The East Wing of the Festspielhaus is being brought back to life

On 16 November 2018, Minister of the Interior Prof. Dr Roland Wöller and Dresden's Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert signed an urban development agreement at HELLERAU. The Free State of Saxony thus promised the state capital funding from the federal and state programme "Urban Monument Protection". The funds will be used for the complex renovation and remodelling of the east wing of the Festspielhaus Hellerau as well as for the design of the open spaces on the site, including the inner courtyard. As a centre for contemporary art with a clear focus on dance, music and theatre, HELLERAU is one of the leading centres for contemporary performing arts in Germany. The listed former East Barracks on the festival grounds are now being converted into a hostel and rehearsal centre to welcome artists from all over the world. On this page we will keep you regularly informed about the progress of the conversion. Follow the development of the East Wing on the grounds of HELLERAU - European Centre for the Arts.

14.09.2025 - Opening

After all the prerequisites for its future use have been created in recent months, the time has finally come on 14 September 2025: the Small Hall in the east wing of the Festspielhaus Hellerau will be officially opened with short plays, concerts, workshops and talks. This will allow HELLERAU - European Centre for the Arts to expand its spatial and programmatic possibilities, for example for new formats, a more intensive exchange between the public and artists and greater involvement of the local scene.

On 3 May 2024, the completed building was initially handed over to HELLERAU - European Centre for the Arts as part of the listed ensemble. With the completion of the Small Hall, it is now available for guest performances and concerts; at the same time, the first rehearsals will begin in the neighbouring rehearsal studio. The next step will be to fit out the residence flats.

The remodelling of the Festspielhaus site began in 2005 with the refurbishment of the main building, followed by the renovation of the west wing. With the completion of the east wing, another important milestone has now been reached, completing the ensemble of the Festspielhaus, which is significant in terms of architectural culture and the city's history.

03.05.2024 - Handover

Construction of the east wing of the Dresden Festival Theatre HELLERAU is now complete. On Friday, 3 May 2024, it was ceremoniously handed over to the European Centre for the Arts by the state capital of Dresden. The building will be furnished over the coming months and equipped with the necessary event technology in the two large halls, the rehearsal studio and the studio stage, so that performances can begin and the East Wing can open to the public from the 2025/2026 season.

29.12.2023 - Completion of the studio stage

It's all black - the large studio stage is finished! In December, the plasterboard surfaces of all the wall panelling were filled, sanded and painted a uniform black. However, before the room looks as visualised in the planning (picture on the right), the entire stage technology must first be brought in and installed. The installation of the stage technology will begin in January of the new year with the roping in of the load bars and test runs of the brochure hoists. In addition, the fine assembly and end position adjustment of the darkening elements will be carried out.

30.11.2023 - Studio stage wall panelling

The finishing work in the studio stage, which is being designed as a "black box", is now clearly approaching its final stage. In November, the acoustic ceiling made of black-coloured wood wool lightweight panels was completed and work continued on the wall cladding on the longitudinal outer walls - to accommodate the technical media for lighting, sound, darkening, heating and ventilation and to improve the acoustics.

Blackout blinds are integrated into the wall cladding at each window to achieve the "total black" that is essential for theatre performances. Between the windows, the surface of the wall panelling consists of perforated and pre-coloured acoustic panels made of plasterboard, while unperforated wooden panels are used in the window areas. To achieve ideal room acoustics, some of the perforated panels are backed with fleece and mineral wool for sound absorption, while others are lined with sheet metal panels for sound reflection.

30.10.2023 - Staircases

In addition to the foyer and the two large halls, the atmosphere of the east wing is also characterised by the three staircases, which have been preserved in their original condition. The staircase in the foyer, which connects the entrance level with the two bridge levels, is particularly representative. The original steps made of artificial stone and wooden banisters have been preserved and are being restored.

In October, the steps were cleaned, refurbished and fitted with new rubber tread edges. The railings underwent final examinations to determine their original colour, after which they were cleaned, the handrails were reworked and samples were taken of the colour for painting, which will take place in November. The mastic asphalt on the two bridges in the foyer was also laid and sanded in October.

