Since November 2021, Saxony has been reaching an audience of millions via Deutsche Welle (DW).
The new bilingual series “Destination Culture (Ausfahrt Kultur)” will be broadcasted for the first time on the various TV programmes of the German broadcaster abroad. Leipzig also gets a place in this special series.
The first season is subtitled “Discoveries in Saxony” and focuses on the most beautiful cultural destinations of the Free State in seven episodes. Leipzig is presented together with Torgau in the third episode, which can also be viewed on YouTube. Particularly highlighted in this episode are the cotton spinning mill Spinnerei and the Leipzig art power plant Kunstkraftwerk.
Leipzig Is a Center of the International Art Scene
Leipzig is known for its creative and innovative spirit and therefore a great “Destination Culture”. In this episode, German-Scot Hannah Hummel is on tour in the city of Leipzig and takes the audience through the lively streets of the trendy Plagwitz district, filled with art and modern zeitgeist. She visits cultural highlights such as the Spinnerei, a former industrial site, which has become a creative hub in the city.
The Spinnerei is home of about 100 artists’ studios and diverse galleries, workshops and exhibition spaces. This also includes the atelier of Jochen Plogsties, a contemporary painter with international recognition. Among others, he was heavily influenced by the famous painter Neo Rauch, who is a key figure of the so-called “New Leipzig School” – an internationally celebrated movement in modern painting. The Eigen+Art gallery also represents Neo Rauch and was one of the first galleries to open and propel Leipzig’s art hub. Today, many more artists are resident, such as the gallerist Arne Linde or ASPN gallery, which exhibits the work of Jochen Plogsties. The video also educates about the historical background of the Spinnerei – “From cotton to culture”. Built in 1884 it quickly evolved into the largest cotton mill of continental Europe. After the end of cotton yarn production in 1992, the complex of about 10 hectars eventually had to close down. Now it is a centre of the Leipzig art scene, unrivaled worldwide.
Another cultural highlight for Hannah Hummel to visit is the Kunstkraftwerk. The former heating plant has developed into an exhibition and cultural centre focusing on digital art. It is particularly known for its immersive art shows, where visitors not only watch, but actively get immersed into the light shows. The show “Boomtown” is about the industrial history of West Leipzig and the neighborhood’s transformation. Another digital art show takes visitors into the world of color and texture of the painter Vincent van Gogh. There are always new themes to immerse and new perspectives to experience.
Not only the city is worth seeing, the region around Leipzig has many cultural treasures to offer, too. Hannah Hummels also travels to Mutzschen, a small town about 40 km east of Leipzig, to meet an American entrepreneur who has turned a baroque castle there into a biker hangout. After a visit to the Artist’s Farmyard in Prösitz, a photographer shows her the best photo spots in Torgaus’ Hartenfels Castle, famed for its spiral staircase.
Focus on Culture in Saxony
The German international broadcaster DW offers multimedia content in 32 languages and has around 290 million weekly user contacts worldwide. The DW travel portal provides information about travel destinations and sights in Germany and Europe. According to DW director Peter Limbourg, Saxony is one of the richest and most diverse German cultural landscapes. This culture is the central programming mission. DW Head of Culture Rolf Rische is also convinced by the format and expects international interest: “The fact that the world’s probably most important travel guide publisher ‘Lonely Planet’ recently chose Leipzig as the top destination in Germany is just further proof for us that we are spot on with our focus on Saxony in the first season of ‘Destination Culture’ “.
The seven-part series with 26-minute films will be shown on DW’s TV programmes “DW Deutsch”, “DW Deutsch +” and “DW English”, on YouTube and in the DW media center from 6 November 2021. Selected locations will also be presented in the appropriate format on DW’s social media channels.
