Museums & Exhibitions

Last Update: 2026-05-13

Thursday, 21st May 2026

Haus Böttchergäßchen - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum on Böttchergäßchen

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the special exhibition:
"Sonne. Satt. Sommer in Leipzig"

“Sonne satt” … Plenty of sunshine – that's what many Leipzig residents have always longed for in summer. Finally, the yearning for light, fresh air, and a relaxed atmosphere is fulfilled. Long days and balmy nights define this special feeling. Summer also means vacation, whether at home or abroad. Memories of these holidays lived on in Super 8 films and video cassettes, and today fill memory cards. Summer promises cheerful fashion, ice cream, barbecues, festivals, and open-air concerts. And above all, it promises swimming fun, whether in lakes, rivers, or long-forgotten natural and outdoor pools. Swimwear and swimming styles change, as do outdoor sports. But this sunny, cheerful view would only tell half the story. Extreme heat waves, droughts, and storms are also part of the picture and present Leipzig with growing challenges. Bringing nature back into the city is meant to help make summer bearable. If this fails, many will quickly tire of the sun. The exhibition takes a journey through 400 years of summer feelings - with cheerful, cheeky and memorable objects in tow, it invites visitors to reconsider this season of love and joie de vivre.

Hofgalerie Gestus

14.00 – 20.00

Exhibition: Courtyard Gallery GESTUS – Photographs by Gerd Lehmann

The exhibition showcases approximately 10,000 photographs spanning 40 years, covering themes such as beauty, fashion, people, landscapes, architecture, and experimental photography. This includes photos of individuals and bands from the Gothic scene, many of which were taken at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT). Additionally, the exhibition features images from 1969 onwards, when Gerd Lehmann was a respected fashion and advertising photographer in East Germany.

A special exhibition is currently showing “Beauties of the pre-reunification era” (1970s and 1980s).
Gerd Lehmann is asking visitors to the WGT 2026 festival to submit a ballot for the next special exhibition on the theme "Beauties of the Post-Reunification Era" (1990s and 2000s), featuring "Goth Portraits" and images from Leipzig's "illegal" scene bars. Thirteen attractive prizes are up for grabs.

You can expect to find countless photos (up to 2 meters in size) in the large passageway, the courtyard, on the terrace, in the cellar, on the front stairs, as well as in three small rooms and in the green garden with rose bushes, grapevines, plum trees and vegetable plants. There are also seating areas and a gingerbread house with sweets.

Promenaden Hauptbahnhof / Central Train Station Promenades

5.00 – 23.00 (daily from May 14th to 25th)

Exhibition: “Rust and Shine” – The Steampunk Exhibition for WGT 2026

Exhibiting artists include: Frank Smolke from Leipzig and Claus Peter Stoffels aka Steampunk from Kassel.

As a trained toolmaker and decades-long calibration officer in precision mechanics, Claus-Peter Stoffels brings the best qualifications for his works of art. He creates a variety of everyday objects: wristwatches, wall clocks, mantel clocks, regulators, lighters, pens, phone cases, lighting fixtures, lamps, and, not to be forgotten, his e-bike, modeled after a 1911 Harley-Davidson. Almost all of his materials are old, practically antique. Using copper and brass, he handcrafts unique, one-of-a-kind pieces without a single machine-made component.

Frank Smolke initially created smaller pictures and objects from found objects – packaging, lids, and used items. Over time, his works became larger and more elaborate. When the plan was hatched to attend the WGT 2026 festival in his own costume, the first complete outfit was created as early as 2025. A backpack was constructed from a wine crate, a fan wheel, and various small parts, and complemented by a matching crossbow. Since then, numerous other objects, pictures, bags and backpacks, as well as shoes, top hats, and a wide variety of accessories have been created. A special paint that creates genuine rust, along with various waxes, is used to give the objects a characteristic patina and appearance. In this way, complete "outfits" – from shoes to top hats – are created, in which all elements are perfectly coordinated.

Friday, 22nd May 2026

Ägyptisches Museum / Egyptian Museum

13.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

The Kroch high-rise on Augustusplatz, a bank building constructed in 1928 in the late Art Deco style, houses artifacts spanning 5,000 years of Egyptian history. Among the most important exhibits is the wooden coffin of Hedbastiru (c. 635 BC) with its richly detailed hieroglyphs. Also on display are statues of elite members and servant figures from the cemeteries at the Giza pyramids. A further focus is on the finds from Georg Steindorff’s excavation in Aniba, a provincial capital in Lower Nubia. Other highlights include three human mummies and mummified animals from the Greco-Roman period of Egypt.

Agra Café

from 11.00

Exhibition featuring artworks by Ron Kuhwede (photography), Leander Wennige (sculpture), Leni Deschner (painting, drawing), Tanja Deschner (painting, drawing), Susan Illingworth (collage) and Dicle Kara (drawing)

Altes Rathaus - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum in the Old Town Hall

10.00 – 18.00

Permanent exhibitions:
“Leipzig Original - City History from the Middle Ages to the Battle of the Nations” and "Modern Times - From Industrialization to the Present Day"

11.00 – 12.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: “Mode-Zeit!” Zehn Leipziger Outfits erzählen Stadtgeschichte seit 1830 (‘Fashion time!” Ten Leipzig outfits tell the city's history since 1830)

Fashion reflects its time. A tour through the permanent exhibition "Modern Times" shows what clothing reveals about life in Leipzig in the 19th and 20th centuries: from the bourgeois prosperity of the Gründerzeit (“founding era”) through the Golden Twenties, uniforms of the World Wars, National Socialism and the GDR, to the alternative student look of 1989 – worn by men, women and children.

