Wintersterne Saxon Switzerland
Cultural festival in 15 locations in Saxon Switzerland — January 30 to February 8, 2026
About Wintersterne
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A Festival for the Quiet Winter
While Saxon Switzerland is populated by hikers, boaters, climbers, and day-trippers from Dresden in the summer, a sense of calm returns in January and February. It is precisely in this quiet, almost meditative phase of the year that the Wintersterne Festival takes place. Initiated in 2025 by the Saxon Switzerland Tourism Association e.V. as a cultural format, it brings together the region's extraordinary venues — fortresses, castles, a Toskana thermal spa, a visitor mine — with national and regional artists.
15 Locations, 35 Events
The 35 events in 2026 are spread across 15 venues. The selection is deliberately curatorial: instead of a large theater or multi-purpose hall, the festival focuses on exceptional spaces. At Königstein Fortress, high above the Elbe, concerts and readings take place in historic halls. Weesenstein Castle in the Müglitz Valley offers rooms with baroque splendor, and Rammenau Baroque Palace provides a stage for chamber concerts. The Toskana Therme Bad Schandau hosts the «Liquid Sound Club» — electronic music heard underwater in a pool illuminated by light installations. The Neustadthalle in Neustadt serves as a stage for larger concerts, and the Marie-Louise-Stolln visitor mine in Berggießhübel offers underground concerts in disused tunnels.
Caspar David Friedrich 2026
A dedicated focus in 2026: Caspar David Friedrich. On February 1, the immersive exhibition «CDFriedrich inspiriert» opens at the Haus des Gastes on the market square in Bad Schandau. The format projects the painter's works into spatial installations — combined with soundscapes and readings from Friedrich's letters. Friedrich, who made Saxon Switzerland world-famous with his rock landscapes (including «Wanderer above the Sea of Fog»), has become the region's thematic anchor in the jubilee year 2024 (250th birthday) — the Wintersterne Festival continues this line in 2026.
Saxon Switzerland as a National Park and Cultural Landscape
Saxon Switzerland extends east of Dresden between Pirna and the Czech border. With its bizarre sandstone formations — Bastei, Schrammsteine, Lilienstein, Königstein Fortress — it is one of Germany's most impressive natural landscapes. A mecca for hiking and climbing in summer, in winter it is a silent sculpture garden of nature covered in snow. The Wintersterne Festival deliberately uses this contrast: culture in spaces that are overrun by tourists in summer but offer room for intimate, curated experiences in winter.
Wintersterne — edition 2026
Second Festival Edition
After its successful premiere in 2025, the Wintersterne Festival continues in 2026 with the format of 10 festival days, 15 venues, and 35 events — this time with an additional thematic focus on Caspar David Friedrich.
The range extends from chamber classical music in castle halls to electronic underwater concerts (Liquid Sound Club Toskana Therme), readings, theater, fairy tale magic for families, and immersive exhibitions. Each event is tailored to its venue — the space shapes the production.
Programme Wintersterne 2026
Selection of Venues and Formats 2026
Bad Schandau
- Toskana Therme — Liquid Sound Club with electronic underwater beats
- February 1 — Haus des Gastes am Markt: Opening of the immersive exhibition «CDFriedrich inspiriert»
Königstein Fortress
- Concerts and readings in the historic halls above the Elbe
Weesenstein Castle (Müglitz Valley)
- Chamber concerts and theater evenings in the baroque castle rooms
Rammenau Baroque Palace
- Classical chamber music and readings
Neustadthalle Neustadt in Sachsen
- Larger concerts, theater, musical formats
Marie-Louise-Stolln Visitor Mine Berggießhübel
- Underground concerts in disused tunnels — limited audience
Full program with all 35 events and booking options at saechsische-schweiz.de/wintersterne and winter-sterne.de.
Highlights Wintersterne 2026
- 10 festival days, 15 venues, 35 events
- «Liquid Sound Club» at Toskana Therme Bad Schandau (underwater beats)
- Immersive exhibition «CDFriedrich inspiriert» Haus des Gastes Bad Schandau (from February 1)
- Underground concerts at Marie-Louise-Stolln visitor mine
- Chamber concerts at Weesenstein Castle and Rammenau Baroque Palace
- Königstein Fortress as a concert and reading venue
- Contemplative cultural moments in the wintery Saxon Switzerland
Prices Wintersterne 2026
Admission varies per event. Online booking via saechsische-schweiz.de/wintersterne and winter-sterne.de. Individual formats (Liquid Sound Club, underground concerts) sell out quickly — secure tickets early. Combination options with hotel stays at festival partner hotels.
Practical information — Wintersterne
Date 2026
January 30 to February 8, 2026 (10 festival days, 2nd edition).
Locations
15 venues in Saxon Switzerland, including Bad Schandau (Toskana Therme, Haus des Gastes), Königstein Fortress, Weesenstein Castle, Rammenau Baroque Palace, Neustadthalle (Neustadt in Sachsen), Marie-Louise-Stolln (Berggießhübel).
Admission / Tickets
Admission varies per event. Online booking via winter-sterne.de and saechsische-schweiz.de. Book early — individual formats (Liquid Sound Club, underground concerts) are very popular and sell out quickly.
Getting There
By train: from Dresden Hbf with S-Bahn S 1 to Bad Schandau (hourly service), then by bus or train to other venues. By car: via the B 172 along the Elbe or via the A 17 (exit Pirna).
Organizer
Tourismusverband Sächsische Schweiz e.V. More information and booking at saechsische-schweiz.de and winter-sterne.de.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Wintersterne
15 Spielorte in der Sächsischen Schweiz (u. a. Toskana Therme Bad Schandau, Festung Königstein, Schloss Weesenstein, Barockschloss Rammenau, Neustadthalle, Marie-Louise-Stolln)
Bad Schandau und weitere Orte der Sächsischen Schweiz, 01814 Bad Schandau