Easter Traditions Abound in Germany
Creative and Traditional – Easter in Germany
Easter is one of the main holidays in Germany and the Easter Markets are a wonderful way to rediscover artistic traditions and rituals, to prepare for the Easter holidays. Easter Markets take place on the weekends before Easter and showcase designs of regional and international artists.
They are held all over Germany, but especially in Baden-Wuerttemberg in the southwest, eastern Bavaria and of course in the region of Lusatia, south of Berlin bordering Poland. The region is home to the ethic group of the Sorbs, who are well known for their Easter traditions: Bautzen, the main city, is also called the ‘Easter Town’ and visitors can experience some long-standing German Easter traditions. Among the highlights is a visit to the local the Easter Egg markets, that display Sorbian Easter eggs that are made with special techniques and are renown for their beauty. Easter events in Bautzen include the procession of Easter Riders in traditional customes who march on richly decorated horses through the town of Bautzen and the villages around on Easter Sunday. www.germany.travel
Feature: Cool Contemporary Art in Germany’s Magic Cities
Germany’s Magic Cities put the cool in contemporary. Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart feature a variety of hot contemporary art collections, and scenes in Germany combining art, design and architecture to an exciting new mix. www.magic-cities.com
Duesseldorf: Situated in the west on the Rhine River, Duesseldorf is one of the German centers of design, fashion and architecture. The city has made its name for its galleries and collections of worldwide significance. The new annual highlight of Duesseldorf’s art scene is the second Quadriennale, a series of high-caliber exhibits in nine of the city’s major art houses and galleries. It is titled “Presence of Art” and features contemporary art in and from Duesseldorf of the past 50 years (September 2010 – January 2011). www.artcity-duesseldorf.de
On time for the Quadriennale 2010 the K20 will reopen in July. Both venues, the K20 and K21 host impressive art collection of the 20th and 21st centuries. Not far from the museums is the newish KIT (Kunst im Tunnel) located beneath the promenade along the Rhine Embankment in a dormant space between the bores of the road tunnels. The innovative gallery is a stunning rendezvous for contemporary art. Entering through a glazed pavilion facing the Rhine, visitors can experience new and upcoming artists as well as stars of the contemporary art scene. www.kunst-im-tunnel.de
Last but not least, photographs from Robert Mapplethorpe are now exhibited in the NRW Forum in Duesseldorf. Through August 15, 2010 visitors havethe opportunity to discover all areas of Mapplethorpe’s work, from portraits and self-portraits, homosexuality, nudes, flowers and the quintessence of his oeuvre the photographic images of sculptures, including early Polaroids. http://nrwforum.posterous.com
Frankfurt: The reputation of Frankfurt as a modern metropolis and financial center also encompasses its art scene that has its center along the River Main with the Museumsufer (museum embankment). Here the Schirn Kunsthalle is one of Europe’s most renowned exhibition institutions. Works of popular contemporary artists are presented as well as themed exhibitions dealing with explosive issues of today’s society. The current exhibition “Figure in Space” showcases works of Georges Seurat, a French Neo-Impressionist who is considered today to be one of the icons of nineteenth-century art and the most important exponents of Pointillism. {L href=http://www.schirn.de descr=www.schirn.de}
The Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt is known as “slice of cake” by locals, due to its triangular shape. Viennese architect Hans Hollein’s design makes the museum an unusual architectural feat. He has succeeded in creating a triangular building which not only fits neatly into the triangular space available to him, but which is an experience to discover, and leaves a lasting impression on the visitor. The architecture is characterized by a succession of elements linking the different exhibition rooms which show works from Beuys to Warhol. www.mmk-frankfurt.de
Leipzig: Since the turn of the century there is an undeniable buzz around the art scene of Leipzig in the eastern state of Saxony. The “Leipzig School” including artist Neo Rauch is getting world-wide recognition and draws artists from all over the world. The center of this movement is the Baumwollspinnerei. Once the biggest cotton-mill factory in continental Europe, it has become one of Europe’s most interesting production and exhibition spaces for modern art and culture of the 21st century. The old cotton-mill factory accommodates hundreds of artists’ studios and eleven galleries, plus resident workshops, architects, designers, jewelry and fashion producers as well as the “Spinnwerk” drama workshop, an international dance and choreography center under one roof. Artists can work undisturbed in their studios here; while the exhibition spaces are a place for visitors to look at, discuss modern art and even purchase an artwork. {L href=http://www.spinnerei.de/from-cotton-to-culture.html descr=www.spinnerei.de}
Munich: The center of Munich’s art scene is the Kunstareal with a total of 12 museums and collections. The Pinakothek der Moderne has manifested its reputation as one of the most renowned exhibition spaces for contemporary art and design. www.pinakothek.de
The newest addition to the Kunstareal came last year with the Brandhorst Museum and its unique architectural design and neon facade. Paintings, sculptures and installations of the museum offer the possibility of aesthetic experiences of an unusual presence and variety. The collection of over 700 works from selected artists includes masterpieces by Warhol and Twombly. www.museum-brandhorst.de
