Zugtheater HÜTTENWERK in Ferropolis

A Unique Theatre Project

HÜTTENWERK is one of Germany's most extraordinary theatre projects. The artist group Das Letzte Kleinod from Geestenseth (Lower Saxony) has converted a train with six-axle flat cars: loaded with tons of steel slabs, beams, and coils, plus six ocean-blue wagons that serve as stage and auditorium. In 2026, the train will travel throughout Germany, stopping where steel history was or is still being made — Salzgitter, Brake, Eisenhüttenstadt, Magdeburg, and from June 2nd to 4th, 2026, in Ferropolis near Gräfenhainichen in the Wittenberg district.

The Story of EKO Stahl

The play tells of the work and life in the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost (today ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt) — the most prestigious steelworks in the GDR, which underwent a difficult transformation after reunification. The focus is on people who have worked or still work in the steel industry — their stories form the basis of the documentary theatre. Performance time: 7:00 PM, duration approx. 100 minutes.

Ferropolis — City of Iron

Ferropolis is an industrial memorial in itself: on the site of the former Golpa-Nord open-cast lignite mine, five giant excavators now stand as an open-air museum, including the world's largest. The City of Iron is located on Lake Gremminer and is also a festival venue for splash!, MELT (until 2022), and HIVE. Ferropolis and HÜTTENWERK complement each other perfectly — both are places that make GDR industrial history visible.

In the Wittenberg District

Gräfenhainichen is located in the Wittenberg district, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt — nestled between Lutherstadt Wittenberg to the east and Dessau-Roßlau (Bauhaus) to the west. The industrial culture of the Central German region shapes the entire area. Those who visit HÜTTENWERK in Ferropolis should take time for the other industrial culture sites: Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Brikettfabrik Herrmannschacht, Stahlwerk Eisenhüttenstadt.