Gewandhaus History

After the Three Swans Inn, the concert hall in the Gewandhaus, the New Gewandhaus in the music district and the orchestra's temporary home in the Congress Hall after 1944, the "third" Gewandhaus was opened on Augustusplatz on 8 October 1981, providing the orchestra with a modern performance venue after over 37 years in interim quarters. The chief architect was Rudolf Skoda, whose team worked in close cooperation with Kurt Masur, then the Gewandhaus Music Director, during the 57-month construction period.

The concert hall stands on the site where the Museum of Fine Arts once displayed its treasures. The Great Hall, Mendelssohn Hall, the foyers and an enormous ceiling fresco together form a coherent ensemble. The three-level Main Foyer is dominated by the vibrantly colourful painting "Song of Life" by the Leipzig artist Sighard Gille. It extends over four sloped ceilings with an area of 712 square metres, making it Europe's largest contemporary ceiling fresco. Illuminated by spotlights at night, it makes a striking impression when seen through the glass façade of the building from the square outside.

The Great Hall provides amphitheatre-style seating for over 1,900 listeners. The centrepiece of the hall is the majestic organ built by Schuke of Potsdam with its four manuals, 89 ranks, three chime and cymbal stops and 6,638 pipes. The organ bears an inscription with the Gewandhaus motto "RES SEVERA VERUM GAUDIUM" (True pleasure is a serious business). These words have accompanied the orchestra since it moved into its first concert hall in 1781.

Outstanding ensembles also appear regularly in the 498-seat Mendelssohn Hall. The hexagonal, wood-panelled hall is ideally suited for a wide range of events, such as conferences and congresses, in addition to musical performances. Variable seating, a sound studio, projection screens, flybars and interpreters' booths ensure maximum flexibility.

Concert tickets are purchased in the Mendelssohn Foyer, with its larger-than-life sculpture of Mendelssohn by artist Jo Jastram (b. 1928). Until the end of 2003, Max Klinger's sculpture "Ludwig van Beethoven" was displayed here. Audience members are cordially invited to attend concert introductions in the Schumann Corner, on the side of the foyer facing away from Augustusplatz. Busts of great composers who occupy an important position in Gewandhaus history and paintings in the foyers enhance the interior appearance of the hall.

The Gewandhaus presents approximately 180 events each season, including 70 concerts by the Gewandhaus Orchestra. All told, approximately 600 events take place here during the season.

Nearly half a million people visit the concert hall on Augustusplatz each year. In May 2005, the Gewandhaus welcomed its ten millionth guest since the building opened in 1981.