Name: State Literary Days Saxony-Anhalt 2026
Start: 2026-05-07T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-23T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Stadtbibliothek Dessau und weitere Spielorte

State Literary Days

About State Literary Days

The State Literary Days are the most important literature festival of the state of Saxony-Anhalt — a travelling format that is hosted by a different city every two years. In 2026, Dessau-Roßlau will be in the spotlight: 17 days, over 80 registered authors, the motto "… findet stadt!".

Dates 07 May — 23 May 2026

Venue Dessau-Roßlau (15001)

Prices 0.00€ — 15.00€

Status —

Edition 2026

State Literary Days — edition 2026

Tickets →

The 2026 State Literary Days will take place from May 7th to 23rd in Dessau-Roßlau. Over 80 authors have applied to participate. The final programme, featuring selected artists, readings, workshops, and Long Nights, will be published at the end of 2025.

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.

Highlights State Literary Days 2026

State-wide travelling festival format — Dessau-Roßlau as host city — Motto "… findet stadt!" — Over 80 authors — 17 festival days — Bauhaus and World Heritage city as a stage

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.

Prices State Literary Days 2026

Many readings are free, some require tickets (approx. 3–15 €). Programme booklet available in December 2025.

Practical information

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.

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.