Day of Industrial Culture Saxony-Anhalt – Bitterfeld-Wolfen

15th Day of Industrial Culture – Bitterfeld-Wolfen

The Day of Industrial Culture Saxony-Anhalt is a statewide event that sets different focus regions each year. In 2026, the 15th edition takes place on April 12th – with Bitterfeld-Wolfen as one of the central locations. The region, more than almost any other, represents the industrial history of Central Germany: first lignite open-cast mining, then chemical and film industry (Wolfen was the birthplace of color film technology), today a site of structural change.

On this day, sites that are normally closed open their doors. The Industrial and Film Museum Wolfen offers free admission – visitors can trace the history of the ORWO film works, which produced millions of meters of film material annually in the GDR. In the Chemiepark Bitterfeld-Wolfen, there are guided tours of the historic areas and current facilities. Bus tours connect various locations.

The concept is clever: where other regions shyly hide their industrial focus, Saxony-Anhalt makes it a cultural event. The region between Bitterfeld, Wolfen, Sandersdorf, and Brehna becomes an open book of its own history for one day – with the honest aim of showing both the successes and the difficult sides of industrialization.

Bitterfeld-Wolfen is a town in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is located about 30 kilometers northeast of Halle (Saale) and 40 kilometers southwest of Berlin-Schönefeld. It is well-connected by train via Halle, Magdeburg, or Berlin.