Dresden shines: historical baroque lettering revived!

Dresden shines: historical baroque lettering revived!

A piece of history has recently been lit up again in Dresden-Kaditz. The restored Baroque lettering, which was installed in 1957, is officially inaugurated in the Baroque Event Park. This neon sign, which is sure to interest Cologne residents when they visit the city, now lights up the roof of the former ink factory on Emilienstrasse and attracts numerous visitors.

The revision of the lettering, which is around two meters high and almost ten meters wide, was made possible through strong financial commitment from the Pieschen district advisory board, which provided an impressive 15,300 euros. Despite a previously failed crowdfunding campaign that only raised €3,633 of a target amount of €15,000, operators Torsten Meisel and Benjamin Venter managed to secure the necessary funds for the renovation. The entire project cost the proud sum of around 17,000 euros, with the missing funding coming from the event park and other sponsors.

A relic from GDR times

With the restoration of the baroque lettering, event park boss Torsten Meisel's heartfelt wish has come true. Before reunification, the factory was an important manufacturer of school and office inks as well as stamp pads and ribbon cassettes and offered over 400 jobs in the GDR. In recent years, however, bankruptcies and the eventual closure in 2011 have caused memories of the glory days to fade. Today, a variety of leisure activities are offered on the site of the former production site, including mini golf and escape rooms.

Technologically state-of-the-art, the lettering uses LEDs in plastic tubes, which not only allow for an adjustable shade of blue, but also have low energy consumption. The light can be controlled using a cell phone or a timer, which is of course both fun and practical. A special highlight to celebrate the renewed advertising: Octopus Fluids has released a limited special edition of the baroque ink in stylish glass barrels.

A look into the history of neon signs

The baroque lettering is one of the last relics from the GDR era and makes it clear how the display of illuminated advertising has changed over the years. The history of neon advertising in Germany goes back to 1896, when the first illuminated advertising systems appeared. Neon signs became particularly popular in the 1960s, making a variety of new designs possible. But in the GDR, illuminated advertising was undesirable for a long time, which gives this lettering a special meaning. Today there are only a few such striking advertising structures left, of which the most famous at Dippoldiswalder Platz is a listed building, as Wikipedia notes.

Overall, one would say that the baroque lettering not only keeps memories of a bygone era alive, but also represents a lively attraction for locals and tourists as the city's cultural heritage. Over 25,000 visitors every year use the Baroque Event Park as a place to relax and experience and at the same time enjoy the radiant nostalgia that the logo promises. One could say that this is an excellent business for the region, because as we all know, stories come at a price.

What is particularly exciting is that illuminated advertising not only had commercial purposes, but was also recognized as a cultural feature. The return of the Baroque lettering is a wonderful example of preserving and redesigning historical heritage, ensuring that the city remains vibrant in the future. As Tag24 states, another chapter of Dresden's history will be continued in a brightly lit manner.

It's clear: nostalgia is good business, and the baroque lettering is further proof that the past can still shine today.

For anyone who would like to learn more about the historic neon signs, it is also worth taking a look at the records and developments since 1853, which shed light on the development of this special form of advertising, as highlighted on Pieschen Aktuell.