A woman in a chador wanders through a garden with a suitcase, personal statements are written on bare arms, in an endless video loop the everyday life spins – 18 Iranian female artists, who have already exhibited in the Villa Ichon in Bremen in 2023, will showcase their video and photo art at GEDOK Karlsruhe in March 2025. The progressive presence, poetic imagery, and playful engagement with traditional motifs are distinctive features of the presented works.
The participating artists are active in the areas of performance, video, photography, installation, and land art. These art forms hold a special significance in Iran, often operating alongside the official art scene. Media forms can also be presented internationally on the internet. The current conditions make it difficult for the artists; self-organization and networking are essential for them. The exhibition gives the artists from their country a voice. They love their country, want to live there, produce their art freely, and show it internationally.
The exhibition is an event by GEDOK Karlsruhe in cooperation with the Bremen Artists' Association, GEDOK.

Opening on Thursday, 06.03.2025 at 7 PM
Introduction: Michael Dörfler with texts by Elke Priess, Bremen
Greeting: Verena Meister, Equality Officer Stadt Karlsruhe

Guided tour with Meggi Rochell on Friday, 21.03.2025 at 5 PM

Wed, Thu, Fri 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Sat, Sun, Holidays 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

KÖRPERWELTEN – Anatomy of Happiness

The body as a place of happiness
Great love, a carefree life, true friendship... we all strive for happiness. But have you ever wondered how happiness actually arises? Why it is so important for our lives and why we can’t get enough of it? Or why we can’t permanently preserve happiness?

Like every action, perception, or sensation, the feeling of happiness is also a result of certain processes in our body. In the Heidelberg KÖRPERWELTEN Museum, you can discover what exactly lies beneath your skin with real anatomical specimens and which structures are involved in the emergence of the feeling of happiness. In doing so, you will learn a lot of interesting things about your organ functions and about health in general. And you will be surprised at how versatile positive or negative emotions affect the entire body. Because everything we experience, feel, and do or don’t do with our body ultimately has an impact on it sooner or later.

An exhibition that will change your perspective on yourself.

Last entry: 5:00 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

Ticket sales open at 11:00 AM

Permanent Exhibition Nature and Geology

The sensory, colorful, exciting, and informative family exhibition awakens interest in nature in our surroundings and is a space for exploration for visitors both big and small.

 

Nature

In the natural history section, questions like "Is the deer the female of the stag?", "Why do birds have beaks?", or "Do ducks get cold feet?" are answered vividly and in detail. The exhibition welcomes its visitors in the large, atmospheric attic with open landscape scenarios on the themes of forest, land, and river.

A huge maple tree in autumn colors seems to grow out of the wall and overlooks the detailed forest landscape. Here, you can find animals such as badgers, deer, the shy wildcat, and a variety of forest birds.

The meadow also offers numerous discoveries: the hawk peeks through the grass, you can find crawling creatures under the stone, and even the mole has found its spot.

The river landscape is populated by local fish, mussels, and crabs, with ducks and other birds comfortably settled along the shore.

A large number of hands-on stations, games, and experiments invite participation: for instance, you can listen to bird songs, feel fur, or examine snail shells under a magnifying glass. If you're curious about how stuffed animals are made, you can learn about it at the taxidermist's worktable. You can relax and browse through a colorful selection of children's books in the cozy moss bed while listening to various forest sounds or just unwind.

 

Geology

In the geological section at the very top under the museum's roof, questions like "Can rocks glow?", "Is a pencil made of lead?", or "Is there a silver treasure in the Black Forest?" are answered vividly and in detail here as well.

Is time travel even possible? Yes, with us! With the time machine, you can journey to different geological eras. You step in, choose an era, and zoom off, for example, to the Carboniferous period. Upon arrival, you learn about the landscape, climate, and flora and fauna of that time.

Next up is the reconstructed gallery: here you'll learn that coal, iron ore, and even silver were mined in numerous pits near Offenburg.

Finally, you enter the exhibition's treasure trove, the mineral cabinet. Here, you can admire beautiful minerals with melodious names like agate, limonite, or psilomelane, shimmering in all colors and occurring in bizarre forms. Some of these minerals even glow under blacklight.

The permanent exhibition Forest - Land - River encourages exploring interesting connections and asking new questions. Sensory, colorful, exciting, and informative, the presentation offers a suitable platform for youthful curiosity and creates a stimulating and child-friendly space that adults will also enjoy. The exhibition answers all questions vividly and with lively texts, many of which can be heard on the audioguide, available for free at the information desk.

