Guided Tour: Designerinnen in Hellerau. Eine Spurensuche.

Please note: This guided tour is unfortunately cancelled

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
Registration via: fuehrungen-sachsen@deutscher-werkbund.de, please provide a phone number when registering

If you have any questions or want further information, get in touch with: reich@hellerau.org, or  0351 264 62 46.