30.09.2023 - Expansion of the studio stage

The studio stage is the largest room in the east wing - it will primarily be used for performances. Like the large auditorium of the Festspielhaus, the studio stage will also be designed as a freely playable spatial structure without fixed installations. To this end, the floor was fitted with cable ducts across the entire area and the ceiling was prepared in such a way that it can flexibly accommodate the stage technology. Perforated, externally insulated pipe sleeves were inserted into over 200 core drill holes, through which the suspension cables will run to the roller floor in the roof.

To accommodate the technical media for lighting, sound, darkening, heating and ventilation and to improve the acoustics, the longitudinal outer walls are cladded. There is a technical gallery at one end of the room and the control rooms for lighting and sound at the opposite end. In contrast to the white, light-coloured rehearsal studio, the studio stage is designed as a "black box" - for inward-facing concentration and excitement during the big performance.

31.08.2023 - Ceiling in the rehearsal studio completed

The rehearsal studio will primarily be used for dance rehearsals in future. For this purpose, it will be set up as a pure, white room with minimalist furnishings. The 16 historic windows let in plenty of light and air and provide a view of the Festspielhaus. The ceiling, which was completed in August, has now turned the studio into the planned "white box". The studio ceiling consists of wood wool lightweight panels (also known as "sauerkraut panels"), which are ideal for sound insulation thanks to their elastic fibres. Load hooks were installed in the ceiling, from which the trusses for the event technology (lighting or sound) can be suspended, as well as continuous guide rails for curtains on both sides of the window.

31.07.2023 - Lighting rehearsal in the foyer

The extension of the foyer is now clearly approaching its final stage. To reinforce the architectural idea of staging the listed roof construction of the east wing as an eye-catcher, lighting planner Ulrike Brandi developed a lighting concept that encompasses the Kroher trusses and the entire foyer space. A lighting rehearsal took place in July. Acoustic plaster was also applied to the walls and undersides of the two foyer bridges in July. Once the technical installations had been completed and the wall and ceiling surfaces finished, the room scaffolding could be dismantled.

30.06.2023 - Connection to the garden city

If you look at the east wing of the Festspielhaus from Heinrich-Tessenow-Weg today, it's hard to imagine what it looked like just a few months ago. Since June, the separation between the garden city Hellerau and the festival theatre grounds is finally history - the original connection has now been restored thanks to the completion of the east façade (the reveals of the windows and doors of the foyer were plastered and painted in June). Once the remodelling is complete, visitors will be able to walk through the foyer to the Festspielplatz. In the coming weeks, the surfaces of the walls and ceilings of the two large halls will be finalised. Tiling, flooring and heating work is currently underway in the artists' flats.

30.05.2023 - Installation of stage floors in rehearsal studio and studio stage

May was all about the "boards that mean the world". The installation of the stage floor in the rehearsal studio has already been completed and the stage floor in the studio stage is in progress. Only the top layer of the complex floor structure, including the extensive technical installations, will remain visible after completion - in the east wing it consists of boards made of Oregon Pine material with a board thickness of 50 mm. Media boxes, cable ducts and flaps concealed in the floor ensure the media technology supply for the different performance variants of the two stages. In May, the suspended ceilings in the cloakrooms were also completed and the painters and tilers started work in the artists' residences.

28.04.2023 - Installation of exterior windows and doors in the foyer

Thanks to the construction progress in April, the architectural idea of the east wing conversion is now fully visible in the façade. The new doors were installed on the ground floor and the new windows on the upper floor in the enlarged façade openings in the foyer area, which were initially provisionally closed for weather protection reasons, and the anthracite-coloured mastic asphalt was also installed in the new foyer, including the two bridges. Installation of the acoustic elements on the gable wall of the foyer has begun. All the drywall suspended ceilings in the artists' residences have been completed.

31.03.2023 - Drywall construction and technical installations

In March, work centred on erecting the stud frames for the drywall walls and facing formwork. Before the studs are clad, all the building services installations must first be carried out. The plumbing installation has begun with the installation of the registers for the sanitary objects, while the electrical installation is being carried out in parallel. Starting from the ventilation centres in the attic, ventilation pipes were laid to ventilate all the sanitary rooms without involving the listed roof structure for warping or fixing.

