The Palace of Culture for the Maxhütte

A blueprint for the Republic?

The Kulturpalast of VEB Maxhütte Unterwellenborn had been a place for grassroots cultural work with theatre, singing clubs and art circles since 1955. The country's show stars performed here, while amateur artists from the steelworks exhibited their paintings or performed in the choir and orchestra. Due to its size, design and furnishings, it is considered the archetype of the approximately 2,000 cultural centres in the GDR. In the book »Max braucht Gesellschaft – Der Kulturpalast des VEB Maxhütte Unterwellenborn«, edited by Christoph Liepach, the authors recount the architectural history and cultural policy of the GDR in all its contradictions. What would the preservation and cultural revitalisation of this palace mean for people today?

Lecture: Christoph Liepach, Photographer and Publisher, Leipzig

Moderation: Sören Marotz, Exhibition Manager DDR Museum

COOPERATION WITH THE LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR SPATIAL SOCIAL RESEARCH (IRS)

Admission is free of charge.

Photograph of a pink building with white columns

12 November 2025, 6 pm

Conference room DDR Museum
Sankt Wolfgang-Str. 2
10178 Berlin

Here you can see the location.

The event will take place in German.