Since 1955, the Palace of Culture at VEB Maxhütte Unterwellenborn has been a place for grassroots cultural work with a theater,

singing club and art circle. The country's show stars performed here while amateur artists from the steelworks exhibited their paintings or performed in the choir and orchestra. Due to its size, design and furnishings, it is considered the archetype of the approximately 2,000 cultural centers in the GDR. In the book “Max braucht Gesellschaft - Der Kulturpalast des VEB Maxhütte Unterwellenborn”, edited by Christoph Liepach, the authors recount the architectural history and cultural policy of the GDR in all its contradictions. What would the preservation and cultural revival of this palace mean for people today?

Cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research e.V. (IRS)

Lecture: Christoph Liepach, photographer and publisher, Leipzig

Moderation: Sören Marotz, Exhibition Director DDR Museum