On Tuesday, September 15, all residents of Wiesbaden can learn about the status of the renovation plans for this individual cultural monument in the area around the Walhalla and at the Mauritius Media Library.

“Preparations for the start of the Walhalla’s renovation have been completed. This is now clearly visible from the outside as well. Some of you have surely noticed that the demolition of the side aisle along the ballroom is in full swing. The removal of hazardous materials inside is nearly complete, as a preparatory step for the upcoming renovation. The Design and Historic Preservation Advisory Board recommends ‘beginning the urgently needed renovation in accordance with historic preservation standards as soon as possible, based on the exemplary overall restoration and revitalization concept.’ In doing so, it emphatically highlights ‘the architectural and cultural-historical value of the Walhalla, as well as its emotional significance for several generations of the city’s residents,’ explains Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende.

“The upcoming renovation has been planned with great dedication over the past three years and is now being submitted to the City Council for a decision. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone involved—city employees, SEG, architects, committees, cultural professionals, and dedicated citizens—for driving this project forward with such dedication. We are creating a space that uses art to strengthen democracy and social cohesion, boosts the economy through downtown revitalization, and will invite both the city’s residents and people from beyond the region to come together at this gathering place. “We’d like to celebrate this with you as part of the World Design Capital year at our Walhalla event,” Mayor Mende continues.

The program:

• At 3 p.m., the event day begins at Freudenberg Castle with a “Fair of the 28 Senses” around the Walhalla.
• This will be followed by informational events at the construction site on Hochstättenstraße; at 4 p.m., Martin Horsten and Thorsten Brokmann from the Department of Historic Preservation and Conservation at the Wiesbaden Building Authority will speak on “Preservation and Passing on the Story.”
• At 5 p.m., Jan Schüler of B.A. Architektur, a planner specializing in historic preservation, and architect Carsten von Schuckmann will speak on the topic “Where We Stand: The Architectural History of the Walhalla.”
• 6:00 p.m.: Prof. Felix Waechter of the architectural firm Waechter+Waechter and Dr. Ing. Henriette von Preuschen of the State Office for Historic Preservation will discuss the topic “Envisioning Tomorrow from Yesterday.”
• At 7:00 p.m., a discussion on the topic “Urban Design and Transformation” will take place at the Mauritius Media Library with Mayor Mende, Head of the Cultural Affairs Office Prof. Claudia Hölbling, SEG Managing Director Prof. Ute Knippenberger, and architect Prof. Felix Waechter. The evening will be moderated by Vanessa Remy, project manager for Walhalla, who is also responsible for the concept of the day of action. The musical program will feature works by the Jewish composer Heinz Lewin, who was active at the Walhalla before the Shoah. Performers include Anna Tyshayeva on piano and Michel Gershwin on violin. Karim Abedi will serve as the sign language interpreter for the panel.

Following the discussion, Mayor Mende will open an exhibition of the same name, which provides information on renovation plans and the building’s future use. All visitors are invited to share their thoughts on the plans via a participation wall. The exhibition will be on view at the Mauritius Media Library through Thursday, October 22, and will conclude with a panel discussion on the topic “Third Place – Walhalla” in cooperation with the Körber Foundation. 

The graphic design for the event was handled by the design studio callmebaby.  Organizational support for the event is provided by the Mauritius Mediatheque and the Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, with funding from World Design Capital Frankfurt Rhein Main 2026. WDC 2026 is funded by the State of Hesse, the City of Frankfurt am Main, and the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain.