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40 years of the Semperoper: Anniversary exhibition shows historical treasures!
On October 19, 2025, a special exhibition on the reopening of the Semperoper 40 years ago will take place in the Ständehaus Dresden.
40 years of the Semperoper: Anniversary exhibition shows historical treasures!
On October 19, 2025, European Restoration Day will be celebrated across Europe, and in Dresden this will be recognized with a special exhibition. The motto “We preserve what moves us” is the focus of this event, which is dedicated to the reconstruction of the iconic Semperoper.https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/1091476This takes a retrospective look back at the reopening of the opera 40 years ago.
The exhibition in the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Ständehaus will present unique originals that come from the collections of the State Office for Monument Preservation in Saxony. At the same time, the estates of restorers and painters are showcased. Among other things, a selection of exhibits from the archives of the Semperoper and the Gottfried Semper Club will be on display.https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/1091476
A historic event
The Semperoper was ceremoniously reopened on February 13, 1985 after 40 years of destruction that began during World War II. The then head of state Erich Honecker gave a speech to more than 200,000 Dresden residents while the temperatures fell to minus 14 degrees Celsius.https://www.neumarkt-dresden.de/heute-vor-40-jahren-wurde-die-semperoper-wiedereroeffnet/Guests from the Federal Republic of Germany were particularly prominent, such as former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht.
The reconstruction of the Semperoper, which cost over 225 million marks, was a mammoth task that brought together numerous artists and craftsmen. Chief architect Wolfgang Hänsch and his team of 80 freelance painters, restorers and sculptors worked on this project for over eight years, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1977. The opening performance of the work “Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber was a reminder that the opera had to close its doors in 1944.https://www.neumarkt-dresden.de/heute-vor-40-jahren-wurde-die-semperoper-wiedereroeffnet/
The challenges of restoration
The special exhibition will be open to those interested until February 27, 2026 in the Ständehaus at Schlossplatz 1, 01067 Dresden. The focus is on the artistic aspects of the restoration of paintings and sculptures. 57 academic painters and 24 sculptors worked together to combine the historical character of the Semperoper with modern technical requirements.https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/1091476
Particularly noteworthy is the discovery of original color studies in 1979 in the archives of the Dresden University of Fine Arts, which were crucial for restoring the images in true color. The exhibition will show sketches, color designs and plaster models that were of great importance during the reconstruction. Security checks must be observed when visiting the Ständehaus, and entry is free.https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/1091476
Overall, the reconstruction of the Semperoper became a model for the conservation of 19th century buildings and set important standards that were also used in later projects, such as the restoration of the concert hall in East Berlin.https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de/medien/news/1091476