Meeting point: Altes Rathaus information desk, 2nd floor]

14.00 – 15.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: Dunkle Geheimnisse der älteren Leipziger Stadtgeschichte
(Dark secrets of Leipzig's early city history)

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of medieval Leipzig. Using original artifacts, you will learn gruesome yet enlightening facts about the city's development, everyday life in the trade fair city, and the diversity of intellectual and religious life in Leipzig.

Meeting point: Altes Rathaus, information desk, 1st floor

15.00, 15.30 and 16.00

30-minute guided tour (in GERMAN): Vor den Augen aller zur Schande ausgestellt
(Displayed in shame before everyone's eyes)

Underground vaults containing instruments of punishment and torture, as well as cage-like cells, bear witness to the cruel administration of justice in past centuries. Leipzig's dungeon and torture chamber can be explored.

Meeting point: Altes Rathaus, passageway between the market square and the Naschmarkt (in the middle of the building)

Antikenmuseum der Universität Leipzig / Museum of Antiquities of the University of Leipzig

11.00 - 16.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition and the following guided tours.

15.00

„It’s Friday, I’m in love - mit The Cure im Antikenmuseum“

This short tour (in GERMAN) introduces millennia-old objects from the ancient Mediterranean on the soundscape of The Cure. How do people deal with transience, loss?
and memory? And what traces into antiquity do the "Imaginary Boys" leave behind?
Crawley in southern England? An afternoon spent between the Styx and synthesizers.

Gallery KK5

12.00 – 18.00

Exhibitions:
“…aber war stets gut informiert” – Bernhard Schipper: Retrospective of New Sorbian Art (“... but was always well informed”)
The exhibition presents the multifaceted work of artist Bernhard Schipper, born in Bautzen in 1970. Curated to showcase three decades of his creative output, the exhibition invites the public on a visual journey of discovery.

„Dezenter Widerstand“ – Axel and Peter Pfefferkorn (“Discreet Resistance”)
The exhibition demonstrates how the Leipzig-based artist brothers Axel and Peter Pfefferkorn took a stand through their work, even under the difficult political and social conditions of the GDR. The focus is on works from the 1980s: Axel Pfefferkorn's stage models offer subtle commentary on the system. Peter Pfefferkorn's wood engravings are sometimes striking, but always nuanced, in their critique. These works are complemented by contemporary drawings with political commentary. Without being didactic, the exhibition invites dialogue about the possibilities of discreet resistance in art during authoritarian times.

15.00

Guided tour (in GERMAN) of the exhibition “…aber war stets gut informiert” – Bernhard Schipper: Retrospective of New Sorbian Art (“... but was always well informed”)

Grassi-Museum für Angewandte Kunst / Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition as well as to the following special exhibitions:

"The Souldo of Objects" – Applied Art from Latin America
"Gefäß / Skulptur 5" - German and International Ceramics since 1946
"Zauber der Revue" - Art Deco tins with dance and variety show figures

12.00 – 16.00

Pop-up exhibition: "Fashion, death and mourning reflected in books"

The library of the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts presents selected books from its collection on various facets of the Gothic scene. Browse through artfully illustrated historical fashion magazines and explore books on fashion, death and mourning, art and culture. A quiz accompanying the exhibition invites you to test your knowledge and discover new things.

Grassi-Museum für Musikinstrumente / Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition:
„Die Suche nach dem vollkommenen Klang“ – Ein Einblick in die Leipziger Musikgeschichte sowie in die vielfältige Welt der Musikinstrumente“
("The search for the perfect sound" – An insight into Leipzig's musical history and the diverse world of musical instruments")

11.00 – 12.45

Cinema organ & silent film (analog 16mm film projection)

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (USA, 1923, Director: Wallace Worsley, 16mm print, English intertitles

With this spectacular large-scale production based on Victor Hugo's (1802–1885) novel, for which full-size sets were built on the Universal Studios lot, the studio set new standards for Hollywood epics. The role of the title character launched Lon Chaney's meteoric career as a horror actor. The Weimar press promoted the film in December 1924, writing: "The already highly exciting plot is enhanced considerably by the film's monumental visual impact, its crowd scenes with over 3,000 people, and the brilliant performances of leading American actors."

Silent film musician Richard Siedhoff will accompany the classic film live on the historic Welte cinema organ.

Meeting point: Box office foyer

Grassi-Museum für Völkerkunde / Grassi Museum of Ethnology

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.
The museum is currently being redesigned as part of the “REINVENTING GRASSI.SKD” program.

