tours & excursions
Following the conference program, exclusive tours and excursions will offer the opportunity to explore collections and places of major significance, both in Dresden and in Saxony.
Due to limited capacity, registration is mandatory. Please book your place using the online registration portal.
Tours
TOUR 1
Visiting an Outdoor Geological Collection: Natural Stones in the Built Environment
Sept 28th, 2024, 2 pm
Duration 1,5 hrs
Fee Free of charge
Guide Prof. Dr. Heiner Siedel
Natural stones are ubiquitous in the built environment – on facades, in sculptures and even in pavements. A closer look at them offers information about their petrography and geological origin, which cause certain colors, textures and technical properties of the material. The latter are of crucial importance for architects and their intentions when deciding which stones to appropriately use in construction. Thus, the different types of building stones allow for storytelling from various perspectives. This walk through the TU campus will demonstrate the potential of stone facades and objects when considered as an “open air collection” and explored for educational purposes.
TOUR 2
Art-on-architecture and sculpture on campus. A journey through time from the 19th century to the present day
Sept 28th, 2024, 2 pm
Duration 1,5 hrs
Fee Free of charge
Guide Gwendolin Kremer
TUD’s Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific, and Art Collections is unique in its precocious intertwining of technical-scientific collections with collaborative commissions and acquisitions for the university’s art collection. The latter is exemplary for art of the GDR and, with its focus on abstract art of the early 1950s, inhabits a special place among collecting institutions in East Germany. One example of this is the 1957 architecture-bound creation by Hermann Glöckner in the physics building (Recknagel building) of TUD. For the art collection, art-on-architecture commissions have played a significant role for centuries, transcending all political systems.
TOUR 3
Dresden Medical Campus
Sept 28th, 2024, 2 pm
Duration 1,5 hrs
Fee Free of charge
Guide Dr. Marina Lienert
TUD’s Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, named after one of Dresden’s most distinguished physicians, looks back on more than 250 years of history. With predecessors reaching back to the 18th century, today’s Faculty and Hospital operated independently as a Medical Academy until 1993, when they were incorporated into TU Dresden. The tour will introduce the historic and contemporary architecture of the campus as well as its important collection of historical medical objects, curated by the institute for the history of medicine. Also, the institute dedicates a special exhibition to the world's largest book series on the subject of National Socialism. The so-called Black Series, which S. Fischer Verlag has been publishing since 1977, also contains medical-historical monographs, which are the focus of the exhibition.
TOUR 4
Botanical Garden
Sept 28th, 2024, 2 pm
Duration 1,5 hrs
Fee Free of charge
Guide Prof. Dr. Christoph Neinhuis
In the heart of Dresden, bordering on the historic “Great Garden” park, TUD’s Botanical Garden, a center of plant diversity, is located. Approximately 10,000 species of plants are presented to visitors on the 3.25-hectare site and in three greenhouses. Around half of the plants can be found in the open air area, designed in the mixed style of late 19th century gardens and largely organized according to plant geography. The other half of plants is cultivated in the greenhouses. Valuable special collections include pelargoniums, dwarf peppers, aristolochias and endangered native plants.
TOUR 5
The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon
Sept 28th, 2024, 4 pm
Fee Free of charge
Entrance tickets to the museum must be acquired individually prior to the tour
(ICOM cards accepted).
Guides Dr. Peter Plaßmeyer, Dr. Michael Korey
The Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon has been housed in the Zwinger since 1728 and is one of the oldest collections of historical scientific instruments in the world. Under Elector Augustus (1526-1586), the rulers of Saxony started collecting diverse scientific instruments, displaying them in their Dresden residence. In the 18th century, an observatory for observing the sky was set up in the spaces of the Salon; the official time for Dresden and Saxony was determined from here until 1928. After extensive remodeling, the Salon’s exhibition spaces reopened in 2013. Today, 1,100 square meters bear witness to the Saxon princes' passion for collecting, while demonstrating the foundations on which our current knowledge is based.
TOUR 6
Dresden City Walk
Sept 28th, 2024, 4 pm
Duration 1,5 hrs
Fee 10 € / person
On this walking tour, you will stroll through the beautiful historical center of Dresden. An expert tour guide will introduce you to the history of the city and its major monuments. Highlights include:
- the Zwinger, one of the most impressive buildings of the German Baroque;
- the Theaterplatz with the world famous Semper Opera House;
- the catholic “Hofkirche” (court chapel);
- the Residenzschloss, formerly the residence of the Saxon counts and kings;
- the “Procession of Princes”, a monumental wall decoration made entirely from porcelain;
- the famous Frauenkirche (“Church of Our Lady”).
This is a walking tour through the city. It does not include visits to building’s interiors.
