SIGHTGEIST No. 12 - The Saxony Magazine

SIGHTGEIST THE SAXONY MAGAZINE

SIMPLY REVOLUTIONARY MASTERS OF GLASS TATTOOING THE LIONESS

NEWS

EVENTS

STORIES

No. 12

PRESERV ING T HE T RADIT IONS. R E P R E S E N T I N G S A X O N Y. Saxony offers a multitude of regional culinary delicacies. Whether wine, pastries, cheese or beer, all of them are deeply rooted in the region, have an authentic history and a long tradition. Find out more about tasty specialities from Saxony at: www.regionales.sachsen.de

Good pictures … … and good stories!

Please don’t think we have gone into a self praise mode. But for us, every story starts with a picture: Without impressive photos, there is no story. However, good pictures also need a good story to go with them. Every year, we wonder if we will be able to deliver not only interesting stories, but also a great mix of topics relating to Saxony. This time, we believe we have come up with a good collection of stories of great variety that will delight you, our valued reader. But we’ll let you decide for yourself …

Germany celebrates the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus in 2019. To mark this occasion, SIGHTGEIST takes a look at the Modernist architecture that can be found in Saxony.

One of the featured buildings is ranked amongst the worldwide icons from this period, mentioned in the same breath as Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwater”.

Saxony has a long track record when it comes to successful winter sports athletes. We accompany one of the current golden boys, bobsleigh pilot and multiple World Champion Francesco Friedrich, through the last season, which has just come to an end. A hard worker with technical proficiency and an innovative spirit, he is blessed with the same traits as the men and women at the helm of major Saxon companies also featured in this SIGHTGEIST edition: Reier makes showcases for famous museums all over the world, Charlotte Meentzen and the eponymous company she founded have been pioneers in the field of natural cosmetics for many decades, and BuddyBuddy – taking us back to winter sports – makes trendy snowboards with a passion.

Going back in time we look at the biggest party ever held in Europe: When Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, married off his son to the daughter of the German Emperor in 1719, the celebrations lasted for four weeks. Today, you can still marvel at the locations where the festivities were held, such as the famous Dresden Zwinger and the reconstructed State Apartments in the Royal Palace, which will open to the public in late September 2019. Augustus also founded Europe’s first porcelain manufactory, Meissen, which is currently casting off its traditional image with an entirely fresh approach to design.

SIGHTGEIST would not have come into existence without the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 that started in the Saxon city of Leipzig. Saxony would still be locked up behind the Iron Curtain. But 30 years on, we prefer to look ahead to the future including next year’s edition of this magazine. But don’t hold your breath! Enjoy this one ...

This is the last edition of SIGHTGEIST under my direction. From now on, my successor Veronika Hiebl will be in charge of this magazine. I’m sure it will be in good hands and look forward to enjoying next year’s issue as a reader.

Enjoy the read!

Hans-Jürgen Goller Editorial Director

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26 36

Modern past

Contents 03

Editorial

06

Kaleidoscope News and events

16

Simply Revolutionary The impact of Bauhaus

26

Chasing the All-Time Record Francesco’s dream

36

Masters of Glass Pimping the museums

50

The Long Road to Freedom Revolutions on display

58

Tradition Meets Haute Cuisine Aue’s culinary treasure

Speed junkies

66

Tattooing the Lioness Meissen reloaded

The exhibitionists

78

The Sound of Leipzig Walk of fame

90

Charlotte Meentzen Pioneer with a vision

96

Holidays for Everyone Accessible travel in Saxony

104

The Wedding of the Century When Dresden barocked

114

Good Vibes from the Mountains A passion for the future

122

Cultural Highlights & Events Calendar 2019/20

130

Imprint

96

50 58

Germany relaunched

78

Saxony all inclusive

Music history XXL

Passion fruits

“A great variety�

104 66

A new breed

90

Natural beauty

114

Party animals

Carving a niche

Moving Traditions Modern times and glittering epochs: Dresden’s stages are as varied as their programmes.

50 years of the Kulturpalast Dresden 5th –13th Oct 2019 DAVE – Club Culture Festival 18th –27th Oct 2019 Dresden Jazz Days 23th Oct–24th Nov 2019

KULTURPALAST

SCHAUSPIELHAUS Visit Dresden www.dresden.de/tourismus www.dresden-elbland www.dresden-magazin.com

KALEIDOSCOPE

Homage to Böttger In 2019, Europe’s oldest porcelain manufactory honours Johann Friedrich Böttger, the inventor of European hard porcelain, on the 300th anniversary of his death. Before he discovered the secret of white porcelain, he invented what was known as Böttger Stoneware. From 4 February to 31 December, a special interactive exhibition, “Böttger and his ‘Red Porcelain’”, tells the story of how Meissen porcelain evolved. Every year in April, Meissen opens its doors to visitors, offering them a glimpse of how Meissen porcelain is made today. A visit to the production site is free on these days. www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com