26.02.2023 - Painting Kroher trusses in the foyer

time has also left its mark on the listed roof structure of the east wing. The roof underwent emergency renovation back in 2016/2017 and some of the original wooden elements of the roof truss had to be replaced with new ones. In February, the Kroher trusses in the foyer, which are marked by ageing, weathering and additions, were given a yellow-coloured coat of paint to give them a homogeneous appearance. The electrical, water and district heating pipes were routed into the building from the street through the outer walls of the building and connected to the waterproofing with a loose fixed flange construction in stainless steel, which was applied to the basement walls with a thick bituminous coating.

30.01.2023 - Installation of soundproof windows in the studio stage

As the listed wooden box-type windows in the east wing do not have any special structural properties, they are being supplemented with internal sashes that fully fulfil the requirements for thermal, moisture, fire and, above all, sound insulation. In the first month of the new year, the large inner window sashes were installed in the studio theatre. With a sash weight of 120 kg per window, transport and installation in the interior of the east wing posed a particular challenge.

23.12.2022 - Milestones 2022 completed

At the end of the year, the East Wing on the festival grounds in Hellerau is standing peacefully, after the eventful months of renovation, work has now come to a brief standstill over the Christmas holidays. A good year after the start of construction, the milestones defined for 2022 have been completed: The roof is complete, all the façades have been plastered and painted, the scaffolding has been dismantled and the entire shell of the building's interior has been finished. The new year 2023 will be dedicated entirely to the interior work. We are already looking forward to reporting on this here.

30.11.2022 - Exterior plastering work completed

In November, the formerly mouse-grey east wing became a bright, shiny building. The plastering work on the west façade was completed and the entire building was painted all over. The roof is now also finished: the last dormer window was installed above the foyer staircase and the roof structure was completed. In addition, the waterproofing work on the exterior basement walls on the east side has been completed and the waterproofing work on the west side will follow.

Inside the building, the shell of the foyer has been completed with the installation of the second bridge and the floor work has begun. All representative areas of the east wing, with the exception of the two stage rooms, will have a floor of polished mastic asphalt - similar to that in the visitor centre of the west side building.

28.10.2022 - Shell of foyer almost finished

the former narrow staircase in the centre of the east wing was transformed into a large, bright room in October. By removing the ceiling and walls on the ground floor, the foyer now extends across all floors and provides a view of the original roof construction with the listed Kroher trusses. The upper of the two bridges that will connect the two halves of the building has already been installed and all the outer wall openings of the foyer have been created. The final components were installed on the roof in October. The façade plaster on the two gable ends of the building has been preserved and restored. The plastering work on the east façade, which had already begun in September, was completed in October, including the painting work. The plastering work on the west side will follow in November.

30.09.2022 - First openings in the foyer

Once the conversion of the east wing is complete, a foyer spanning all floors in the centre of the building will reconnect the garden city Hellerau with the festival area. The current construction progress already reveals this design idea on a small scale. On the ground floor of the foyer, the opening to Heinrich-Tessenow-Weg is currently being created by enlarging the window openings into doorways. The ceiling has been removed on the upper floor of the foyer. There, the special roof structure is already visible in all its splendour. The roofers completed their work in September. The roller floor with cable ducts for the stage equipment is currently being installed above the studio stage.

31.08.2022 - Shell of the studio stage completed

Following the completion of the shell of the rehearsal studio in May, the shell of the studio stage has now been completed. For this hall, the steel framework was first erected in the roof, then the ceiling above the 1st floor was suspended from it and then the load-bearing walls on the 1st floor, the ceiling above the ground floor and the load-bearing walls on the ground floor were removed. With a total length of seven window axes, the studio stage is the largest room in the east wing of the festival theatre. In August, the roof was further tiled and the interior plastering work in the rehearsal studio was completed. In the artists' flats and the kitchen, the finishing work began with the erection of the dry walls and the installation of the technical building equipment.

18.07.2022 - Topping-out ceremony

With the completion of the 14 dormer windows, the structural work on the east wing of the Festspielhaus Hellerau is now largely complete. Building Mayor Stephan Kühn took this milestone as an opportunity to invite everyone involved in the project to the topping-out ceremony on 18 July 2022. Intendant Carena Schlewitt symbolically hammered in the last nail and carpenter Jan-Philipp Geßner read out the topping-out speech. In the coming weeks, the roof will be covered and the plaster on the north façade restored in addition to the ongoing structural strengthening and gutting work in the studio theatre.