The exhibition is bilingual in German and French.

 

Closed on Mondays
Tue-Sun 10 am - 5 pm

New permanent exhibition on colonial history

Exotic exhibits from the former German colonies in Africa, China, and the South Seas transport visitors back to the time between 1885 and 1914.

The history of the German colonies in Africa, China, and the South Seas is presented in detail and critically examined in the new permanent exhibition. The museum draws on its extensive ethnographic collection, which was established by museum founder Carl Frowin Mayer between 1894 and 1917.

How was the topic of "colonies" discussed in Offenburg, and what connections were there to the distant possessions? Who donated objects from the German "protectorates" to the museum, and how did this come about? What image of the colonies and, above all, the people in the colonies, was portrayed in the Offenburg museum? Collections from big-game hunters, missionaries, aid workers, and travelers from Offenburg and the surrounding area from 1918 to the present day clearly show that the consequences of colonialism are still evident today.

The Cron collection with its big-game trophies from Africa and Asia is also presented in a new context of colonial history. The famous "hornless rhinoceros" is back in its original location, pointing to current developments related to both colonial history and globalization. In addition to questions of colonial history, current issues such as big-game hunting, economic dependencies, and racism are addressed.

Artist Angelika Nain has created a very personal approach to the topic with her print series "Still..." (the originals can be seen in a separate room). She illustrates the darker sides of our global economic system, depicting the consequences of exporting waste and weapons to developing countries: destruction and flight.

Tue - Sun 10 am - 5 pm

GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA directed by Uli Plettendorff
Tour „BEST OF …“

The unmistakable, strikingly harmonious, and simultaneously electrifying sound brings back the spirit of the 40s and 50s, leaving no doubt from the first minute about the skills of the excellent musicians. In the grand Big Band ensemble, timeless world hits such as: In The Mood, Pennsylvania 6-5000, and many more are presented.

[Photo: © Nathalie Zimmermann]

Admission: 7:30 PM

The Case of Snow White - a criminal fairy tale!
"Snow White," a gem in the German fairy tale treasure trove, is well known to everyone. However, the fact that this story is full of criminal energies is probably completely unknown. The evil stepmother is only superficially jealous of Snow White's beauty, much more crucial is her greed for the handsome inheritance. From inheritance scams to murder plots, the case of "Snow White" has it all. Therefore, the Kikeriki Theater finally reveals the true background and depths of this vile game. Be prepared, you will definitely not hear a "fairy tale" here.

The Kikeriki Theater stands for cheerfulness, folly, and nonsense, but never for the senseless! Out of the desire to speak plainly to the people and not to mince words in reciting, the pitfalls of everyday life and all human weaknesses are sometimes served up heavily, sometimes lightly. The unique style of the KIKERIKI THEATER also includes a lovingly ironic approach to the specific dialect and way of life of the Hessian people. The KIKERIKI THEATER staff write all the scripts, build the puppets, create the sets, compose, direct, and play themselves. The ensemble has already delighted over 1.8 million viewers.

Door opens at 7:00 PM

03. to 28.03.2025

Almost 600 submissions competed for the coveted awards. In the competition of the »Most Beautiful German Books«, two juries of experts selected the 25 most beautiful books of the year through an elaborate process.
The 25 selected books are exemplary in design, concept, and craftsmanship. They showcase a wide range of design and production possibilities as well as important trends and currents in German book production.
In each of the five categories »General Literature«, »Scientific Books, Technical Books, Textbooks«, »Advice, Non-Fiction Books«, »Art Books, Photo Books, Exhibition Catalogues« and »Children's Books, Young Adult Books«, there are five awardees each.

Anna Swirszczyńska  „Ich habe eine Barrikade gebaut“

Reading and conversation with Peter Oliver Loew, Anna Kołyszko and Julia Dillmann

Tuesday, March 18, 19:00

Polish Institute Düsseldorf, Citadellstr. 7, 40213 Düsseldorf

Accompanying program to the exhibition „The Warsaw Uprising 1944“ at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus Düsseldorf.

Anna Swirszczyńska's poems about the Warsaw Uprising are extraordinary. She experienced the uprising of the resistance movement against the German occupiers in 1944 up close as a paramedic. In her lyrical reflections published in Polish in 1974, she depicts the fragile human existence amidst a great drama of humanity. With clear, factual language, she portrays ordinary people, men, women, children, and the elderly – „while building the barricade“, in the hail of bullets, while loving and while dying.