11.00 - 12.00

Guided tour in GERMAN of the Museums of Ethnology and Applied Arts: "Das Streben nach Schönheit: Perspektiven aus aller Welt"
("The Pursuit of Beauty: Perspectives from Around the World")

Come along on a tour of the Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum of Ethnology. The exhibition showcases the diversity and universal pursuit of beauty that has united humanity since time immemorial. This fascinating guided tour explores the often unattainable ideals of beauty that prevail in the Western world, contrasting them with other concepts of beauty. (max. 25 people)
Meeting point: Ticket foyer

13.00 – 14.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: „Inszenierung des Bösen“ (“The Staging of evil”)

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of the portrayal of evil in different cultural contexts.
Contexts! The tour explores the complex themes of morality, power, and the depths of human depravity. Experience selected exhibits that depict "evil" in its various facets. (max. 25 people)

Meeting point: Ticket foyer

15.00 – 16.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: „Tod, Sterben und Übergänge in der Welt“ (“Death, dying and transitions in the world”)

This special museum tour will explore some rituals and traditions that different cultures have developed in their approach to death. Experience selected exhibits that reflect the diversity of human experiences in the face of death,
Join us for a varied tour of the transitions. (max. 25 people)

Meeting point: Ticket foyer

16.00 – 18.00

Workshop (led in GERMAN): The Dark Side - Your Notebook

In this workshop, participants will bind their own notebooks and then decorate them creatively. Covers and pages can be adorned with marbling, wax seals, symbols, or delicate ornaments. This will result in unique, mystical notebooks that reflect the Gothic style. Materials and tools will be provided. (Max. 15 participants, workshop fee: €4 with WGT wristband)

Haus Böttchergäßchen - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum on Böttchergäßchen

10.00 – 18.00

Haus des Buches

9.00 to 17.00

GEDOK annual exhibition "Schattenmond"

GEDOK Gemeinschaft Deutscher und Österreichischer Künstlerinnenvereine – the Association of German and Austrian Women Artists' Societies – is the oldest and largest network of women artists and art patrons in Europe. Founded in Hamburg in 1926, GEDOK is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The association's mission is to promote the artistic talents of women and raise their profile. GEDOK Central Germany e.V. presents artworks in its annual exhibition "SCHATTENMOND," encompassing oil and acrylic paintings, ink drawings, sculptures, and three-dimensional works.

Location: Foyer

14.00 – 16.00

Guided tour in GERMAN of the GEDOK annual exhibition "Schattenmond"

Hofgalerie Gestus

14.00 – 20.00

Museum der bildenden Künste / Museum of Fine Arts

10.00 to 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the following exhibitions:

Permanent exhibition: From the late Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity
On the first and second floors, works from the museum's collection spanning five centuries of European art history are presented. Renaissance paintings by Roger van der Weyden and Lucas Cranach the Elder, 17th-century Dutch paintings by Rachel Ruysch and Peter Paul Rubens, as well as Romantic works by Caspar David Friedrich and Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, demonstrate the diversity of the museum's collections.

Special exhibitions:
Rosa Barba – „Under the Canopy“ (installation)

Roxana Rios - "Ode to Eris"
(large-format banner on the facade of the MdbK as well as several photographic interventions in the permanent exhibition)

Graphic art in focus: Francisco de Goya
The exhibition is dedicated to the important graphic series "Los Caprichos" by the Spanish artist. This cycle of 80 etchings by Goya (1746-1828) remains among his most famous works. At the age of 50, the artist used his aquatint etchings to critically comment on the social and political ills of Spain, exposing the flaws of society. Contemporary issues such as poverty, sexuality, prostitution, superstition, and the outdated class consciousness of the aristocracy are addressed. Goya clearly grasped the social upheavals in Europe following the French Revolution as a conflict between reason and emotion, traditional norms and individual needs. The works, their visual representations, and their titles defy direct translation to this day. Rather, they embody the ambivalence inherent in the central theme. Goya drew upon numerous visual sources, including emblem books with profound and subtle text-image combinations, and popular woodcut illustrations.

Naturkundemuseum / Natural History Museum

9.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition as well as to:

Farewell temporary exhibition: The House with the Spider – Geology & Paleontology

Characteristic of the permanent exhibition are the numerous dioramas in which animals and plants are shown in typical life situations within their natural environment.

The museum's geological and paleontological collection offers insights into 600 million years of Earth's history. Fossils and rocks tell the story of continental drift, past ecosystems, and the evolution of diverse animal and plant groups. The exhibition brings this scientific treasure to life.

Promenaden Hauptbahnhof / Central Train Station Promenades

5.00 – 23.00 (daily from May 14th to 25th)

Torhaus Dölitz (Gewölbesaal) / Dölitz Gatehouse (vaulted hall)

from 11:00 am

Exhibition: Nils Franke „Zwischen Schönheit & Unbehagen“ (“Between Beauty & Discomfort”)

The exhibition leads into the world of painting and objects by Nils Franke: portraits, fly sculptures, and symbolic installations in which transience, memory, and transformation intertwine. Based on historical images, Franke creates paintings that absorb the familiar and translate it into a unique, contemporary presence. His characteristic works with flies combine decay and beauty into a peculiar form of aesthetics where disgust and fascination lie close together. Yggdrasil introduces another motif: not as a fixed narrative, but as a sign, structure, and trace of connection, growth, and dissolution. An exhibition poised between immediate attraction and quiet unease—atmospherically dense, dark, and imbued with the tension between beauty and transience, and the unease inherent in both.

Zinnfigurenmuseum im Torhaus Dölitz / Tin Figure Museum in the Dölitz Gatehouse

10.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

The Tin Figure Museum is one of the largest museums of its kind in Europe. Over 100,000 tin figures are displayed on three floors. One of the highlights is the approximately 25-square-meter diorama depicting the fighting of October 18, 1813, on the southern battlefield of the Battle of Leipzig.

