As part of World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, the WerkRaum will serve as an open forum for WDC projects, dialogue events, and other activities from May 2 through October 31, 2026. The sam – Stadtmuseum am Markt will also participate with individual events and the "Transparent Museum."

Why are insects so important to our world? What are their life cycles like? What does our coexistence with insects—as fellow inhabitants and co-inhabitants of our planet—look like?

Children and young people from CASA e.V. have been researching insects together with artist Sandra Li. The exhibition features their drawings, photographs, and obituaries for dead insects. 

This exhibition is presented as part of the Wiesbaden Weeks of Biodiversity: #WieWoBiodiv in collaboration with the Wiesbaden Environmental Agency and the Wiesbaden Children’s and Youth Gallery. 

Partners: WerkRaum Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden Children’s and Youth Gallery, Sandra Li, CASA e.V., Wiesbaden Biodiversity Weeks

(Re)use: Students at Mainz University of Applied Sciences are planning a diverse mix of residential and commercial spaces, cultural facilities, and retail outlets for the vacant department store. The robust structural framework of the building, which was constructed in 1972, will be reused in a circular manner—in the truest sense of the word.

Exhibition of the BDA Hessen University Project

With a project that focuses on public spaces as spaces vital to a democratic and open society, the BDA is participating in World Design Capital 2026. 

This initiative addresses not only public spaces in the legal sense—streets, parks, and squares—but also spaces that complement existing public offerings with amenities that are otherwise lacking yet are of great importance for communal life. These are spaces designated for a specific group or program, serving as safe havens for a community or for defined uses, both indoors and outdoors. 

In collaboration with colleges and universities, exemplary neighborhoods and locations in the region were surveyed to highlight their potential as public spaces. Designs and sketches open up perspectives on the future of our environment. The focus is on issues of current use as well as the untapped potential of spaces. This exhibition presents the contributions from the colleges and universities. 

The exhibition “Architecture Day 1995–2025 – Shaping a Sustainable Hesse” looks back on 30 years of building culture in Hesse. Using three current challenges in the construction industry—housing, sustainability, and materials—as examples, it explores planning paradigms as a reflection of their time. Organizer: Chamber of Architects and Urban Planners of Hesse (AKH), Wiesbaden.

For more information, visit www.akh.de/30-jahre-tda (opens in a new tab)

The pop-up exhibition "CONSUMPTION and ME – From Department Stores to Shopping Apps" explores the relationship between consumption and us—and our democracy—from the early days of department stores to current issues surrounding online shopping, sustainability, and social participation. It is both a history museum and a future lab: thus, it not only looks back but also invites visitors to participate and reflect. Together, visions for the future of consumption are to be developed and discussed. Project partner: Janine Seitz, futurist

The sam – Stadtmuseum am Markt transforms into the “Transparent Museum” at WerkRaum Wiesbaden. The director and staff members offer insights into their work with and on the exhibits, display objects, and are available for conversation. In this way, WerkRaum also becomes an open space for discussion about city history, the collection, and museum work.

More than just a guided tour: a genuine conversation. Questions, memories, thoughts? Janine Seitz, curator of the exhibition “KONSUM und ICH” and founder of the Museum of Consumer Culture, invites you to an open discussion.

For example, about: 

Your personal stories of consumption.
The vision behind the Museum of Consumer Culture.
Questions and thoughts on the exhibition “CONSUMPTION and ME.”

Dates in JUNE

• Wednesday, June 3, 4–6 p.m.
• Monday, June 8, 3–5 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 10, 3–5 p.m.
• Saturday, June 13, 1–3 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 16, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
• Friday, June 19, 2–4 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 23, 3–5 p.m.
• Thursday, June 25, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, June 27 (Architecture Day)

Not every hole has to be hidden. With visible mending, repairs become visible—and often even more beautiful than before. Together, we repair clothes, share knowledge, and give good things a second chance.

What do our purchases reveal about us? And what does consumerism have to do with democracy? Janine Seitz, curator of the exhibition and founder of the Museum of Consumer Culture, will guide visitors through the exhibition. The exhibition spans a wide range of topics, from the plastic bag as a memento of the world before online shopping, to the history of department stores in Wiesbaden, all the way to modern mass consumption. It offers eye-opening insights, hands-on activities, and plenty of opportunities for discussion.

