Name: Greifswalder Bachwoche 2026
Start: 2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-07T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Dom St. Nikolai und St. Jakobikirche

Bachwoche

About Bachwoche

The Greifswalder Bachwoche is Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's oldest music festival. Founded in 1946 immediately after the end of the war by parish pastor and music lover Hans Pflugbeil, it is dedicated each year in early June to the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. For a week, around 40 events fill St. Nikolai Cathedral, St. Jacob's Church, and other venues in the Hanseatic city with cantatas, oratorios, chamber music, and large vocal works.

Dates 01 Jun — 07 Jun 2026

Venue Greifswald (13075)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Bachwoche — edition 2026

Tickets →

The 80th Greifswalder Bachwoche runs from June 1 to 7, 2026, under the motto »BACH ad infinitum«. Nearly 40 events in St. Nikolai Cathedral and St. Jacob's Church — from the opening with the Magnificat, through the Calmus Ensemble, chamber music with Georg Kallweit, the NDR Big Band, to the Mass in B minor with the Greifswald Cathedral Choir.

The 80th edition is a jubilee with ambition. The motto » BACH ad infinitum« honors on the one hand the uninterrupted tradition since 1946 — and on the other hand the almost boundless dimensions of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. For a week, from June 1 to 7, 2026, St. Nikolai Cathedral will become the resonant center of the Hanseatic city.

Even before the official festival opening, the international singing competition »cantateBach!« will take place from May 29 to 31, 2026 — a young format that connects the Bachwoche to the next generation of singers.

Tickets are available via greifswalder-bachwoche.de and at the Greifswald Tourist Information. The BachwochenCard as a festival pass opens all concerts of a week at a reduced price. Free youth concerts are supported by the crowdfunding campaign "99 Funken".

Highlights Bachwoche 2026

80th Anniversary Edition
Motto » BACH ad infinitum«
~40 events in 7 days
Calmus Ensemble, NDR Big Band, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin
Mass in B minor as closing concert with Greifswald Cathedral Choir
BachwochenCard for unlimited festival access
International singing competition »cantateBach!« May 29-31

Programme Bachwoche 2026

Mon, June 1, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Opening Concert: Magnificat and other works by Johann Sebastian Bach

Tue, June 2, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Vocal ensemble concert with the Calmus Ensemble Leipzig

Wed, June 3, 2026 — St. Jacob's Church

Chamber concert with Georg Kallweit (Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin) and the European Hanse Ensemble

Thu, June 4, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Special concert for the 80th anniversary of the Bachwoche, Chamber Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin

Fri, June 5, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Concert with the NDR Big Band — Bach in a jazz context

Sat, June 6, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Closing Concert: Mass in B minor (BWV 232) with the Greifswald Cathedral Choir and soloists

Sun, June 7, 2026 — St. Nikolai Cathedral

Festive service with the cantata »Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott« (BWV 80)

Further in the weekly program

Morning cantatas from eight decades of festival history
Scientific Symposium » BACH ad infinitum«
Concert with Brasscussion
Children's and family formats, organ concert for children, participatory concerts
Preceding from May 29-31, 2026: international singing competition »cantateBach!«

Complete concert and venue list at greifswalder-bachwoche.de.

Prices Bachwoche 2026

Tickets are available via greifswalder-bachwoche.de, Greifswald Tourist Information, and at the box office. With the BachwochenCard, unlimited access to all concerts. Youth concerts are partly free (supported by "99 Funken"). Detailed prices on the festival website.

Practical information

Practical information — Bachwoche

Getting There

By train to Greifswald Hauptbahnhof, from there a 10-minute walk to the center. By car via the A20, parking areas around the old town.

Tickets

Tickets are available via greifswalder-bachwoche.de, at the Greifswald Tourist Information, and at the box office. The BachwochenCard (Premium Festival Pass) offers unlimited access to all concerts of the week.

Venues

Main venues: St. Nikolai Cathedral, St. Jacob's Church, other churches and halls in the city center.

History

The Greifswalder Bachwoche was founded in 1946 as "Bach Days" by the then cathedral pastor and music lover — an extraordinary sign of cultural life immediately after the end of the war, just one year after bombing and Soviet occupation. This makes it the oldest music festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and one of the oldest Bach festivals worldwide.

Concept

Over a week between Pentecost and early June, around 40 events lead through Bach's work — and always beyond. The opening is usually a major oratorio or cantata in St. Nikolai Cathedral, and the finale is traditionally a major work like the Mass in B minor or the Christmas Oratorio with the Greifswald Cathedral Choir. Between the opening and finale, there are morning cantatas, afternoon chamber concerts, a scientific symposium, family concerts, children's formats, organ concerts, and participatory sing-along church services.

Venues

The main venues are the Gothic St. Nikolai Cathedral ("Langer Nikolaus", 100 m high tower, one of the three great brick churches of Greifswald's Hanseatic cityscape) and St. Jacob's Church. In addition, chapels, monastery ruins, and concert halls of the university are used.

Funding

The organizer is the Pomeranian Evangelical Church together with the Greifswald Cathedral Choir. Sponsors include the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Hanseatic City of Greifswald, and a growing number of regional sponsors. The "99 Funken" crowdfunding campaign has secured free concerts for young listeners for years.