Saturday, 23rd May 2026

Ägyptisches Museum / Egyptian Museum

10.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

14.00 (2 tours running in parallel)

Guided tour (in GERMAN) : „Leben im Dies- und Jenseits“ (“Life in this world and the next”)

In ancient Egypt, people grappled intensely with the concept of death even during their lifetime and prepared for an afterlife. The tour offers insights into how this life in the afterlife was imagined, what preparations had to be made, and how mortality was dealt with in ancient Egypt.
(with Prof. Holger Kockelmann and Jana Helmbold-Doyé)

15.30

Guided tour in ENGLISH: „Life and Death in Ancient Egypt“
(English-language tour with Jaqueline Stock)

Agra Café

from 11:00 am

Altes Rathaus - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum in the Old Town Hall

10.00 – 18.00

Permanent exhibitions:
“Leipzig Original - City History from the Middle Ages to the Battle of the Nations” and "Modern Times - From Industrialization to the Present Day"

14.00. and 14.30

30-minute guided tour in GERMAN: Vor den Augen aller zur Schande ausgestellt (Displayed in shame before everyone's eyes)

Underground vaults containing instruments of punishment and torture, as well as cage-like cells, bear witness to the cruel administration of justice in past centuries. Leipzig's dungeon and torture chamber can be explored.

Meeting point: Old Town Hall, passageway between the market square and the Naschmarkt (in the middle of the building)

Antikenmuseum der Universität Leipzig / Museum of Antiquities of the University of Leipzig

12.00 – 16.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen will be granted free admission to the permanent exhibition and the following event.

12.00

Interactive workshop (led in GERMAN) in the plaster cast collection: „Antike Stilentwicklung 101“ (“Ancient Style Development 101”)
(Venue: Dittrichring 13, 1st floor, entrance via the doorbell of the G2 Kunsthalle)

In small groups, participants explore different periods of Greek sculpture and their stylistic features during a 90-minute workshop using selected plaster casts. The experience is complemented by a photo station, inviting visitors to capture this special moment. The atmospheric collection of plaster casts, housed in a former East German data processing centre, provides a fascinating setting that bridges ancient art and architectural history.

Those wishing to participate should register by Friday, May 22nd via: paedagogik.am@uni-leipzig.de.

Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek / German Museum of Books and Writing of the German National Library

10.00 – 18.00

Free admission to the exhibitions

15.00 – 16.00

Guided tour in GERMAN of the special exhibition:
„Waffe Buchumschlag! Foto, Cover und Propaganda in den 1930er Jahren“
(“Weaponized Book Cover! Photo, Cover and Propaganda in the 1930s” )
Meeting point: Museum foyer

With this exhibition, the German Museum of Books and Writing uses the 1930s as an example to explore how political discourses and ideological battles are reflected on book covers in socio-politically heated times – to what extent the book cover becomes a weapon.

Deutsches Kleingärtnermuseum / German Allotment Garden Museum

10.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

12.00 and 14.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: Strolling through the historic gardens and show gardens, you will learn about the history of the Schreber garden movement. (Duration approx. 1 hour)

Nestled within a listed garden complex and on the site of the oldest allotment association, the museum has been welcoming visitors since 1996. Unique worldwide, its permanent exhibition, rotating cabinet exhibitions, and three demonstration gardens vividly illustrate the history of allotment gardening.

The large central meadow with playground and the rustic beer garden also invite you to linger and enjoy a meal.

Deutsches Museum für Galvanotechnik / German Museum of Electroplating

11.00 – 16.00

Exhibition: “Steampunk meets Old Masters”

The exhibition merges two worlds in a highly inspiring way – the timeless mastery of classical painting and the playful, industrial fantasy of steampunk. Photographs of famous Old Master paintings have been creatively altered with steampunk accessories, giving them a completely new feel.

In addition to the steampunk exhibition, visitors can explore the rooms of the German Museum of Electroplating. The collection showcases books, documents, machines, and other materials to illustrate the significance of electroplating processes from the past to the future. Electroplating refers to electrochemical processes for coating surfaces with metal ions, for example, to protect against corrosion and wear.

Gallery KK5

12.00 – 18.00

15.00

Guided tour (in GERMAN) of the exhibition “…aber war stets gut informiert” – Bernhard Schipper: Retrospective of New Sorbian Art (“... but was always well informed”)

Grassi-Museum für Angewandte Kunst / Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

10.00 – 18.00

10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00

Guided tour and discussion in GERMAN: Unter der Lupe: Die Kleidermode des Empire und ihre Wurzeln (Under the microscope: Empire-style fashion and its roots)

The astonishing transformation of fashion at the end of the 18th century did not come out of the blue, even if it may seem so at first glance. Using exhibits and replicas, this turbulent period will be examined in more detail from a costume history perspective, with a focus on construction, how the garments were worn and their undergarments. With Ann-Dorothee Schlüter.
Meeting point: Ticket office foyer

12.00 – 16.00

Pop-up exhibition: „Mode, Tod und Trauer im Spiegel der Bücher“ ("Fashion, death and mourning reflected in books")

The library of the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts presents selected books from its collection on various facets of the Gothic scene. Browse through artfully illustrated historical fashion magazines and explore books on fashion, death and mourning, art and culture. A quiz accompanying the exhibition invites you to test your knowledge and discover new things.

Grassi-Museum für Musikinstrumente / Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments

10.00 – 18.00 Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition: „Die Suche nach dem vollkommenen Klang“ – Ein Einblick in die Leipziger Musikgeschichte sowie in die vielfältige Welt der Musikinstrumente“ ("The search for the perfect sound" – An insight into Leipzig's musical history and the diverse world of musical instruments")

Grassi-Museum für Völkerkunde / Grassi Museum of Ethnology

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.
The museum is currently being redesigned as part of the “REINVENTING GRASSI.SKD” program.