This volume holds a special place in Polish poetry as well as in world literature, as a poetic report of an event that is among the great tragedies of the 20th century. Czeslaw Milosz, the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, on „Ich habe eine Barrikade gebaut“

Anna Swirszczyńska, born in 1909 in Warsaw, poet, prose writer, author of plays and radio dramas. She was a paramedic during the Warsaw Uprising. In her poetry, she created a unique, direct poetic language with which she described the everyday dimensions of death and femininity. In Poland, she is considered one of the most important authors of the women's movement. She died in 1984 in Krakow. „Ich habe eine Barrikade“ gebaut is among her most famous works. The poems are a moving testimony to the experiences of the Warsaw Uprising.

Peter Oliver Loew, born in 1967 in Frankfurt am Main, author, editor and translator of scientific monographs, non-fiction books as well as poetry and prose (including Leopold Tyrmand and Maria Kuncewiczowa), has been the director of the German Polish Institute in Darmstadt since 2019. 

Cooperation: Polish Institute Düsseldorf, Gerhart-Hauptmann-Haus Foundation, German Polish Institute Darmstadt

60 YEARS OF HORST HANSEN TRIO – THE STAGE ANNIVERSARY Brand new songs from the oldest jazz band in Germany!
In colorful socks and fashionable shirts, the five young musicians bring their intense jazz to the stage and celebrate 60 years of band history.
INTENSE JAZZ. Always a full expression of the joy of playing:
Driving grooves, unexpected twists, love for detail in arrangement, and a hint of megalomania – always in the tension field between jazz and dance music.
Enriched with sensual vocal arrangements in the style of the 60s, honoring the founding father of the trio, the audience can expect an impressive presentation of new songs. Colorful as the socks, the band expresses their mischievous joy in drawing from various styles such as fusion, hip-hop, or drum & bass and mixing the brew of INTENSE JAZZ. In 1962, Horst Hansen founded his band in the Rhineland metropolis of Krefeld, even before the 68 generation, and provided all the "places" in the Federal Republic with his dance music at that time. Since then, the trio has basked in the glow of Horst Hansen and has made a name for itself on the stages of Europe with lively songs in modern times.
Shows at the XJazz Festival Berlin, the Düsseldorf Jazz Rally, Povalec Festival (CZ), the Leverkusen Jazz Days (Future Sounds), Jazzfestival Moers, Jazzfestival Freiburg, Kammgarn Int. Jazzfestival, and many more not only thrilled die-hard jazz fans but also an audience far beyond jazz boundaries.
Following the current studio album "LIVE IN JAPAN" (2020), the new stage show for the 60th anniversary is now premiering.
And once again it’s said:
“Horst Hansen Dance Music – hot as a church choir – sweet like a cherry liqueur!”

Permanent Exhibition Urban History

The urban history exhibition showcases the political and economic path of Offenburg from the 1848 Revolution to the economic miracle of the 1950s and 60s.

With the beginning of the 1848 Revolution, the urban history exhibition also starts, taking the visitor through the times of upheaval and change in Offenburg and the region.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Offenburg is a small town with just under 2,400 inhabitants. 170 years later, there are already 33,000 citizens. During this period, the city experiences industrialization, two revolutions, three wars, two inflations, emigration and immigration, dictatorship, and democratic new beginnings.

Four main themes are focused on:

• History of democracy

• Migration

• Mobility

• Economic history

The exhibition showcases the political and economic path of Offenburg into modernity, from the 1848 Revolution to the economic miracle of the 1950s and 60s. It combines treasures from the collections with modern media and playful elements, such as an animation on emigration to North America, audio stations, and film sequences.



Photo: Karl Schlessmann

Closed on Mondays
Tue-Sun 10 am - 5 pm

In performative video works, some of them community productions with Tiago Mata Machado, the Brazilian artist Cinthia Marcelle isolates everyday, routine movements and work processes from their functional and production-oriented context. The mostly collaboratively participatory situations are transformed into poetic, metaphorical images that put established routines of social interaction and a performance-oriented logic of modern societies into question.

The exhibition Bodies in Motion – Form in the Making contextualizes the performative, mostly based on simple action instructions performance-based video works of Cinthia Marcelle for the first time with icons of the American post-minimalist dance and performance practice of the 1960s/70s such as Yvonne Rainer, Bruce Nauman, Suzanne Harris, and the performative-participatory approach of the minimalist sculptures of the German artist Charlotte Posenenske.

