses as his working material and from which he composes his objects. Used plastic films, tarpaulins, textile fabrics, newspapers, scrap metal, wood fragments, or organic substances like cow stomachs, horse hair, and dust become components of his works. Buggenhout creates massive forms from these abandoned remnants, which embody the emergence and decay in the immediate presence of the material and its rugged shapes.

Peter Buggenhout, who turned away from painting around 1990 to transition to sculptural designs, has been working for several years in groups of works with different material focuses and overarching themes. The pre-existing, the cyclical, and the temporality of things are fundamental themes that he formulates as diverse sculptural inventories in his groups of works.

His sculptures possess no single view direction; the multi-facetedness of his works is as essential as the significance of the equivalence and simultaneity of their elements. The discarded is always an important part of the foundation of his creation.

Peter Buggenhout about his work:
“The materials I use all have one thing in common: I did not choose them because I liked their shape or appearance. All objects that I find have in common that they do not really refer to a meaning in terms of their formal identity. For example, instead of an old chair, I might use a piece from the chair in such a way that it’s not noticeable what kind of object it was before. This is the quality of waste, so to speak. Dust also possesses this quality. All my working materials are 'abject,' that is, discarded or disgusting… taken from their original state, have lost their form and meaning.”

11 AM - 6 PM, open on all holidays

The representation of the seasons is a centuries-old image for continuity and change. The changes in nature and weather, as well as in customs in the recurring yearly cycle, have always been interpreted as symbols for the fate of humanity and its time. Meanwhile, the seasons themselves are undergoing a change. With climatic changes, many of the traditional motifs are losing their coherence. However, as cultural-historical testimonies, they are becoming increasingly relevant.

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM - 5 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

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

Again and again, there have been countermodels to the prevailing canon and the crisis-ridden state of affairs in the history of art. Even today, artists call for breaking rigid thought patterns and expanding consciousness in order to create future visions that lie beyond the limitations of the present.
In the dream state, different realities interact with each other. Compared to what one allows in the conscious waking state, a freer form of perception and knowledge production takes place. There are time jumps, connections between different places – through the power of the subconscious and imagination, alternative realities and utopian future spaces emerge. Engaging with our dreams reveals our joys, fears, and hopes.
In the exhibition What is the dream that makes you dream? dreaming is examined as a path to deeper levels of consciousness. Amid multiple global crises and disturbing news that we receive every day, What is the dream that makes you dream? consciously focuses on optimistic counterpoints that suggest hope, resilience, and healing.

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

We all access the internet daily through web browsers. The question of how browsers determine what we experience online has fascinated artists early on. Based on a research project by the KIT Institute for Art and Architectural History on browser art, the exhibition »Choose Your Filter!« provides insights into 30 years of browser development. Here, you can discover and try out browser visions through interactive installations. 

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

The sculptor Christiane Löhr, born in Wiesbaden in 1965, who now lives in Cologne and in Prato, Italy, creates an impressive sculptural and installative cosmos. For this, she uses various materials from nature, which she spatially and architecturally places in a new context. Organic elements such as flying seeds, plant stems, burrs, tree blossoms, or horsehair are used by her as construction material for her unique work. The sculptor rather casually finds all the shaping natural formations to then bring them into a new order and make conscious placements in the space.

 

Wed to Fri from 2 to 5 PM, Sat/Sun from 11 AM to 5 PM

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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