WerkStadt Leipzig. 200 years to the rhythm of machinery

2nd September 2020 till 11th April 2021
Soft Opening: 1st September, 3 p.m. till 7 p.m.
Böttchergäßchen Building, Böttchergäßchen 3, 04109 Leipzig

Leipzig has been – and continues to be – an industrial city with international appeal and connections. There is probably no other epoch in its history which has shaped Leipzig as much as industrialisation during the 19th and 20th century; combined with the trade fair and the book fair, big brands and outstanding products have shaped the city’s image throughout the world. The exhibition takes up the subject of industrial culture and uses the example of important companies and world market leaders, such as Adolf Bleichert (later: VTS/TAKRAF), Rudolph Sack (later: VEB Bodenbearbeitungsgeräte/ Amazone BBG) or Gebrüder Brehmer (later: VEB Polygraph), to illustrate their changing history from the beginnings in the 19th century to the years of crisis and the new start after the two world wars and the collapse of socialism in 1990. 

Modern Leipzig, with its factory lofts, Wilhelminian-style districts and its leisure areas (which have partly been restored to a natural state) evolved on the basis of a dense network of railway lines, streets, air transport routes and waterways. These developments were driven by industrialisation – as a result, entrepreneurial visions have become part of the city’s cultural heritage – far beyond the fields of technology and architecture.

In addition to the presentation of machines, products and entrepreneurs, this exhibition also focuses on the modernisation of the world of work and lifestyles – from the age of factory production to industries 4.0. It highlights stories of dynamic growth, of diversity in Leipzig’s industrial tradition and workers’ culture, as well as the pioneering and standard-setting transformation of former industrial areas into cultural venues and residential areas.