11.00 – 12.00

13.00 – 14.00

15.00 – 16.00

Guided tour of the Museums of Ethnology and Applied Arts: "Das Streben nach Schönheit: Perspektiven aus aller Welt" ("The Pursuit of Beauty: Perspectives from Around the World")

Come along on a tour of the Museum of Applied Arts and the Museum of Ethnology. The exhibition showcases the diversity and universal pursuit of beauty that has united humanity since time immemorial. This fascinating guided tour explores the often unattainable ideals of beauty that prevail in the Western world, contrasting them with other concepts of beauty.
Meeting point: Ticket foyer (max. 25 Personen)

16.00 – 18.00

Workshop led in GERMAN: „Mini-Spell Jars“

Create your own mystical magic bottles! Fill small jars with black beads, dried herbs, glitter, and mysterious symbols to create a personal amulet or decorative piece. A unique workshop to unleash your creativity and take home a little piece of magic. Materials and tools are provided. (Max. 15 people, workshop fee: €4 with WGT wristband)
Meeting point: Ticket foyer

Gutenberg Verlag und Druckerei / Gutenberg Publishing House and Printing Works

13.00 – 18.00

Exhibition:
„Kunst liebt Tod“ ("Art loves death") - artworks that unite courage, beauty and transience.

The gallery “Kunst liebt Mut“ is currently exhibiting at Gutenberg Publishing and Printing House, where it presents artworks by:
- Florentine Joop: Drawings and paintings that make the inevitable tangible.
- Jea Pics: In her works, death is not an end, but a state from which something new emerges. Luminescent fungi feed on the past and form a threshold between the visible and hidden worlds.
- Holger Much: Fairy-tale meets darkness. Digital art using old printing techniques, mystical and expressive.

14.00 – 16.00

„Kunst liebt Tod“: A dark salon (led in GERMAN) about the process of becoming and the process of passing away.

Death itself is perhaps one of the greatest muses for creative work. Against the backdrop of the Gutenberg publishing house and printing plant, we invite it into the spotlight. We look at it, dissect it, and perhaps demystify it a little.
Do artists have to love death? Find out!
A salon for all those who are enthusiastic about forensic medicine, "true crime" and Victorian body robbing.

The artist Florentine Joop invites you to a conversation: Together with Stefan Griep (forensic medicine) and Ingmar Jeßulat (poetry & music), she explores the anatomy of death as a muse. An extraordinary triad of music, conversation, and reading awaits you.

Surrounded by the works of Jea Pics, Holger Much, and Florentine herself, we invite you to discuss the art of dying. We'll talk about the melancholy of transience and legal complexities. Bring your questions!

Haus Böttchergäßchen - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum on Böttchergäßchen

10.00 – 18.00

Hofgalerie Gestus

14.00 – 20.00

Museum der bildenden Künste / Museum of Fine Arts

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the following exhibitions:

Permanent exhibition: From the late Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity
On the first and second floors, works from the museum's collection spanning five centuries of European art history are presented. Renaissance paintings by Roger van der Weyden and Lucas Cranach the Elder, 17th-century Dutch paintings by Rachel Ruysch and Peter Paul Rubens, as well as Romantic works by Caspar David Friedrich and Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, demonstrate the diversity of the museum's collections.

Special exhibitions:
Rosa Barba – „Under the Canopy“ (Installation)

Roxana Rios – "Ode to Eris"
(large-format banner on the facade of the MdbK as well as several photographic interventions in the permanent exhibition)

Graphic art in focus: Francisco de Goya
The exhibition is dedicated to the important graphic series "Los Caprichos" by the Spanish artist. This cycle of 80 etchings by Goya (1746-1828) remains among his most famous works. At the age of 50, the artist used his aquatint etchings to critically comment on the social and political ills of Spain, exposing the flaws of society. Contemporary issues such as poverty, sexuality, prostitution, superstition, and the outdated class consciousness of the aristocracy are addressed. Goya clearly grasped the social upheavals in Europe following the French Revolution as a conflict between reason and emotion, traditional norms and individual needs. The works, their visual representations, and their titles defy direct translation to this day. Rather, they embody the ambivalence inherent in the central theme. Goya drew upon numerous visual sources, including emblem books with profound and subtle text-image combinations, and popular woodcut illustrations.

15.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: “Born to Die”
Life is full of highs and lows – sometimes we feel closer to life, sometimes we stare death in the face. Follow the cycle of life through the outstanding artworks of Caspar David Friedrich, Johann Christian Clausen Dahl, Arnold Böcklin, and Max Klinger.

Naturkundemuseum / Natural History Museum

9.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the exhibitions.

10.00 – 16.00

Taxidermy demonstration guided in GERMAN:
„Ein Waldkauz erwacht zu neuem Leben – Die Kunst der Tierpräparation“
("A tawny owl awakens to new life – The art of taxidermy")

Experience firsthand how taxidermist Louisa Bosse breathes new life into a tawny owl through the art of taxidermy. Follow the fascinating work of animal preparation and gain exclusive insights into the process leading up to the final presentation of the specimen. Colleague Markus Ranft answers questions about this time-honored craft.

After all relevant data of the animal – such as location, date of discovery and dimensions – have been carefully recorded, the skin cleaned and preserved, and an artificial body has been made as a carrier for the later preparation, the actual preparation process follows.

