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

On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 7:30 PM, pianist Thomas Haberlah will give a special piano evening in the concert hall of the Lauffen Music School. With a finely tuned program, he takes the audience into the sound worlds of Martin Münch, Robert Schumann, Max Meyer-Olbersleben, and Frédéric Chopin.

Haberlah, who has been working as a lecturer for musical ensemble work at the Hanover University of Music since 1993, continually surprises with unusual programs, repertoire discoveries, and his outstanding interpretive sovereignty. In this concert, he will present works by the now South America-based composer Martin Münch in the first part, ranging from his early piano pieces from 1977 to the poetic cycle "Märchen und Arabesken" (1997) to a new work: "Le tombeau de Ravel" op. 61. The second part is dedicated to prominent and lesser-known gems by Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Max Meyer-Olbersleben. The pianist will introduce the works throughout the concert.

The second half of the concert begins with Schumann's prominent cycle "Faschingsschwank aus Wien," an energetic and poetic suite full of contrasts. This is followed by the expressive Ballade op. 9 in G sharp minor by Max Meyer-Olbersleben, a composer of German Romanticism whose work is worth rediscovering. The concert concludes with Chopin's monumental Fantasy in F minor op. 49, a masterpiece full of drama, lyricism, and virtuosic brilliance.

The concert, part of the Neckar Music Festival, is organized by the Cultural Association piano international eV in collaboration with the Lauffen Music School.

Copyright: Thomas Haberlah

Doors open: 7:00 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

Welcome to the home of Jever Pilsener.

Jever Pilsener comes from Jever. And that is located in a very special part of Germany: in Friesland. The water, the air, the light, and not least the rough climate have shaped the Frisian landscape and Jever Pilsener. We invite you to explore the secrets of Jever - on an exciting brewery tour!

The Friesian-bitter experience

The brewery tour begins with a knowledgeable guided tour through the historic brewery museum and through our modern brew house from the brewing plant to the bottling, where up to 60,000 bottles are filled per hour.
The ongoing bottle filling is very likely on weekdays, but due to possible maintenance, cleaning, and setup work, this is not guaranteed in every case.
Especially on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, the bottling is relatively likely not to be in operation. We ask for your understanding in advance.

After the tour, we offer a tasting (30 minutes) of our Jever beers with a choice of two glasses of Jever Pilsener, Jever Fun, Jever Fun Lemon, Jever Fun Blood Orange, or Jever Light for everyone aged 16 and over. Non-alcoholic drinks are also available.
In addition, our brewery taproom serves a homemade snack and presents a souvenir.
For children and teenagers (up to 15 years), a soft drink and a small snack will be served.

Adults 16 and over 19.90 euros
Youth/Children 6 to 16 years 9.90 euros*
Children up to 5 years free*
(*only accompanied by an adult)

Duration of the event: 2 hours

--> Maximum group size: 20 people

We do not offer tours on Mondays, Sundays, or public holidays in Lower Saxony.
We also ask for your understanding that at the moment, for organizational reasons, we can only offer the dates shown online and no additional dates.

One last word:
Safety is very important to us. We ask that during the tour, you strictly follow the instructions of the brewery guides. Wearing sturdy footwear and carrying an umbrella in bad weather is recommended. As a precaution, we would like to point out that our brew house is not wheelchair accessible. There are longer walking paths and stairs to navigate. Therefore, the tour is unfortunately not suitable for people with walking disabilities and wheelchair users.

And after the brewery tour?
How about a visit to our Jever Shop? Just a few steps from our brewery, you will find everything a Jever fan desires. We are open from 10 am to 6 pm from Monday to Friday and from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays.

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

20 years after the artist, author, and performer Vaginal Davis moved from Los Angeles to Berlin, the Gropius Bau presents the first comprehensive solo exhibition of her work in Germany. In her groundbreaking creation, punk and glamour, queer activism and Black counterculture, as well as resistance and desire, intertwine. Vaginal Davis: Fabelhaftes Produkt unites large-scale installations, paintings, video and film works, zines, texts, music, and performance, offering a comprehensive overview of Davis' multifaceted practice and her artistic collaborations. As part of the exhibition, the art collective CHEAP presents the installation Choose Mutation with photographs by Annette Frick. Fabelhaftes Produkt invites you into the universe of Vaginal Davis, populated by literary heroines, mythical figures, and real icons.
Initiated by the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, in collaboration with the Gropius Bau, Berlin, and MoMA PS1, New York
 
 
 
 

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

The New Yorker blues-rock star is a regular guest in German concert halls. In April 2024, he performed in sold-out venues in Cologne, Münster, Berlin, and Leipzig. Now he announces his next tour in Germany.

