Exhibition dates
LEGO® Workshop: Building (and rebuilding) with «Platten» – We’re transforming skyscrapers!
Holiday workshop with the ZfBK
At the City Museum, we’ll discover prefabricated blocks of flats – buildings made up of lots of identical concrete slabs, which were built in many towns and cities. Afterwards, using LEGO® bricks and plenty of imagination, you’ll transform one of these blocks of flats and its surroundings into new, vibrant living spaces! All the ideas will then be displayed in a small exhibition.
- Age: 8 to 11 years
- Duration: 3 hours
- Cost: €6 per child
- Book online or via the visitor services department of Dresden’s municipal museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)
Your plaster cast!
Holiday workshop
Become a builder and design your very own piece of the city! Create your own mini concrete slab using liquid plaster. Before the plaster sets, it’s time to add some colour! Decorate your slab with colourful stones, glittering sand and mosaic tiles. Whether it’s a colourful block of flats or a stylish pattern – you decide what the »Platte« of the future will look like.
- Age: 6 to 13 years
- Duration: 2 hours
- Cost: €5 per child
- Book online or via the visitor services department at the Museums of the City of Dresden on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)
Director’s Tour: »Platte EAST/WEST. Living and Building in Large-Panel Construction
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1 hour
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- Book online or via the visitor services department of Dresden’s museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)
Guided tour with the curatorial team: »Platte EAST/WEST. Living and Building in Large-Panel Construction
Guided tour of the special exhibition
With Dr Claudia Quiring, curator, and Jonas Malzahn, co-curator
- Duration: 1½ hours
- Meet at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- Book online or via the visitor services department of the City of Dresden Museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)
Presentation of the photographic documentary ‘Gorbitz’ by Christine Starke
Book launch at the special exhibition
Photographer Christine Starke presents her 1989 photo album on the Gorbitz new-build estate.
The work documents a residential building through medium-format black-and-white photographs. The album is notable for its elaborate design, featuring a variety of fold-out sections that guide the viewer’s gaze from the outside in and from the basement to the roof. The photographs depict the architecture, the residents and their living environment in what was then a newly built housing complex.
The photo album is currently on display in the special exhibition ‘Platte Ost / West’; it will be taken out of the display case for the event.
About the photographer:
Christine Starke (born in 1951 in Dresden) has been working as a freelance photographer since 1985, specialising in portrait, documentary and architectural photography.
- Museum admission
Guided tour: »Platte« EAST/WEST. Living and building using the large-panel construction method
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- No booking required
Art at the Reick Combined Heat and Power Plant: Heinz Drache & Siegfried Schade
Tour of the combined heat and power plant
Today’s Reick CHP plant houses two works of art that are not normally open to the public: a monumental mural (1976) by Heinz Drache in the control room and ceramic reliefs (1989) by Siegfried Schade from the former canteen. These works also depict prefabricated buildings – yet the depictions vary greatly, making them a reflection of their time.
With commentary by Dr Claudia Quiring (Dresden City Museum) and Tino Kuhnke (SachsenEnergie) on the content and the subsequent handling of the works.
- SachsenEnergie Combined Heat and Power Plant Dresden-Reick
Liebstädter Straße 1
01277 Dresden - Register online or via the visitor service of the Dresden City Museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon – Fri)
Guided tour: »Platte« EAST/WEST. Living and building using the large-panel construction method
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- No booking required
Album for Advent
Family Afternoon
14:00 – 18:00
Spend the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent at our exhibition and get ready for the festive season. Here, you can make a whole host of little treats for your loved ones yourself.
Get creative with baking, making jewellery, printing on fabric bags or cushions, or creating your own gift wrap.
You can experience all this and more with us on the day. And in our museum café, cakes and hot chocolate await you, so you can refuel for your next craft adventures.
- Ages: 6 to 99
- Museum admission
Guided tour: »Platte« EAST/WEST. Living and building using the large-panel construction method
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- No booking required
The gingerbread tray never smells sweeter than at Christmas…
Family workshop
At the City Museum, everything currently revolves around prefabricated housing. In our workshop, we’re bringing the »Platte« into the festive Christmas season: using gingerbread dough, we’ll create standardised gingerbread »Platten«, which will be baked and then decorated with icing, nuts and colourful sprinkles. Whether to enjoy yourself or as a unique Christmas present – here, architecture becomes delicious!
- Duration: 2 hours
- Age: 3 to 99 years (max. two accompanying adults per child)
- Museum admission
- Book online or via the visitor services department of Dresden’s museums on +49 351 488 7272 (Mon–Fri)
Guided tour: »Platte« EAST/WEST. Living and building using the large-panel construction method
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- No booking required
Guided tour: »Platte« EAST/WEST. Living and building using the large-panel construction method
Guided tour of the special exhibition
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Meeting point at the ticket office
- Guided tour free of charge, plus museum admission
- No booking required
Exhibition offers
A house from the factory!
