Guided Tour: Designers in Hellerau. A search for clues.
Guided tour by the Deutscher Werkbund Sachsen e.V.
With the founding of the Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau and the first German garden city, Dresden became the center of the international arts and crafts and life reform movement for some time. It is well known that the entrepreneur Karl Schmidt commissioned numerous designers because he had recognized that a well-designed industrial product could be a significant economic factor.
What has almost been forgotten today is that there were around 50 women among his contractors who were associated with the Deutsche Werkstätten as graphic artists, furniture designers, interior designers, pattern designers or textile designers between 1898 and 1938. Despite their lively designs and teaching activities, numerous exhibitions and successful participation in competitions, their names are almost unknown to us today.
The spirit of optimism of the reform movement around 1900 made it possible for women to achieve more autonomy and self-determination; on the other hand, they were instrumental in creating a new aesthetic and contributed to the economic success of the Deutsche Werkstätten. This makes their disappearance from the collective memory of the city of Dresden all the more incomprehensible.
The approximately two-hour tour begins in the Festspielhaus with a short introduction and continues with a short walk through the garden city in search of traces.
Duration: ca. 2 h
Language: German
Tour guided led by Sibylle Becker-Kilian (Architect, KilianArchitekten)
Meeting point: HELLERAU visitor centre, western side building
Cost: €19 per person, €14 reduced for students/pupils
(cash or EC payment possible)
The price includes a guided tour of the garden city and the festival theatre.
Please register at least 4 days before the date, providing a telephone number, at fuehrungen-sachsen@deutscher-werkbund.de
The tour can only take place if there are at least 15 participants.
Correspondingly, the Centre for Building Culture Saxony (ZfBK) in Dresden’s Kulturpalast will host the exhibition „Wir sind viele! Woman in Architecture“ as part of the nationwide WIA Festival 2025.