As in spring 2022, 2023, and 2024, the New Yorker will visit his German fans. In addition to North Rhine-Westphalia, fans in Bavaria (April 30), Lower Saxony (May 6), and Hesse (May 8/9) can look forward to his performance.

Almost exactly a year after his last triumphant tour through German concert halls, the blues-rock star Joe Bonamassa returns. He will bring along a brand new studio album, expected to be released in late 2024. The tour for his last album 'Blues Deluxe Vol. 2' (ranked 7 in the German album charts) was a triumphant success.

With the Gold Award for 'Live From The Royal Albert Hall' 2011 in Germany, the guitarist began his triumphant journey through Germany. His annual visits have brought him ever larger venues, which he easily filled or sold out.

The last time Bonamassa could be seen live in Germany was in April 2024. The blues-rock star thrilled his fans in Cologne, Münster, Leipzig, and Berlin.

Who a few years ago still believed that blues rock was just a musical niche product has been shown otherwise by Joe Bonamassa. The American has already been awarded Gold three times in Germany and has been playing in the top ranks of the charts for over 10 years. He has 17 Top 10 placements in Germany, including four number 3 placements, and has received three Gold Awards. In the USA, he has a staggering number of 25 number 1 albums in the Billboard Blues Charts.

Even though he is so successful with his albums, the stage remains the perfect place for the singer and guitarist. In his now-typical outfit of suit and sunglasses, he will delight his fans and further his legacy as one of the greatest guitarists of our time.

“There is no one in the blues rock scene who plays with so much talent and passion while simultaneously showing so much respect for those who stood on stage before him. No one has as much dedication to his craft as Joe Bonamassa!”
Classic Rock Magazine

Doors open at 7:00 PM

Remaining tickets may be available at the box office

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 ufaFabrik is the home of Terra Brasilis, which has a history of more than 35 years. Under the direction of Manfred Spaniol, the musicians predominantly play original compositions based on Brazilian percussion grooves.
Terra Brasilis has been a guest at many international festivals, touring Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Brazil, and Cambodia. They have performed at numerous large and cultural events and have made a name for themselves worldwide with their versatile repertoire. Terra Brasilis musicians have been involved in international cultural exchange projects for years.

DJ Meiokylu brings the dance floor to life with his sets of Salsa, Samba, Reggae, Hip-Hop, and Funk.

Photo: Christiane Vonnahme

Box office opens at 7:00 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

Objects AUS EINER ANDEREN WELT populate the first exhibition in 2025: Mysterious root beings by Anne Carnein, life-sized wolves by Irmela Maier, creatures from water and air by Angelika Brackrock, and bizarre fairy tale animals by Ingrid Butschek transport you to unknown spheres. Special guest is the Ukrainian artist Aljoscha. 

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

If you like to reminisce about the music of the 1970s, or if you're too young for it but still enjoy the music, you have to listen to HR 1 (which is only partially successful, due to the many 80s hits), or check out YouTube or dig out the old records from the cupboard.

If you want to experience this music live, you have to spend a lot of money to go to concerts with the 70s dinosaurs (and are usually disappointed because only one member of the original band is still on stage, the rest are hired musicians) – or you simply go to SCHANZ for Rock in den Mai.

Because THE FREE ELECTRIC BAND plays only hits from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 1979 – and does so in a completely diverse way. Easy listening, hard rock, glam rock, a bit of disco feeling; in addition, the men bring the old stars back from the box: greats like Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, T. Rex, Hot Chocolate, Bob Seeger, Led Zeppelin, CCR, Status Quo, Santana, early Genesis, Manfred Mann, BTO, Golden Earring, Jethro Tull, or Rod Stewart come together for a joyful gathering.