31.05.2022 - Shell of rehearsal studio completed

The time has come! The shell of the first of the two large halls in the east wing, where rehearsals and performances will take place from 2024, has been completed. The ceiling and the last remaining walls on the ground floor were removed in May - the room is now lit via a total of 16 windows on two levels in four building axes. The installation of the steel trusses above the second hall, the studio stage, has also been completed. The demolition work on the walls and ceilings will now follow. With a length of seven building axes, this hall will be almost twice as large as the rehearsal studio.

29.04.2022 - The first steel trusses are installed

The construction progress in April already gives an idea of the future dimensions of the new rehearsal studio in the east wing. After the new trusses on the top floor were erected at the beginning of the month, the ceiling below could be suspended from them. The load was then removed from the load-bearing walls on the first floor. The east wing can now be experienced in its entire width for the first time. When the ceiling and the load-bearing walls on the ground floor are also removed in the coming weeks, the rehearsal studio will be finished in its raw form. At the same time, the new steel trusses of the second large hall, the studio stage, are being built.

29.03.2022 - Exterior wall reinforcement and nesting boxes

The new interior walls for the two large halls, which extend over two storeys, are now being erected on the foundations built in February and March. To be able to bear additional loads, the outer walls of the east wing will be reinforced from the inside with reinforced concrete pillars. In April, the assembly and erection of the new steel trusses of the rehearsal studio will begin, the individual parts of which have already been delivered and lifted into the roof space of the building. Nesting opportunities for bats and building-dwelling birds will be created along the entire eaves length of the roof and an entire bat roost will be created in the cold roof on the north side.

25.02.2022 - Foundation work and underpinning

With the demolition of the screed in the attic, the demolition work on the east wing is now almost complete. The roof tiles have also been completely removed and the roof is now being temporarily protected from the elements with a tarpaulin.
However, the most exciting changes are currently taking place on the ground floor and in the basement. Everything is being prepared there so that the floor slabs and load-bearing interior walls can be removed in the coming months in the area of the new "rehearsal studio" and "studio stage" rooms, which are being built to the left and right of the foyer. In future, the ceilings of these two large two-storey rooms will be suspended from steel trusses resting on newly erected load-bearing walls. New foundations are currently being constructed for these walls and the existing foundations are being reinforced.

26.01.2022 - Roof scaffolding has begun

The first snow fell just in time for Christmas, covering the roof of the now scaffolded building in a delicate white. In the new year, the demolition work inside the east wing continues to progress and fill the huge blue and red containers in front of the west façade with rubble. The door openings in the load-bearing interior walls are being adapted to the new plans and, if necessary, reinforced in the lintel area. Outside, roofers have started to remove the roof tiles. These will be stored and reinstalled once the new dormers have been installed and the insulation applied.

13.12.2021 - Demolition work in full swing

There is a lot of noise and dust in the east wing of the Festspielhaus. The demolition work, which began in the centre foyer in October, is now taking place on all levels of the building. Before the new rooms are created, the east wing will first be completely restored to its shell state, which means that all non-load-bearing walls will be removed and the plaster surfaces on the interior walls and ceilings as well as the floor structures will be removed so that only the load-bearing elements and layers remain.

Three companies are currently working on the construction site at the same time (technical development, light demolition and structural demolition). BAUHAUF GmbH is providing the main construction work, i.e. most of the demolition work, and will then also carry out the steel construction and carpentry work. The demolition work on the upper floors of the east wing will extend into the spring of the new year.

11.10.2021 - Press conference on the start of construction

At a press conference, Dresden's Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert kicked off the start of construction for the renovation and modernisation of the east wing of the Festspielhaus. The façade has been scaffolded over the past few days and the building has been connected to all media (water, electricity, etc.) in advance. After light demolition work to create space for construction, the shell of the building will now begin with extensive demolition work in the new centre foyer. A crane will be erected on the site by the end of 2021 to transport construction materials into the building and dispose of demolition materials from the building. The old wall on the east side of the festival theatre site was already removed some time ago. This area (access from Heinrich-Tessenow Weg/Valeria-Kratina-Weg) will be secured by a construction fence during the entire construction work.