Benefit Concert Dombauverein Speyer — "Baden Looks Across the Rhine"

20th Anniversary Concert

The concert series "Baden schaut über den Rhein" celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026. Since 2007, the Dombauverein Speyer has organized an annual benefit concert with choirs from Baden-Württemberg — a deliberately cross-border initiative that builds cultural ties between the Palatinate and Baden.

Geographical Symbolism

The concert title "Baden schaut über den Rhein" is programmatic. Speyer is located on the left bank of the Rhine in the Palatinate (Rhineland-Palatinate), while Baden is on the right bank (Baden-Württemberg). Historically, both regions were often subject to different rulers — today, only the river and administrative borders separate them. The concert series symbolically brings choirs from Baden across the Rhine to the Palatinate cathedral city, celebrating cultural proximity despite administrative separation.

Three Choirs in the Cathedral

The 2026 concert features three choirs on stage — an unusually large ensemble. The Edelweiß Musikverein Busenbach comes from the Karlsruhe area. The Philharmonischer Chor Baden-Baden is a mixed choir with a long tradition. The Ladies First Sinzheim women's choir is the third ensemble — and is itself celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026.

Speyer Cathedral as a Sound Space

Speyer Cathedral — the largest preserved Romanesque building in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1981 — is an extraordinary acoustic space for choral concerts. The nave and transept offer long reverberation times and a sound character particularly suited to late Romantic choral music. The acoustics make choral concerts in the Cathedral special experiences.

Free Admission, Donation for the Cathedral

Admission is free — a donation for the preservation of the Cathedral will be requested at the exit. These donations, through the Dombauverein, go towards the continuously necessary restoration and conservation work on the building. The Dombauverein Speyer e.V. has been an important supporter of Cathedral preservation for decades, supplementing public funding with private means.