These stories tell of merchants, residents, workers, students, and passersby who brought Wiesbaden to life. They include the life story of a Wiesbaden character, developments in business, artists, and local leaders.

Where magnificent facades once attracted customers, we now look upon plain department store fronts. Formerly glamorous theaters and movie palaces now draw visitors with state-of-the-art technology or await their renovation. Some developments led, through detours, to positive change: instead of parked cars, a square with a pleasant atmosphere once again; or from barracks to buses and finally to a large sports arena.

“Wiesbaden Street Stories” recount the development of our city: from unpaved paths to magnificent avenues and from a car-centric downtown to pedestrian zones.

Take a walk through time with fascinating stories, information, and anecdotes. Engravings and photos will show you past eras of our city.

As part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhine-Main, the sam – Stadtmuseum is dedicating an exhibition to one of the most significant design pioneers of the 20th century. As a master craftsman at the Bauhaus in Weimar and later head of the metalworking class at the Frankfurt am Main Art School, Christian Dell shaped an entire generation of designers. He became particularly famous for his lamp designs in the “Kaiser Idell” series. To this day, they are considered icons of modern design. The exhibition at sam builds a bridge to Wiesbaden: Dell spent the second half of his life here and ran his shop “GERÄTE [/] KUNST [/] SCHMUCK” on Goldgasse. 

The sam exhibition also features significant national and international loans, including items from the Bauhaus Archive Berlin, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, and the Bröhan Design Foundation.

The official opening, featuring welcoming remarks, a thematic introduction, and musical accompaniment by the duo Sabine Gramenz (vocals) and Malte Kühn (piano) with music from the 1920s to the 1960s, will take place at WerkRaum Wiesbaden. 
Following the event, there will be a group tour of the exhibition at sam – Stadtmuseum am Markt, followed by an aperitif and more music in the historic Marktkeller.

Not every hole has to be hidden. With visible mending, repairs become visible—and often even more beautiful than before. Together, we repair clothes, share knowledge, and give good things a second chance.

As part of the exhibition for the WDC project StadtGarten Wiesbaden, this special outdoor workshop invites participants to rediscover urban nature with all their senses. As part of WerkRaum Wiesbaden’s engagement program, participants will explore an urban natural space together with Yari Or, a professor at the Transformative Social Work Lab at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, through a guided sensory and auditory walk.

How do we actually perceive urban nature? And what changes when we stop merely shaping urban nature—and start listening to it?

Our bodies are constantly registering: temperature, vibration, smells, light. Signals from a space that has never been solely human. We tune out many of these perceptions in everyday life. We have forgotten how to use this capacity. This workshop turns that around.

Together, we move through an urban natural space—not to identify plants or consume nature, but to become more consciously aware of the sensory interface between body and environment. What does my body perceive before I think? What happens exactly where the inside ends and the outside begins?

Ecosomatics conceives of the body and the environment as a shared field—not humans in nature, but humans as part of a living urban fabric. The workshop combines guided sensory exercises outdoors with collective reflection and opens up new perspectives on urban nature as social infrastructure—as a place of encounter, care, and a shared future.

Who is it for?
For anyone interested—no prior knowledge required.

Please bring
 : – Comfortable clothing
 – Smartphone and headphones
 – Curiosity and an open mind

Note
: The workshop will take place in almost any weather. Please dress appropriately for the weather.

Do you remember this? What’s the deal with the “White Weeks”? And what does a Berlin techno club have to do with the history of department stores? In this moderated consumer culture quiz, we’ll dive together into the history of consumerism—with surprises, shared memories, and the occasional “aha” moment. No buzzers, no stress. Just join in the fun. Prior knowledge? Not necessary. The main thing is to have fun. Hosted by: Janine Seitz, curator of the exhibition “KONSUM und ICH” and founder of the Museum of Consumer Culture.

Participation is free. Registration recommended (limited space) at: infokonsummuseumde or by phone at 0176-99806148.