The exhibition is curated by Anna Roberta Goetz.

Tuesday | March 18, 2025 | 8:00 PM
House for Families / Campus
Spülwall 11, Kempen

Sebastian Gahler Quartett (D)

“Two Moons”

Sebastian Gahler, piano | Paul Heller, tenor saxophone | Matthias Akeo Nowak, bass | Ralf Gessler, drums

Tokyo – Düsseldorf – Kempen. These could possibly be the coordinates for today’s concert. What lies behind this? The Düsseldorf pianist and composer Sebastian Gahler has long been a fan of the Japanese bestselling author Haruki Murakami, who himself is a great jazz lover. With his current project “Two Moons,” Gahler has created a fine collection of music that brings literature to life, for which he revives well-known literary characters or motifs from Murakami's works, supplemented by small anecdotes and quotes during his moderation. An extraordinary program that tells not just one, but many stories. Sebastian Gahler – described by the specialist magazine Jazzthing as “one of the most fascinating jazz pianists in Germany” – is a permanent fixture in the German jazz scene with his trio. For the recording of the album “Two Moons” (released in 2022 as a CD and LP), he enlisted notable “support” in the form of saxophonist Denis Gäbel. In the concert, the Cologne tenor saxophonist Paul Heller, who has been a member of the WDR Big Band since 2005 and has collaborated with Johnny Griffin, Al Foster, Steve Swallow, and many other prominent musicians, plays in his place. Additionally, Heller has been artistically and musically leading the concert series "Next Level Jazz" in Cologne's "Stadtgarten" for many years. Paul Heller has now recorded ten CDs under his own name and appears on over 70 other CDs as a soloist and sideman. Together with the fabulous rhythm team Nowak – Gessler and bandleader Gahler, an ideal lineup for current modern jazz with a melodic core!

Supported by the Cultural Secretariat NRW Gütersloh and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Doors open approximately 30 minutes before the concert begins.

The Komische Nacht is one of the most successful live comedy formats in Germany. In the most beautiful cafes, restaurants, and venues of a city, you will experience an entertaining and lively evening - with the best entertainment by various comedians, cabaret artists, and other comedians. No Komische Nacht is like the other.

The Komische Nacht offers a colorful and exciting cross-section of the current comedy scene in Germany. In each venue, up to 5 comedians perform for about 20 minutes each in one evening. The best part: at the Komische Nacht, you don't have to wander from place to place to see different comedians. You just need to get a ticket for your favorite venue and we will serve you multiple artists. At the Komische Nacht, it's actually the comedians who roam between the venues. Off one stage, onto the next. This is truly a comedy marathon for both the artists and the audience.

Whether it's a restaurant, a student pub, a cultural center, a hair salon, a cinema hall, or a cocktail bar - the venues of the Komische Nacht are as diverse as the comedians performing here. However, the fun factor is the same everywhere. Laughter is the main focus of the Komische Nacht. And because laughing alone is okay but can sometimes seem strange, it's best to go with friends, colleagues, or - depending on the level of your humor - even your in-laws to a Komische Nacht. Together, you can laugh, enjoy delicious food and drinks, and have plenty of time in the breaks between performances to relax and chat.

By the way, the first Komische Nacht took place in the Oldenburg city center in 2008. This unique comedy marathon now takes place regularly in over 40 German cities (including Bielefeld, Frankfurt, Hannover, Kassel, Lübeck, Münster, and Oldenburg).

"The Komische Nacht: An ideal way to get to know several artists in an entertaining way without having to spend the whole evening just with one of them. An event that is in line with the spirit of the times: lots of input in a short time at a reasonable price."
(Neue Presse)

"The (...) Komische Nacht in Osnabrück attracted young and old people off the sofa, resulting in all venues reporting 'Sold Out.' (...) The audience's laughing muscles were put to the test and the feet of the waiters were smoking because laughing a lot also requires drinking a lot."
(Osnabrücker Sonntagszeitung)

"Sure, you can make mistakes when buying tickets: then you sit there for two hours and get annoyed that one of the artists is boring you. So, you're on the safe side at the Komische Nacht because here one short performance follows another. This concept is well received. After all, the organizers counted (...) over 1500 attendees in the twelve venues."
(Nordwest-Zeitung)