CREATIVE WORKSHOPS AT MEISSEN From porcelain paste to the finished object, participants in Meissen’s new creative workshops can try working with porcelain and gain hands-on experience with the techniques. Under the tutelage of expert artisans, they have the chance to create their own, individual porcelain pieces. Once the pieces have been shaped and decorated, they are glazed and fired in-house before finally being delivered to their makers by post. www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com

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FORTRESS XPERIENCE Few people realise as they look out onto the river Elbe from Brühl’s Terrace that they are standing on Dresden’s former Renaissance battlements and that the city’s oldest vaults are right under their feet. A new exhibition, “The Fortress Xperience – Splendor. Tears. Disaster”, opens in the reconstructed part of the fortress in autumn 2019, taking visitors on a fascinating adventure with breathtaking 360° projections and atmospheric audio technology. Visitors can follow Duke Maurice of Saxony, who built the fortress, through the 450-year-old ruins of what was once Germany’s most modern bastion. Designed as a mighty ring wall around the city, it was surrounded by a moat. www.festung-dresden.de

Gilded leather tapestries in Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle, once a magnificent hunting and pleasure lodge of Saxon electors and kings, is a fascinating place to explore. The castle near Dresden not only bears witness to the grandeur of the Baroque period, but also has unique features, including something very rare: a collection of historic tapestries made of gilded leather.

A special exhibition dedicated to these wall coverings at Moritzburg Castle, which opened on 1 April 2019, tells how the leather tapestries were made, their function and transformation through the castle’s 300-year history. They were considered one of the most opulent forms of interior design and attested to the high rank of their royal owners. www.schloss-moritzburg.de

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Porcelain Cabinet in the Royal Palace For some 200 years, the tower room in Dresden’s Royal Palace was a prominent exhibition space for the royal porcelain collection. Not only were vases from China and Japan displayed here, it is also where the collection’s founder, Augustus III, presented the best porcelain from his unique and much-envied Meissen porcelain manufactory on gold-plated tables against a red-lacquered wall. The Baroque Porcelain Cabinet was preserved with minor changes until the palace was destroyed in 1945, and is currently being reconstructed. Outstanding masterpieces of Meissen porcelain, such as element vases by court sculptor and master modeller Johann Joachim Kändler, which were in storage for 75 years, are now being returned to the castle. Numerous wall mountings are left empty to remind visitors of the loss of a large part of the porcelain collection, which was evacuated before the war. www.skd.museum

A true Jewel

The 4-star superior hotel BEI SCHUMANN in Kirschau, near Bautzen, blends luxurious comfort and culinary delights in a romantic Art Nouveau villa. Four restaurants titillate guests’ taste buds with exquisite dishes. The hotel’s JUWEL restaurant has now been awarded a Michelin star, the first outside a major city in Saxony. Head chef Philipp Liebisch from Berlin trained at Aigner restaurant on the Gendarmenmarkt and went on to work at various restaurants in Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate. In November 2018, the Gault Millau restaurant guide rated Liebisch’s cuisine with 16 out of 20 possible points. The critics recognized above all the chef’s culinary skills and creativity, calling him a “true artist of aromas”. JUWEL is the seventh restaurant in Saxony to be awarded a Michelin star. www.bei-schumann.de

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Grand splendour in the Small Ballroom The Small Ballroom of Dresden Royal Palace now shines resplendent once more, as it did in the days of the Saxon kings. After being destroyed during the war, the grand ballroom has been restored to its original state and was reopened in early 2019. The gilded gallery railings and the ceiling alone required 78,000 sheets of gold leaf, or a total of 410 square metres of gold! Where magnificent celebrations were once held, visitors can now stroll around and will soon also be able to listen to concerts.

The ballroom on the second floor of the Georgenbau was originally built between 1865 and 1868 based on the designs of court architect Bernhard Krüger, a student of Gottfried Semper. He created an important testimony to the historicist style with gold leaf, marble and stucco, and gave it a festive atmosphere with fine ornaments, musical cherubs and flower children. It was the most significant construction project undertaken in the palace by the art enthusiast King John. www.skd.museum

OLD MASTERS’ PICTURE GALLERY AND SCULPTURE COLLECTION REOPEN The Old Masters’ Picture Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister) in

history. The exhibition also highlights the importance of antique

the Semper Wing of Dresden’s Zwinger is a Who’s Who of the art

sculpture for painting in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The

world. With more than 300 paintings and sculptures displayed

large Sculpture Hall in the east wing of the building presents the

on three floors, it takes visitors on a tour of European art and

significant collection of antique sculptures. At the same time, the

cultural history. After several years of renovation, the Old Mas-

exhibition in the Picture Gallery will be complemented with small

ters’ Picture Gallery will officially reopen on 7 December 2019

bronzes and marble pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque

with a new concept: the juxtaposition of painting and sculpture.

periods, many placed in direct comparison with the paintings.

