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The Gorbitz prefabricated housing estate, which was built in the 1980s, has changed bit by bit over the past 25 years. Where once one block resembled another, today there is diversity, not only in the form of colourful facades, but also inside the buildings. Lifts, bathrooms with showers and windows, spacious kitchens, new balconies, tenants' gardens - all this can now be found in the "Platte" thanks to modernisations and conversions.

One outstanding and well-known conversion project is the Kräutersiedlung, which was realised between 2002 and 2004 by the Eisenbahner-Wohnungsbaugenossenschaft Dresden eG. But a lot has also happened in Gorbitz since then, and construction is still ongoing in several places.

The guiding principle has always been to preserve the strengths of prefabricated housing (e.g. spacious, green inner courtyards and compact structures) while at the same time eliminating disadvantages (e.g. small kitchens and bathrooms, six-storey buildings without lifts).

The tour leads to selected converted residential buildings and is intended to illustrate the potential of prefabricated housing and its future viability using the example of Gorbitz.

With Konstanze Mally

• Duration: 2 hours
• Meeting point at the Merianplatz tram stop (out-of-town side)
• Participation free of charge
• Registration online or at the visitor service of the Museums of the City of Dresden on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon - Fri)

• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Meeting point at the ticket office
• Guided tour free of charge plus museum admission
• without registration

On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, writing in the Torah is not permitted – the guided tour is therefore cancelled.

Introduction to the project: What is a Torah? Why has it been written by hand for over 2,500 years?

In around 35 minutes, Jahna Dahms explains the project and discusses the origins, tradition and significance of the Torah as humanity’s oldest continuous cultural practice. There will be an opportunity to ask questions afterwards. The scribe will be present during the event.

• Duration: 35 minutes
• You do not need a museum ticket for this guided tour.

What role did Jewish citizens play in the economic life of our city? How did they shape trade, finance and industry during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic?

Selected items from our collection, now on display in a new context, shed light on the contribution made by Jewish factory owners, bankers and businesspeople to Dresden’s economic development and tell the story of a life that was firmly rooted in the heart of society.

The guided tour takes place in the museum café – with a view of the display case for new acquisitions. Light refreshments are provided; coffee can be obtained from the vending machine if required. In this relaxed setting, the City Museum is introducing a new format for guided tours that brings history to life through conversation.

• Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Book online or via the visitor services department of the City of Dresden Museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)

In Dresden, the so-called ‘Refugium bourgeoisie’ was particularly prominent. Right up until the 1970s, its members tended to gather at Manfred von Ardenne’s club in Dresden.

The conversations with selected representatives of that middle class, brought together in this book, explore a reality of life that is now largely forgotten and thus describe a sociologically revealing social biotope that gave rise to both conservative thinking and an intelligent reformist spirit.

The launch will feature a reading and discussion with the author, Hans-Peter Lühr, and guests Alexander von Ardenne and Peter Fürst. Moderator: Dr Caroline Förster

A joint event with the Dresdner Geschichtsverein e. V.

Guided tour of the permanent exhibition

• Duration: 1.5 h
• Guided tour free of charge plus museum admission
• Meeting point at the ticket office

Many people are currently wondering what value social cohesion holds in Germany. How are a sense of belonging and participation made possible – and what contribution do individuals make towards this? A change of perspective, stepping outside one’s own experiences, offers possible answers to these questions.

In her book *What to Bear in Mind When Having a Picnic with Germans*, the author Gundula Brunner explores various perspectives: In 2023–24, she visited former clients and held lengthy conversations with them, during which they spoke about their life journeys, experiences, thoughts, aspirations and their relationship with German society.

These are 13 deeply personal, moving stories about migrants’ arrival in Germany, focusing particularly on their experiences within and with their new society. In this respect, the stories provide a key for those born here to reflect on themselves and ‘our’ society.

The texts presented this evening – in multiple languages – by the International Writing Café of Familienleben e. V. and the ABC Tables of the Umweltzentrum Dresden e.V. offer a further shift in perspective. With depth and a touch of humour, they explore the question of what settling in Dresden means for individuals.

Over light refreshments and conversation, we’ll celebrate the solidarity and participation fostered by our projects.

Gundula Brunner was born in Dresden in 1970. She initially completed a commercial apprenticeship, before going on to study art history and law in Mainz and Modena. This was followed by periods abroad in Rome and San Francisco. Since 2001, she has been working as a self-employed lawyer, specialising primarily in immigration law in Dresden.

• Partners: Dresden City Museums, the ABC Tables run by Umweltzentrum Dresden e. V. and the International Writing Café run by Familienleben e. V.

Short guided tour with Nadine Kulbe, ISGV

In 1930, the Second International Hygiene Exhibition took place in and around the newly built Hygiene Museum in Dresden. The graphic designer Willy Petzold created a poster for the event, the central symbol of which – an eye – still serves as the museum’s logo today. Why did Dresden become one of the most important centres for issues relating to health and illness at that time? And why is the museum actually called the Hygiene Museum?

• With Nadine Kulbe from the ISGV

Every first Friday of the month, we shine a spotlight on an object from our permanent exhibition: in short guided tours lasting a maximum of 20 minutes, museum staff, members of partner organisations or members of the local community present the special features of a selected piece of Dresden’s history.

• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Meeting point at the ticket office
• Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
• No booking required

Presentation of the exhibition catalogue for the exhibition ‘PLATTE OST / WEST. Living and Building in Prefabricated Panel Construction’

The book contains seven essays that examine the development of prefabricated panel construction in East and West Germany from architectural, historical and social perspectives.

The publication is part of the series published by the Baukunstarchiv NRW, which will also be hosting the exhibition ‘Platte Ost/West’.

• Editors: Markus Lehrmann, Christina Ludwig, Claudia Quiring, Wolfgang Sonne

An event organised by the Dresden City Museum in cooperation with the Baukunstarchiv NRW

Today, Johannstadt is a mix of Gründerzeit neighbourhoods, large housing estates from the 1960s to the 1980s, vacant plots and traces of war damage. Following difficult years of transition, the district has seen noticeable further development since 2014 thanks to the ‘Nördliche Johannstadt’ regeneration area. Through dialogue with residents, visions were developed and have largely been realised. The walking tour with Anke Ostermeyer and Nilsson Samuelsson from the Department of Urban Planning and Mobility takes participants through the post-war residential neighbourhoods and their historic surroundings. The focus is on the development of public spaces and the active involvement of residents in shaping the neighbourhood.

With Anke Ostermeyer and Nilsson Samuelsson, Office for Urban Planning and Mobility

• Duration: 2 hours
• Meeting point: Thomas-Müntzer-Platz
• Book online or via the visitor service of the Museums of the City of Dresden on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)

A workshop organised by the Youth Art School in collaboration with the City Museum

Through dance theatre improvisation and the artworks, the children will work together to create a dance theatre piece and perform it at the end of the workshop.

On the first day of the workshop, the children will visit the City Museum, take a guided tour and gather initial ideas and impressions from the »Platte Ost / West« exhibition.

• Age: Children aged 10 and over
• Dates:
  Tue 13 Oct 2026 | 10 am – 12 noon
  Wed 14 Oct 2026 – Fri 16 Oct 2026 | 10 am – 3 pm
• Cost: €120
• Venue:
  Youth Art School at Palitzschhof
  Gamigstraße 24
  01239 Dresden
• Register at www.jks-dresden.de