"The people of Wolfsburg like to go to the basement to laugh - for example, to the one in the Brauhaus Fallersleben. It was one of the nine stations the artists visited during the 'Komische Nacht.' The 13th live comedy marathon on Tuesday evening was a complete success. The audience barely had time to catch their breath (...). Thigh-slapping, tears of laughter, stress relief: This successful format continues to be popular with the people of Wolfsburg."
(Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung)

Doors open around 6:00 pm

No tickets available here

The artist Heinz Battke (1900 – 1966) initially attended the private Berlin art school “A. Propp” from 1918 to 1921, after which he was a student of Karl Hofer at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin (1922 – 1925). During the Nazi era, Battke was one of the so-called "degenerate" artists. He emigrated to Italy in 1935 and lived in Florence. In 1956, he returned to Germany and took on the position as head of the class for Free Graphic Arts at the “State Academy of Fine Arts – Städelschule” in Frankfurt am Main.

After World War II, Battke was represented at significant national and international art exhibitions: in 1951 he participated in the First Biennale in São Paulo, in 1954 works by Battke were exhibited in the German Pavilion at the Biennale in Venice, and in 1959 at documenta 2 in Kassel. He exhibited several times at the “Frankfurt Art Cabinet Hanna Bekker vom Rath” founded in 1947. Works by Battke were also part of the private art collection of the Hofheim painter, patron, collector, and gallery owner Hanna Bekker vom Rath.

Several works by Battke are part of the art collection of the Hofheim City Museum, with the collection consisting of around 45 drawings and graphics never having been fully shown in an exhibition. Landscapes, (self-) portraits, and still lifes define the overall work. The exhibition presents the work of the painter, draftsman, and graphic artist in a focused manner. Battke was also a recognized jewelry expert for rings and built up a large collection of rings, which is now owned by the Jewelry Museum in Pforzheim. Battke's private collector activities are also presented in the exhibition.

In addition to works by Heinz Battke, the exhibition features works by Hanna Bekker vom Rath, Rudolf Levy, Hans Purrmann, Emy Roeder, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

Opening hours Tuesday. . 10.00 – 13.00 Tuesday – Friday. . 14.00 – 17.00 Saturday, Sunday. . 11.00 – 18.00

Golden Premium Card 2025

With the Golden Premium Card, the cardholder receives a 50% discount on almost all concerts of the Havelland Music Festival 2025 (children's events are excluded). Additionally, you can attend two concerts of the Italian Culture Festival in March for the price of one.

This year, you can expect exclusive, varied, and unique concert experiences again. We are celebrating 25 years of the Havelland Music Festival together with you. Planned are, among others, an Italian Culture Festival, a reading with actress Jutta Speidel at Ribbeck Castle, a concert with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra at Funkamt Nauen, a concert on Easter Sunday at the Petzow Church, a stroll concert in Reckahn, and the Märkisches Hofkonzert in Päwesin. For the first time, Schloss Görne (Havelland) will host events, and there will be Havelland Evening Music (concerts starting at 7 PM). Stay tuned. We are looking forward to a great season 2025 together with you.

With the Golden Premium Card, you receive your personal code, which allows you to order your concert tickets for the Havelland Music Festival by phone or online.

The discount applies per ticket. The Premium Card is non-transferable.

This one-week course provides information about archival science and basic knowledge of archival practice. It is aimed as an introductory seminar for archival staff who have no subject-specific training and little professional experience or are voluntary archive caretakers and want to familiarize themselves with the most important archival tasks and methods.

On Wednesday, there will be an excursion to the City Archive Troisdorf.
City Archive Troisdorf
Kölner Straße 176
53840 Troisdorf

Entry: 09:00 AM

City tour with a twist: During your smartphone-guided scavenger hunt, you'll puzzle over a few riddles along the way. And after solving each question or task, you'll receive interesting information about the corresponding safari station.

By the way: During your tour, you should aim to hunt down as many safari points as possible. So, every shot counts! Um... we meant, of course: Every answer counts!

Your route will take you to various safari stations. Along the way, you'll discover not only historical sites but also sights and hotspots off the beaten tourist paths. The Safari team has made sure that you'll encounter a few surprises along the way!

Find out in a fun and amusing way new and astonishing things about your city. Here, you'll get exciting insights beyond the classic sightseeing tours and learn interesting facts about your Safari-City on the side.

By the way: The Safari is available 24/7, all year round and lasts approximately 90 minutes.