Key works of art, including world-famous masterpieces, such

New, colourful wall coverings and accentuated lighting show the

as Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, Rembrandt’s Ganymede or Ber-

paintings and sculptures in their best light.

nardo Bellotto’s views of Dresden, illustrate the unique position and significance of the painters and their work in European art

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www.skd.museum

HOUSE OF MEISSEN®

FA S C I N AT I O N

CUISINE

EXPERIENCE

SHOPPING

S T A A T L I C H E P O R Z E L L A N - M A N U FA K T U R MEISSEN GMBH

TA L S T R A S S E

9

– GERMANY

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MEISSEN

W W W . E R L E B N I S W E LT- M E I S S E N . C O M / E N · M U S E U M @ M E I S S E N . C O M

KALEIDOSCOPE

NEW A. LANGE & SÖHNE BOUTIQUE IN DRESDEN The traditional Saxon watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne has opened an exclusive boutique in Dresden in a prime location at Neumarkt 15 in the Palais City One commercial centre. The shop is the company’s showcase in Dresden. A. Lange & Söhne operates 20 proprietary boutiques worldwide in major cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, New York, Paris, London and Munich, as well as some 210 sales points at specialist dealers that offer the latest collection. A. Lange & Söhne was founded

100 YEARS OF BAUHAUS IN GERMANY

by Ferdinand Adolph Lange, a watchmaker from Dresden. He set up his first workshop for fine pocket watches in Glashütte

Germany celebrates 100 years of Bauhaus in 2019. Saxony

in 1845. The new boutique in Dresden is situated in the former

also contributed to this era of architectural reform. Prob-

shop of Moritz Elimeyer, a wrought-iron craftsman and court

ably the most significant exhibition in the anniversary year

jeweller, and is one of the best addresses in Dresden. The resi-

will be held in the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts in Leip-

dential and commercial building is decorated with stone orna-

zig from 19 April to 6 October under the title “BAUHAUS_

ments modelled on the historic façade. These elements were

SAXONY”. The trade fair city played an extremely impor-

also incorporated in the design of the shop windows.

tant role in the Bauhaus movement after 1923. Bauhaus

www.alange-soehne.com

artists, architects and designers found a platform for their new design ideas at the Grassi fairs as well as in the halls of the samples fair. Industrial companies in Saxony turned out to be powerful partners for the Bauhaus school. The typography and image aesthetics of the era were reflected in products published here. Bauhaus also left a profound mark on Saxony’s modern architecture. Art galleries and museums in Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig presented the work of the Bauhaus masters. The exhibition traces these connections and the achievements of Bauhaus artists who lived and worked in Saxony. www.grassimuseum.de

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New long-distance bus terminal at Leipzig’s main railway station Innovative and centrally located: Germany’s long-distance bus terminal with a difference can be found on the eastern side of Leipzig’s main railway station. What makes it so special? Not only does the terminal bring travellers directly to the centre of the Saxon metropolis, it also serves as a hub for different private and public longdistance bus companies. What’s more, the nine covered bus platforms inside the terminal mean that travellers can board and disembark without getting wet. Public transport services and the railway station are just a few steps away, while a hire car service is available in the terminal itself and there are more than 550 car parking spaces above it.

Other services include sanitary facilities, services, shops and restaurants. www.leipzig.de

The Gewandhaus Orchestra in Boston As part of an alliance since 2018 between the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), both of which are conducted

by Andris Nelsons, the Gewandhaus Orchestra is traveling to Boston for a residency lasting several days. It will perform concerts there on 27 and 29 October with works by Gustav Mahler, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johannes Brahms and Franz Schubert. The joint concerts by the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 31 October, 1 and 2 November 2019 under the musical direction of Andris Nelsons promise to be a spectacular experience. These two leading orchestras share many historical connections, but their close collaboration is new and unique in the modern world of music. It ranges from guest performances and co-commissions for compositions, to a musician exchange as well as a “Leipzig Week” in Boston and a “Boston Week” in Leipzig, in which each orchestra highlights the other’s history and musical traditions. www.gewandhausorchester.de

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In honour of Clara Schumann’s 200th birthday Clara and Robert Schumann spent a large part of their lives in Saxony. Their love story has been turned into several films and their work is held in the highest regard. On her 200th birthday, Clara Schumann takes centre stage, above all in Leipzig, Dresden and Zwickau.

Leipzig is where the pianist and composer Clara Wieck was born, where she started her international career as a pianist, where she met and married Robert Schumann and spent the first years of her marriage, and where her two eldest daughters were born. Leipzig was her home for 25 years.

Saxony’s largest city is celebrating her life in style in 2019 with the CLARA19 festival year.

Clara Schumann had her public debut at just nine years of age in October 1828 in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. She gave her first piano concert at 16, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, musical director of the Gewandhaus. This was also where she celebrated 50 years of performing on stage in 1859, with overwhelming attendance. The Gewandhaus Orchestra is celebrating Clara’s life in September 2019 with chamber music, her early Piano Concerto op. 7, and works for choirs performed by leading artists. www.clara19.leipzig.de