The demonstration shows the mounting of the tawny owl's skin onto the previously prepared artificial body: The bird is positioned in a natural pose, its plumage precisely aligned and carefully arranged. This demonstration offers a rare opportunity to experience taxidermy up close as an interplay of science, craft, and art.

Promenaden Hauptbahnhof / Central Train Station Promenades

5.00 – 23.00 (daily from May 14th to 25th)

Torhaus Dölitz (Gewölbesaal) / Dölitz Gatehouse (vaulted hall)

from 11:00 am

13.00

Artist talk and guided tour (in GERMAN) of the exhibition

Zinnfigurenmuseum im Torhaus Dölitz / Tin Figure Museum in the Dölitz Gatehouse

10.00 – 17.00

Sunday, 24th May 2026

Ägyptisches Museum / Egyptian Museum

10.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

14.00 (2 tours running in parallel)

Guided tour in GERMAN: „Leben im Dies- und Jenseits“ (“Life in this world and the next”)

In ancient Egypt, people grappled intensely with the concept of death even during their lifetime and prepared for an afterlife. The tour offers insights into how this life in the afterlife was imagined, what preparations had to be made, and how mortality was dealt with in ancient Egypt.
(with Prof. Holger Kockelmann and Jana Helmbold-Doyé)

Agra Café

from 11:00 am

Altes Rathaus - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum in the Old Town Hall

10.00 – 18.00

Permanent exhibitions:
“Leipzig Original - City History from the Middle Ages to the Battle of the Nations” and
"Modern Times - From Industrialization to the Present Day"

Antikenmuseum der Universität Leipzig / Museum of Antiquities of the University of Leipzig

12.00 – 16.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the permanent exhibition and the following guided tours.

14.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: „Rausch, Ekstase und Verschwörung – Der Bacchanalienskandal von 186 v. Chr.“ (“Intoxication, ecstasy and conspiracy – The Bacchanalian scandal of 186 BC.”)

The Bacchanalia, festivals in honor of the wine god Bacchus, were celebrated wildly and exuberantly in ancient Rome. What began as a vegetation festival soon developed, in the eyes of the Roman Senate, into a dangerous cult beyond all norms – full of intoxication, unbridled sexuality, and transgressive rituals. In 186 BC, the followers of Bacchus were then accused of being poisoners and murderers. But what really happened at the Bacchanalia?

Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek / German Museum of Books and Writing of the German National Library

10.00 – 18.00

Free admission to the exhibitions

11.00 – 14.00

Presentation (in GERMAN): „Vielfarbige goldgeprägte Pracht!“ - historische Brokatpapiere aus den Sammlungen des Buchmuseums
("Multicolored, gold-embossed splendor!" - historical brocade papers from the collections of the Book Museum)

Brocade papers, embossed with metal leaf and invented in Augsburg around 1690, are among the most magnificent and precious sheets of applied graphic art. They were primarily used for homage, wedding speeches, funeral sermons, and as endpapers or binding papers. The presentation showcases selected examples as complete sheets, individual leaves, and fragments, as well as brochures and books from our collections.

Location: Museum foyer

11.00 – 14.00

Workshop led in GERMAN: Nachtschwärmer zum Selbermachen – Fledermäuse gestalten (Design and make bats)

Bats in their various forms are our topic today.
Together we'll discover the fascinating world of bats and create our own fluttering works of art. We'll show you two folding techniques, and with the help of templates, you can even make a simple version on a stick.

Location: Museumskabinett

12.30 – 13.30

Guided tour in GERMAN: „Vom Schöfferhof zur Schnellpresse" ("From the Schöfferhof to the high-speed press")

Peter Kühne takes on the role of Peter Schöffer, a historical associate of Johannes Gutenberg for WGT guests. He explains and demonstrates the fundamental elements of Gutenberg's invention. Visitors can see the hand-casting instrument, composing stick, and galley in action. The remarkable progress of Gutenberg's printing with movable type becomes clear through a vivid comparison with the effort involved in block printing or even handwriting. A look into the past reveals the impact of these groundbreaking inventions up to the high-speed printing press of the 19th century.

Meeting point: Museum foyer

14.00 –16.00

Reading in GERMAN: Christian von Aster „Die Schwarze Kunst 4.0 - eine Lesung finsterer Tintengespinste“

To delight those with a penchant for darker moods, Christian von Aster – striving to reconcile different genres of literature – not only reads from “Batman bei den Buddenbrooks”, but also presents all sorts of dark poems, anecdotes and oddities.

Location: New lecture hall

Deutsches Kleingärtnermuseum / German Allotment Garden Museum

10.00 – 17.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

Nestled within a listed garden complex and on the site of the oldest allotment association, the museum has been welcoming visitors since 1996. Unique worldwide, its permanent exhibition, rotating cabinet exhibitions, and three demonstration gardens vividly illustrate the history of allotment gardening.

The large central meadow with playground and the rustic beer garden also invite you to linger and enjoy a meal.

Deutsches Museum für Galvanotechnik / German Museum of Electroplating

11.00 – 16.00

12.00 – 18.00

14.00

Guided tour (in GERMAN) of the exhibition with the artist Bernhard Schipper
„… aber war stets gut informiert“ - Bernhard Schipper: Werkschau Neue Sorbische Kunst

The exhibition presents the multifaceted work of artist Bernhard Schipper, born in Bautzen in 1970. Curated to showcase three decades of his creative output, the exhibition invites the public on a visual journey of discovery.