The idea for this band comes from Achim "Schnalli" Schnall, the sound technician for BAP, who hired Mob (drummer of the Rodgau Monotones), Rolf Bussalb (guitarist for Nigel Kennedy), Gero Steigerwald (Melibokus), the "senior average downgrade" Tobi Meuer, and the SCHANZ stalwart Fred Bauer.

THE FREE ELECTRIC BAND plays exactly the music that the musicians like as well; they do it gladly and they do it well. In high spirits, the men stand on stage, sometimes lost in their own memories of how they rode their mopeds to the festival hall to see Ten Years After. But don't worry, you don't have to come with a Hercules, you don't need to wear collars up to your shoulders or platform boots up to your knees, or bell-bottoms, because the whole party atmosphere comes through just from the sound.

The SCHANZ team is looking forward to another (as in the last years, so secure your tickets in time!) sold-out event this year. And luckily, these busy musicians are all free on April 30th...

Entrance: 7:00 PM

No tickets available here

DE / EN / FR

With "Nike: Form Follows Motion," the Vitra Design Museum presents the first museum exhibition about Nike, the largest sports brand in the world. The exhibition traces the rise of the company from a local start-up to a global phenomenon and focuses on Nike's fascinating design history. This spans from the experimental beginnings in the 1960s and the design of the famous "Swoosh" logo in the early 1970s to innovations like the Air sole and current research on sustainability and new materials. At the same time, the exhibition examines the role of sports within our society, as well as the almost mythical reverence for sneakers and sportswear in pop culture and social media. "Nike: Form Follows Motion" aligns with a summer of major sporting events marked by the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and the European Football Championship in Germany. The exhibition was initiated and produced by the Vitra Design Museum, and the curator is the internationally renowned design historian Glenn Adamson.

"Nike: Form Follows Motion" is the first-ever museum exhibition about Nike, the world’s most revered sports brand. The exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum explores the company’s trajectory from a grassroots start-up to a global phenomenon. The focus is on Nike’s design history: from the company’s beginnings in the 1960s and the design of its famous "Swoosh" logo in the early 1970s to the innovative Nike Air soles as well as current research on future materials and sustainability. Following the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Paris and the European Football Championship in Germany, the exhibition emphasises the importance of sports for design innovation and social change while also shedding light on the almost mythical devotion to sneakers and sportswear in popular culture and social media. The exhibition was initiated and produced by the Vitra Design Museum and is curated by design historian Glenn Adamson.

Le Vitra Design Museum présente la toute première exposition de musée consacrée à Nike, la marque de sport la plus renommée au monde. « Nike : Form Follows Motion » explore l’ascension continue de cette entreprise, start-up locale devenue en 50 ans un phénomène mondial. L’accent est mis sur l’histoire du design de cette société, depuis ses débuts dans les années 1960 et la conception de son fameux logo « Swoosh » jusqu’à la recherche actuelle sur les matériaux d’avenir et la durabilité, en passant par des icônes tels qu’Air Max. Dans le sillage des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de Paris et du Championnat d’Europe de football en Allemagne, l’exposition soulignera l’importance du sport pour l’innovation dans le design et le changement social, tout en abordant la vénération quasi mythique vouée aux sneakers et à la mode sportive dans la culture populaire et les médias sociaux. Cette exposition est initiée et produite par le Vitra Design Museum. Commissaire d’exposition est l'historien du design Glenn Adamson.

Ten Years of Meissen Porcelain Foundation
Exhibition at the Museum of the Meissen Porcelain Foundation, March 21, 2025 to February 22, 2026

Collecting fascinates. The Meissen Porcelain Foundation was founded at the end of 2014, and it began its work in 2015. It preserves the cultural heritage of Meissen porcelain. One of the foundation's tasks is the care of the historical collection of the Meissen porcelain manufactory.

Manufacturer founder Augustus the Strong referred to his passion for porcelain as “Maladie.” This literally means “disease,” but stands for his boundless longing for the precious white gold. This fascination is shared to this day by generations of collectors – and artists. Their porcelains showcase the invention, production, and collection of the white treasures. Porcelain craftsmen provide insight into their art. Happy collectors cherish their treasures. Artists play with the term porcelain and transform centuries-old tools into contemporary porcelain art.

The exhibition provides insight into the work of the foundation and showcases Meissen porcelains around the theme of collecting.

„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