State Literary Days Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt's major travelling literature festival — 2026 in Dessau-Roßlau
About State Literary Days
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Saxony-Anhalt Reads — For Two Weeks Straight
The State Literary Days Saxony-Anhalt are a travelling festival format: Every two years, a different city in the state becomes a literary stage for about two and a half weeks. In 2026, Dessau-Roßlau successfully applied to be the host — the city of Bauhaus and Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm will host the event from May 7th to 23rd.
The motto for the Dessau edition is "… findet stadt!" — a deliberately ambiguous slogan. Literature happens everywhere, but it also needs a city: a place where texts are created, read, and discussed. This very ambiguity shapes the programme: 80+ authors have applied, and a jury of writers and city representatives will select the final line-up.
Dessau-Roßlau — A City in Anhalt
Dessau-Roßlau is located in southern Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the Mulde and Elbe rivers, in the historic Principality of Anhalt. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site in several dimensions: the Bauhaus Dessau with its school and master houses, and the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm with its palaces and parklands. The festival programme unfolds precisely in this interplay between enlightened garden art and Bauhaus modernity.
Format: Readings, Workshops, Long Nights
The focus is on readings at the City Library, the Anhalt State Library, in schools, bookstores, and retirement homes. Between the classic author evenings, "Long Nights" dedicated to specific genres (crime, poetry) offer concentration and atmosphere. Writing workshops, publisher talks, and book presentations expand the format. A series of events will take place in extraordinary locations — in a workshop, a park pavilion, or a boat on the Mulde river.
Funding and Occasion
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has supported the Dessau edition with a grant of 40,000 Euros. The festival is embedded in a broader cultural context: the Bauhaus anniversary continues to resonate, and Dessau-Roßlau is simultaneously preparing for the Federal Garden Show 2035. The 2026 State Literary Days are an important step in this strategic path — and a flagship event for the city and the entire state of Saxony-Anhalt.
State Literary Days — edition 2026
Over two and a half weeks, the 2026 State Literary Days programme will spread across numerous locations in Dessau-Roßlau. Readings in libraries and schools, book presentations, writing workshops, publisher talks, and poetry and crime fiction nights are central. The motto "… findet stadt!" invites us to consider literature as an urban practice.
From the over 80 applications, a jury, commissioned by the city of Dessau-Roßlau and in coordination with the state of Saxony-Anhalt, will select the final line-up. It is already known: the opening will take place on May 7th at the Anhalt State Library or a comparable central venue, and the closing on May 23rd with a literary-musical closing event. In between, there will be around 50 announced events throughout the city.
Programme State Literary Days 2026
Programme Structure
- Opening — Thursday, May 7, 2026, at the city's central venue
- Author Readings in the City Library, schools, bookstores, retirement homes
- Long Nights dedicated to specific genres (crime, poetry)
- Writing Workshops and publisher talks
- Readings at extraordinary locations (workshops, parks, Mulde river boat)
- Closing Event — Saturday, May 23, 2026
The complete programme with the selected authors, exact dates, and venues will be published in December 2025 on kultur.sachsen-anhalt.de and in the printed programme booklet. The number of applications, over 80 authors, suggests a dense and multi-voiced programme.
Highlights State Literary Days 2026
Prices State Literary Days 2026
Practical information — State Literary Days
Getting There
Train: Dessau Hbf station with IC and regional connections from Berlin, Leipzig, Magdeburg. Car: A9 exit Dessau-Süd or Coswig.
Admission
Many events are free or have a small admission fee (3-10 €). Programme booklet with individual prices available from December 2025.
Venues
City Library Dessau, Anhalt State Library, schools, bookstores, Bauhaus, other locations in Dessau and Roßlau.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place State Literary Days
Stadtbibliothek Dessau und weitere Spielorte
Stadtbibliothek, Zerbster Straße 10, 06842 Dessau-Roßlau