15.00 – 17.00

Panel discussion in GERMAN: „Laibach, Lausitz, Lipsk – Was ist Neue Sorbische Kunst?“
A discursive exploration with Bernhard Schipper (artist/Leipzig) and Alexander Pehlemann (Zonic magazine/Leipzig)

In 1984, the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) movement formed in Ljubljana around the industrial art band Laibach, which had been active since 1980. This movement intervened in the disintegration process of late Yugoslavia in a way that was both aesthetically and thematically provocative. After Slovenia's independence, the original NSK transformed itself in 1992 into a virtual transnational state, the "NSK – state in time." This social sculpture, created by thousands of citizens, was placed in their hands in 2010, leading to the founding of the Leipzig group "NSK Lipsk," which in turn organized the 1st NSK Folk Art Biennale at the Spinnerei cultural center in 2014. Here, the idea of a New Sorbian Art—inspired by the original NSK but also specifically developed further—already hinted at through the choice of Slavic place names, encountered the aesthetically corresponding works of the Bautzen art group Riefenstahl, introduced by its member Bernhard Schipper, which had already been established in the early 1990s.
Bernhard Schipper discusses with Alexander Pehlemann (whose publication and presentation platform Zonic also first introduced the term New Sorbian Art) about their shared origins in the GDR subculture, their special character in the NSK context and the future potential of Sorbian decolonization in times of increasing crisis concentration.

Grassi-Museum für Angewandte Kunst / Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

10.00 – 18.00

12.00 – 16.00

Pop-up exhibition: „Mode, Tod und Trauer im Spiegel der Bücher“
("Fashion, death and mourning reflected in books")

The library of the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts presents selected books from its collection on various facets of the Gothic scene. Browse through artfully illustrated historical fashion magazines and explore books on fashion, death and mourning, art and culture. A quiz accompanying the exhibition invites you to test your knowledge and discover new things.

10.30 – 12.30 and 13.30 – 15.30

Guided tour and discussion in GERMAN: “Kimono – Tradition und Moderne”

2,000 years old and not a bit out of fashion. Thanks to constant change and many adaptations to the present day, this flexible garment is still in use today and popular with designers. Featuring a modern fashion show and Diana-Lucy Strahlendorf.
Meeting point: Ticket foyer

10.30 – 12.30

Guided tour and discussion in GERMAN: „Unter der Lupe“ - Die Kleidermode des Empire und ihre Wurzeln. (“Under the magnifying glass” – The clothing fashion of the Empire and its roots.)

The astonishing transformation of fashion at the end of the 18th century did not come out of the blue, even if it may seem so at first glance. Using exhibits and replicas, this turbulent period will be examined in more detail from a costume history perspective, with a focus on construction, how the garments were worn and their undergarments. With Ann-Dorothee Schlüter
Meeting point: Ticket foyer

Grassi-Museum für Musikinstrumente / Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments

10.00 – 18.00

12.00 – 13.00 and 14.00 – 15.00

Guided tour: „Alles endet, aber nie die Musik“ (“Everything ends, but never the music”) – works by great composers and instrument makers of the 17th to 19th centuries

A musical tour of the exhibition with the ensemble "parfois parfait": Solvej Donadel (soprano), Caroline Weiss (alto), Karl Altenburg (bass), and Leonard Schlick on historical keyboard instruments. A guided tour in GERMAN of the instrument collection will be led by Charlotte Landgraff.
Meeting point: Ticket foyer

Grassi-Museum für Völkerkunde/ Grassi Museum of Ethnology

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.
The museum is currently being redesigned as part of the “REINVENTING GRASSI.SKD” program.

11.00 – 12.00

13.00 – 14.00

15.00 – 16.00

16.00 – 18.00

Workshop led in GERMAN: Fächer gestalten – Eleganz trifft Individualität (Designing Fans – Elegance Meets Individuality)

Immerse yourself in the world of artistic fans and design your own unique accessory! In this workshop you will learn how to use fabric, embellishments and with some skilled craftsmanship, you create a stylish fan – perfect for the Wave-Gotik-Treffen. Whether opulently decorated or minimalist and elegant – your fan will not only be an eye-catcher, but also a practical companion for hot festival moments. Material and tools are provided. (Max. 15 people, workshop fee: €4 with WGT wristband)

Gutenberg Verlag und Druckerei / Gutenberg Publishing House and Printing Works

13.00 – 18.00

Haus Böttchergäßchen - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / (Leipzig City History Museum on Böttchergäßchen)

10.00 – 18.00

Hofgalerie Gestus

14.00 – 20.00

Museum der bildenden Künste / Museum of Fine Arts

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the following exhibitions:

Permanent exhibition: From the late Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity
On the first and second floors, works from the museum's collection spanning five centuries of European art history are presented. Renaissance paintings by Roger van der Weyden and Lucas Cranach the Elder, 17th-century Dutch paintings by Rachel Ruysch and Peter Paul Rubens, as well as Romantic works by Caspar David Friedrich and Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, demonstrate the diversity of the museum's collections.

Special exhibitions:
Rosa Barba – „Under the Canopy“ (Installation)

Roxana Rios - "Ode to Eris"
(large-format banner on the facade of the MdbK as well as several photographic interventions in the permanent exhibition)

Graphic art in focus: Francisco de Goya
The exhibition is dedicated to the important graphic series "Los Caprichos" by the Spanish artist. This cycle of 80 etchings by Goya (1746-1828) remains among his most famous works. At the age of 50, the artist used his aquatint etchings to critically comment on the social and political ills of Spain, exposing the flaws of society. Contemporary issues such as poverty, sexuality, prostitution, superstition, and the outdated class consciousness of the aristocracy are addressed. Goya clearly grasped the social upheavals in Europe following the French Revolution as a conflict between reason and emotion, traditional norms and individual needs. The works, their visual representations, and their titles defy direct translation to this day. Rather, they embody the ambivalence inherent in the central theme. Goya drew upon numerous visual sources, including emblem books with profound and subtle text-image combinations, and popular woodcut illustrations.

