Special exhibition
The Sorbian museum also has special rooms with a total area of 220 m². The exhibitions are complementary and add further depth to the selection of permanent exhibitions and are mostly concerned with national minorities or regional characteristics – suitable for our museum. Slavic nationalities and their cultural traditions are of particular interest.
The art exhibitions complement the programmatic orientation and open up a new way of looking at certain topics.
SORBIAN STREET STYLE
22 September 2019 – 1 March 2020
What does Sorbian fashion look like?
This special exhibition presents the newest fashion created by experienced designers, the winners of the contest SORBIAN STREET STYLE and last, but not least, our youngest ones, the students of the Sorbian high schools. All trendy clothes, whole fashion collections and many other objects like for example accessories were inspired by elements of traditional Sorbian costumes and Lusatian folk art.
SORBIAN STREET STYLE stands up for tradition and innovation of a young, dynamic, confident, Lusatian-Sorbian identity.
The contest as well as the exhibition have been a cooperation project between the Sorbian museum, Volksbank Dresden-Bautzen eG and KREATIVES SACHSEN, the Saxon centre for cultural industries.
In addition to the special exhibition, an exhibition catalogue will be published in style of a fashion journal.
During exhibition period, a variety of events will take place such as workshops, talks, exhibition tours, movie night, holiday programmes and a family afternoon. Life is about fashion – fashion is about life?!?
Flyer SORBIAN STREET STYLE: flyer
What’s on 2020
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS
22 Sept. – 01 March 2020 SORBIAN STREET STYLE
21 March – 26 April 2020 Sorbian Easter
17 May – 18 Oct. 2020 Colours in the distance. The painter Ante Trstenjak and the Sorbs of Lusatia
08 Nov. 2020 – 21 Feb. 2021 Magical times full of secrets
Permanent exhibition
The permanent exhibition at the Sorbian Museum in Bautzen leads you on an 830 m² tour from the early history to the present day. There is a thematically independent department of visual arts.
Ground floor
Start of the exhibition
The first part of the exhibition in the foyer presents a historical and linguistic classification of today’s Sorbs and their ancestors. Selected exhibits from each part of the museum will give you an overview of the central areas of the Sorbian identity.
In the following room the time of Slavic settlement, the High Middle Ages and the Reformation in Lusatia is shown. The next exhibition space displays areas of typical regional craft – for example forest beekeeping, fisheries and aquaculture, which formed an important industry since the Middle Ages.
Working and living conditions of the sorbs
Afterwards, you enter an area divided into four rooms with the themes: domestic living, costumes and customs during the course of the year. This includes traditional music.
1. Floor
Ballroom
The literature exhibition can be found in the ballroom. The largest room of the museum has two floors, because it used to be the court room of the Amtsgericht (local court) Bautzen. It is decorated with pictures of Sorbian scientists and writers. Beneath the gallery, the triptych by the Slovenian artist Ante Trstenjak shows important thinkers and creators of culture of the Sorbian cultural movement. The glass cases beneath the gallery display old prints and literary monuments.
On the left and right hand side of the room, there are cabinets with the works of important representatives of literary modernism. In the gallery, you can relax in the library and page through one of the numerous books.
Special events such as concerts and exhibition openings are held in the ballroom.
National movement
After the ballroom, the tour leads you to modern times and the national movement in general. Here the national consciousness of Slavic people, the literary and scientific studies of the Sorbian -Wends as well as other key factors of historical development are presented. In the middle of the space is the so-called Smoler room – as a reference to the outstanding personality of the Sorbian national revival.
A separate plaque is dedicated to the Sorbian emigrants overseas.
The ballroom doors lead into the special exhibition area in the east wing of the building.
2. Floor
Children's museum & Contemporary history
The visitors can look at the area dedicated to “Early Childhood”. The combined children’s museum is also an educational area and part of the permanent exhibition.
The department of modern history displays the development of the Sorbian associations, from the time of foundation until the reunification of Germany, and the position of the German public authorities as well as various other aspects of being a Sorb. And finally, we arrive at the present time.
Fine arts
This is a nice opportunity to leave the “historical timeline” and receive a visual impression not only of Sorbian but also of Upper Lusatia and Lausitz – enjoy this tour through the department of fine arts.
The Sorbian Museum has the largest collection of Sorbian art, including impressive portrayals and portraits of people, landscapes and watercolour paintings.