Interactive tour for primary schools
What are prefabricated buildings? And what is actually special about them? In the City Museum's special exhibition, you can find out how this type of construction came about and why there are so many prefabricated buildings.
Primary school KU [ Kl. 1-4. LB 1], [ Kl. 1-2. WB 2], [Kl. 4 LB 2, WB 2], SU [Kl. 2-4 LB 5]
€5 per person, accompanying persons receive free admission
Practical modules can be booked to build on the tour.
about the exhibition
Practical Module 2: Your plaster casts!
Bookable only in combination with the ‘A House from the Factory!’ tour
Become a master builder and design your very own piece of the city! Create your own mini concrete slab using liquid plaster. Before the plaster sets, it’s time to add some colour! Decorate your »Platte« with colourful stones, glittering sand and mosaic tiles. Whether it’s a colourful block of flats or a stylish pattern – you decide what the »Platte« of the future will look like.
KU Primary School [Years 1–4, LB 1], [Years 1–2, WB 2], [Year 4, LB 2, WB 2], SU [Years 2–4, LB 5] WE [Years 1–2, LB 3], [Year 3, WB 3]
€1 per person; accompanying adults get free entry
to the exhibition
Living space "Platte" – Building and living in East and West
Educational programme for secondary schools and grammar schools
The event focuses on the development of prefabricated housing in East and West Germany. What characterises prefabricated housing? What is in its favour? What are the arguments against it? What is it like to live in prefabricated housing? And what potential does this type of construction have in the future?
After a brief introduction to the exhibition, the pupils work independently in small groups on selected key topics and exhibits.
Secondary school [Year 7 KU LB 2] [Year 8 KU LB 2] [Year 9 KU LB 2] [Year 10 KU LB2] [Year 9 GE WB] [Year 10 GE WB]
Grammar school [Year 7 KU LB 2] [Year 8 KU LB 2] [Year 11/12 KU GK LB 2] [Year 11/12 KU GK WB 11/12 KU GK WB 2] [Kl. 11/12 KU LK LB 2] [Kl. 11/12 KU LK WB 2] [Kl. 10 GE LB 2] [Kl. 10 GE WB 2] [Kl. 10 GE WB 3] [Kl. 11/12 GE GK LB 3][Kl. 11 GE LK LB 1] [cl. 11 GE LK LB 2] [cl. 12 Geo GK LB 4] [cl. 12 Geo LK LB 6]
€5 per person, accompanying persons receive free admission
Practical modules can be booked to build on the tour.
to the exhibition
Practical module 1: More than concrete – slab production
Can only be booked in combination with the interactive tour or the event "Lebensraum Platte - Bauen und Wohnen in Ost und West "
How does a slab factory actually work? How are concrete slabs made? What materials are used? And how can the slabs be decorated? In the museum workshop, pupils try out various casting and finishing techniques with plaster in order to develop an understanding of the manufacturing processes and the materiality of the components.
Oberschule [Kl. 7 KU LB 2] [Kl. 8 KU LB 2]
Gymnasium [Kl. 7 KU LB 2] [Kl. 8 KU LB 2]
€1 per person, accompanying persons receive free admission
to the exhibition
Practical module 2: More than grey walls – panel design
Bookable only in combination with the interactive tour or the event "Lebensraum Platte - Bauen und Wohnen in Ost und West "
Not all prefabricated buildings are grey and monotonous. Components are often creatively designed: "Platte" slabs have textures and patterns, they are coloured or decorated with coloured ceramic tiles. Moulded concrete blocks characterise facades, walls and terraces with their geometric shapes. In the museum workshop, pupils experiment with different techniques and materials to creatively design "Platte".
Oberschule [Kl. 7 KU LB 2] [Kl. 8 KU LB 2]
Gymnasium [Kl. 7 KU LB 2] [Kl. 8 KU LB 2]
1 € per person, accompanying persons receive free admission
to the exhibition
Guided tours for blind and visually impaired people through the City Museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions
The Dresden City Museum offers descriptive guided tours of the permanent exhibition and special exhibitions. Our trained guides will help you discover the highlights of the collection using all your senses.
Tactile exhibits: specially selected exhibits and models designed for tactile exploration.
Personalised support: We adapt to your needs and pace.
Service: Accompanying persons are very welcome; guide dogs are, of course, permitted to accompany you.
Please direct any enquiries to the visitor services department of the Dresden City Museums on +49 351 488 7272 or at service@museen-dresden.de.
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