Naturkundemuseum / Natural History Museum

9.00 – 18.00

Promenaden Hauptbahnhof / Central Train Station Promenades

5.00 – 23.00 (daily from May 14th to 25th)

Exhibition: “Rust and Shine” – The Steampunk Exhibition for WGT 2026

11.00 – 15.00

Both artists will be present and available to answer questions from guests and visitors. You are welcome to engage in direct conversation about the creative process behind their work.

Exhibiting artists include: Frank Smolke from Leipzig and Claus Peter Stoffels aka Steampunk from Kassel.

As a trained toolmaker and decades-long calibration officer in precision mechanics, Claus-Peter Stoffels brings the best qualifications for his works of art. He creates a variety of everyday objects: wristwatches, wall clocks, mantel clocks, regulators, lighters, pens, phone cases, lighting fixtures, lamps, and, not to be forgotten, his e-bike, modeled after a 1911 Harley-Davidson. Almost all of his materials are old, practically antique. Using copper and brass, he handcrafts unique, one-of-a-kind pieces without a single machine-made component.

Frank Smolke initially created smaller pictures and objects from found objects – packaging, lids, and used items. Over time, his works became larger and more elaborate. When the plan was hatched to attend the WGT 2026 festival in his own costume, the first complete outfit was created as early as 2025. A backpack was constructed from a wine crate, a fan wheel, and various small parts, and complemented by a matching crossbow. Since then, numerous other objects, pictures, bags and backpacks, as well as shoes, top hats, and a wide variety of accessories have been created. A special paint that creates genuine rust, along with various waxes, is used to give the objects a characteristic patina and appearance. In this way, complete "outfits" – from shoes to top hats – are created, in which all elements are perfectly coordinated.

Torhaus Dölitz (Gewölbesaal) / Dölitz Gatehouse (vaulted hall)

from 11:00

Zinnfigurenmuseum im Torhaus Dölitz / Tin Figure Museum in the Dölitz Gatehouse

10.00 – 17.00

Monday, 25th May 2026

Agra Café

from 11:00 am

Altes Rathaus / Stadtgeschichtliches Museum
Leipzig City History Museum in the Old Town Hall

10.00 – 18.00

Permanent exhibitions:
“Leipzig Original - City History from the Middle Ages to the Battle of the Nations” and "Modern Times - From Industrialization to the Present Day"

11.00 – 12.00

Guided tour in GERMAN: Dunkle Geheimnisse der älteren Leipziger Stadtgeschichte (Dark secrets of Leipzig's early city history)

Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of medieval Leipzig. Using original artifacts, you will learn gruesome yet enlightening facts about the city's development, everyday life in the trade fair city, and the diversity of intellectual and religious life in Leipzig.

Meeting point: Altes Rathaus, information desk, 1st floor

Grassi-Museum für Angewandte Kunst / Grassi Museum of Applied Arts

10.00 – 18.00

Grassi-Museum für Musikinstrumente / Grassi Museum of Musical Instruments

10.00 – 18.00

Grassi-Museum für Völkerkunde / Grassi Museum of Ethnology

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission.

Gutenberg Verlag und Druckerei / Gutenberg Publishing House and Printing Works

13.00 – 16.00

Haus Böttchergäßchen - Stadtgeschichtliches Museum / Leipzig City History Museum on Böttchergäßchen)

10.00 – 18.00

Hofgalerie Gestus

14.00 – 20.00

Museum der bildenden Künste / Museum of Fine Arts

10.00 – 18.00

Visitors to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen are granted free admission to the following exhibitions:

Permanent exhibition: From the late Middle Ages to the beginning of modernity
On the first and second floors, works from the museum's collection spanning five centuries of European art history are presented. Renaissance paintings by Roger van der Weyden and Lucas Cranach the Elder, 17th-century Dutch paintings by Rachel Ruysch and Peter Paul Rubens, as well as Romantic works by Caspar David Friedrich and Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, demonstrate the diversity of the museum's collections.

Special exhibitions:
Rosa Barba – „Under the Canopy“ (Installation)

Roxana Rios - "Ode to Eris"
(large-format banner on the facade of the MdbK as well as several photographic interventions in the permanent exhibition)

Graphic art in focus: Francisco de Goya
The exhibition is dedicated to the important graphic series "Los Caprichos" by the Spanish artist. This cycle of 80 etchings by Goya (1746-1828) remains among his most famous works. At the age of 50, the artist used his aquatint etchings to critically comment on the social and political ills of Spain, exposing the flaws of society. Contemporary issues such as poverty, sexuality, prostitution, superstition, and the outdated class consciousness of the aristocracy are addressed. Goya clearly grasped the social upheavals in Europe following the French Revolution as a conflict between reason and emotion, traditional norms and individual needs. The works, their visual representations, and their titles defy direct translation to this day. Rather, they embody the ambivalence inherent in the central theme. Goya drew upon numerous visual sources, including emblem books with profound and subtle text-image combinations, and popular woodcut illustrations.