OSTEN Festival – Art and Mutual Interest
Festival for Art and Mutual Interest in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Zschornewitz
About OSTEN Festival
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A Festival That Takes the East Seriously
The OSTEN Festival is one of the most politically ambitious cultural projects in Central Germany. Initiated by Kulturpark e.V. in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, it has been exploring the question of how art and society can converge in the structural transformation of the East since 2023. Between the GDR prefabricated buildings of Wolfen-Nord and the decommissioned Zschornewitz coal-fired power plant, a festival will emerge for 16 days in September, aiming to be a shared space for thought rather than spectacle.
Here, you will experience theatre productions, performances, concerts, readings, discussions, and excursions — all closely intertwined with the themes of energy, work, transformation, and identity. The format is deliberately accessible: 'AfD voters are welcome' was once the headline for the festival in Freitag newspaper, and the artistic direction takes this claim seriously. Not only the Berlin cultural audience is invited, but explicitly the residents of Bitterfeld-Wolfen and the Anhalt region.
Industrial Culture Meets Bauhaus Heritage
The former Zschornewitz Power Plant was once Germany's first large-scale power station and at times the largest lignite-fired power plant in the world. Today, it is an industrial monument and a festival venue. Bitterfeld-Wolfen itself is located in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in the state of Saxony-Anhalt — a region that oscillates between Bauhaus heritage (Dessau), the film industry (Wolfen-Film), chemical industry, and structural change like few others. The OSTEN Festival uses this ambivalence as its program.
OSTEN Festival — edition 2026
16 festival days, two main venues: the decommissioned Zschornewitz power plant, once Germany's first large-scale power station, and the Wolfen-Nord district with its prefabricated buildings and fallow land. Theatre productions, performances, concerts, discussions, excursions, and other event formats are planned. The complete program will be published in mid-June 2026 by Kulturpark e.V.
Programme OSTEN Festival 2026
Thematic Framework 2026 — 'Power Plant – Future'
The festival examines the decommissioned Zschornewitz power plant as a symbol of past and future energies — politically, economically, and aesthetically.
Expected Program Formats
- Theatre and Performance in the halls of the Zschornewitz power plant and in Wolfen-Nord
- Concerts with local and international musicians
- Discussions and Readings with authors, scientists, and politicians on the transformation of the East
- Excursions through the industrial landscape of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, guided tours through the power plant
- Installations in the public space of Wolfen-Nord
- Festival Center in Wolfen-Nord with bar, meeting point, and discussion forum
Publication of the Full Program
The detailed 2026 festival program with artist list and schedule will be announced in mid-June 2026 on osten-festival.de — ticket sales will start thereafter.
Highlights OSTEN Festival 2026
Prices OSTEN Festival 2026
Practical information — OSTEN Festival
Getting There
Bitterfeld-Wolfen is well connected by ICE and regional trains to Leipzig, Halle, and Berlin. Festival shuttles or local buses run from Bitterfeld station to the venues in Wolfen-Nord and to Zschornewitz. By car, take the A9 motorway (exit Bitterfeld-Wolfen).
Admission and Tickets
Tickets per production or event. Festival passes and solidarity tickets are available. Detailed prices at osten-festival.de.
Venues
The main venues are Wolfen-Nord (a district of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, prefabricated housing estate) and the former Zschornewitz power plant (municipality of Gräfenhainichen, approx. 20 km west).
Accommodation
Hotels and guesthouses in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Dessau (15 km), and the Wittenberg area. Early booking recommended.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a OSTEN Festival al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place OSTEN Festival
Wolfen-Nord und ehemaliges Kraftwerk Zschornewitz
Wolfen-Nord / Kraftwerk Zschornewitz, 06749 Bitterfeld-Wolfen