Stuttgart: Famous for the outstanding car designs of Porsche and Mercedes, Stuttgart in the southwest also features some of the most well designed museums. The Museum of Fine Arts with its spectacular glass cube architecture is located right in the heart of Stuttgart on Palace Square. It is an architectural eye-catcher and the city’s Art Museum hosting three or four major special exhibitions a year, often of works by contemporary artists. The largest portion of the museum is hidden in a disused system of tunnels, whose scale and openness is always a surprise to the first-time visitor. The museum collection as a whole is enlivened by the presence of both continuity and change, featuring paintings by Otto Dix, Wolfgang Laib’s Wachsraum (Wax Room) and ominously swaying chairs of Rebecca Horn’s installation Die Freuden der Bischöfe (Bishops’ Pleasures). www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de
The world famous Weissenhof Estate just outside of Stuttgart is one of the most significant architectural landmarks by the international movement “Neues Bauen” (New Building) in the 1920s. Once constructed as an international showcase of modern working class housing by architects like Gropius, van der Rohe, Sharoun and LeCorbusier, it is today a fascinating museum reflecting societal and cultural changes of the twentieth century. www.weissenhof.de
Feature: Cool Neighborhoods in Germany’s Magic Cities
Urban subculture, hip lifestyle, cutting-edge ideas and cool shops make the trendy and cool neighborhoods in Germany’s Magic Cities the “place to be”! Discover the up and coming areas of Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Hamburg and Hannover to be part of the hype. www.magic-cities.com
Friedrichshain, Berlin: Germany’s capital is now probably the hottest place to be in the world. The ever changing and transforming Berlin attracts people from all over the world creating a unique international vibe. The up and coming area of this metropolis right now is Friedrichshain, formerly the workers area of East Berlin, now a melting pot of ideas. Driving east from Alexanderplatz takes you along an impressive communist-style boulevard: Karl Marx Allee, Friedrichshain’s main artery. Indeed Friedrichshain has very few classical attractions but is brimming with urban culture. Abandoned warehouses and railyards along Muehlenstrasse have been gentrified into enormous nightclubs. Strolling along the streets of Friedrichshain will convey a strong surge of hope for the future to you as well as a picture of Berlin’s historical past. Today’s longest stretch of the Berlin Wall is located in Friedrichshain sprayed with various graffiti works. www.visitberlin.de
Ehrenfeld, Cologne: Cologne is known for its lively and friendly atmosphere. It has also the most visual and largest gay community in Germany after Berlin. Within this buzzing city on the Rhine, the neighborhood of Ehrenfeld is one of Cologne’s liveliest and trendiest boroughs. It adjoins the city center of Cologne and is therefore easy to reach by tram. Ehrenfeld is characterized by popular residential areas and shopping streets, including Design Post Koeln with its international design collection, the media center “Coloneum” with the most modern production and movie studios and a large, vivacious free cultural scene with many artists’ studios, theaters and clubs. www.koelntourismus.de
Aeussere Neustadt, Dresden: Being one of the most vibrant cities in Germany’s east, Dresden offers a fascinating contrast between historic architecture and modern lifestyle. The “Aeussere Neustadt” (new city) is actually one of Dresden’s oldest quarters, but it also is the alternative center of the city. Its unique flair results from the exciting juxtaposition of restored and old houses, narrow lanes, and secluded courtyards with bars, restaurants and shops covering the whole range from elegant to extravagant. A visit to the Outer Neustadt should include the Kunsthof Passage between Goerlitzer Strasse and Alaunstrasse with interesting architecture, craft-art shops and restaurants. www.dresden.de
Schanzenviertel+Karolinenviertel, Hamburg: As Germany’s main port Hamburg has always attracted a diverse variety of people from all over the world. Besides being one of the richest cities in Germany, Hamburg also is a center of alternative culture. The multi-coloured area of the Schanze district between the Schulterblatt, Schlachthof and the Stresemannstraße changed back in the ‘70s into a melting pot of immigrants, punks and artists. Within its bars, cafes, clubs and alternative stores, the Schanzenviertel today is Hamburg’s hip and most relaxed area. Center of the alternative scene is the “Rote Flora,” an autonomous cultural center and a political meeting place.
Right next to the Schanzenviertel is the newest hot spot in Hamburg, the Karolinenviertel. Individual and unconventional are words to describe the up-and-coming talent driven fashion scene in this hip district. The borough is packed with studios and showrooms where gifted designers produce exclusive collections. Emerging labels are making a name for themselves on the international stage and turning heads with their fresh ideas and imaginative products. That said, Hamburg’s many diverse second-hand stores and flea markets are also in vogue. www.hamburg-tourism.de
Linden, Hannover: Being situated in northern Germany, Hannover is known as the green city with its wide range of parks and greens in the town itself. In the neighborhood of Linden an interesting young culture of students has evolved its epicenter, the Kulturzentrum Faust. Since its foundation in 1991, the Faust center is dedicated to enrich the cultural life of the community. The former bedspring factory has been reinvented and is now a true temple of culture hosting music, cultural, educational and social events. “The incoming goods department” for instance is the annual venue of an international poetry competition. And international exhibitions of young as well as renowned artists such as Jean Toche are regularly hosted by the Faust Art Hall. Food and beverages are also offered on-site at a cozy beer garden called “Gretchen”. www.kulturzentrum-faust.de (German only)
March 3, 2010
Posted in: Germany