Excursions
EXCURSION 1
Leipzig
Sept 29th, 2024, all day
Fee 55 €
Included - bus transfer from Dresden to Leipzig (round-trip)
- visit to Leipzig University’s campus and Kustodie
- guided tour of the Museum of Musical Instruments Leipzig
By bus, you will travel to the vibrant city of Leipzig, seat of one of the oldest universities in Europe and a famous center of culture, art and music. You will be welcomed by the team of the Kustodie, responsible for the university’s vast and famous collections of artworks. They will accompany you to the Paulinum, the university’s chapel and an architectural landmark housing an important collection of altar pieces. You will enjoy a tour of the campus and its artworks and visit the Kustodie’s study collection and exhibition. After lunch (self-paid) and some time to explore the city center, on your own, you will make your way to the GRASSI museum quarter, a building complex from the early 20th century which today is home to several collection. There, in a nod to the rich musical history of the city that welcomed personalities as Johann Sebastian Bach amongst its inhabitants, you will enjoy a guided tour of the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIMUL). Its collections include more than 5000 musical instruments, as well as historic sound storage mediums and an iconographic collection. Afterwards, there will be time to explore more of the GRASSI museums on your own, before returning to Dresden.
This excursion requires a minimum number of 21 participants to take place.
EXCURSION 2
Freiberg
Sept 29th, 2024, all day
Fee 66 €
Included - bus transfer from Dresden to Freiberg (round-trip)
- entrance tickets to Terra Mineralia and Historicum
- guided tour at Freiberg Cathedral
A short bus ride will take you to the old mining town of Freiberg in the Erzgebirge (“Ore Mountains”). The world's first mining academy was established here in 1865, from which today's Freiberg University of Technology emerged. You will see the university's geoscientific collections and the “Historicum”, the university museum, with its exhibition on the history of the mining academy and its collections. After lunch (self-paid), you will visit the “Terra Mineralia” in Freiberg Castle, one of the most impressive mineral collections in the world, put together by a private collector and donated to the TU Freiberg in 2004. Your last stop will be Freiberg Cathedral, one of Saxony's most important religious buildings. The cathedral is world-famous for its medieval Golden Gate, the two Silbermann organs and the Electoral Saxon Burial Chapel.
This excursion requires a minimum number of 21 participants to take place.
EXCURSION 3
Pillnitz Palace & Gardens
Sept 29th, 2024, all day
Fee 55 €
Included - guided tour of the Museum of Applied Arts
- guided tour of Pillnitz palace gardens
- steamboat ticket from Pillnitz to Dresden city
- lunch
Entrance tickets to the palace museums and gardens must be acquired individually prior to the visit (ICOM cards accepted).
This excursion will take you to Pillnitz, a southern suburb of Dresden, where the former summer residence of the Saxon princes at the banks of the Elbe river awaits you. The Palace with its gardens is a jewel of baroque architecture, showcasing a mix of styles influenced by the 18th century’s passion for Eastern Asian art. We will meet at the palace gates after having arrived in Pillnitz individually, to start the visit with a guided tour of the Museum of Applied Arts and its collections. Afterwards, you will have time to explore the palace museum, its historical interiors and the special exhibition “Pflanzenfieber”. An expert guide will the accompany you through the historical palace gardens to take a closer look at the Chinoiserie style buildings. You will explore wonderful botanical rarities, and see the famous Pillnitz Camelia, the oldest Japanese Camelia tree north of the Alps. A historical steamboat will take you back to Dresden city center, giving you ample time to admire the impressive scenery of the Elbe valley.
This excursion requires a minimum number of 20 participants to take place.
Booking Deadline: August 7th, 2024
EXCURSION 4
Meißen
Sept 29th, 2024, all day
Fee 80 €
Included - bus transfer from Dresden to Meißen and back
- guide for all day
- guided tour and entrance to the Porcelain Manufactory
By bus, you will travel to Moritzburg, former hunting seat of the Saxon princes, where you will have the opportunity to explore the castle and its magnificent scenery. Afterwards, you will be travelling to Meißen, where a sightseeing tour of about 1,5 hours will take you through the city that still shows its medieval and early modern face. Walking through the charming town, you will discover the gothic style cathedral as well as the first German “castle”, the Albrechtsburg. During your individual lunch you can enjoy the annual wine festival, which happens that weekend in Meißen. You cannot leave the town without a visit of the famous Meißen Porcelain Manufactory, the oldest of its kind in Europe. A guided tour of 1.5 hrs will take you the demonstrational workshop and the museum in small groups.
Please be aware that since Meißen is a historical town, situated on a hill, you will need comfortable shoes.
This excursion requires a minimum number of 21 participants to take place.
Booking Deadline: August 7th, 2024