Elisabeth's life unfolds between the anatomical institute and the welfare office. Scarcity is her strongest driving force. In order to earn money - she is a saleswoman for corsets, stockings, and bras - she needs a hawker's license, which costs 150 marks. For this amount, she would like to sell her body to the anatomical institute while still alive, which is not possible. The anatomist feels sorry for her and lends her the money. When he learns that Elisabeth has lied to him, he sends her to prison. But Elisabeth does not give up: young, hopeful, and determined to make her own luck, she fights with all means for her existence.

Ödön von Horváth's play is signed with "A little death dance in five acts": It shows the tragicomic struggle of the individual in a merciless society, in which the marginalized individual no longer plays a role.

To the guests at the Goldenen Lamm in Aalen, a very special tasting experience is offered: discover the intensity of your senses. The Dark Dinner – a delicious 3-course meal - what is served is for you to taste for yourself:

Have you ever wondered if you can taste what is on your plate without being able to see your food? Put your taste buds to the ultimate test at The Dark Dinner!

What can you expect at a Dark Dinner?

A Dark Dinner, also known as Dinner in the Dark, takes place in a completely darkened room. In total darkness, our exclusive gastronomy partners will serve you a delicious 3-course meal. But how does the drink get into the glass? How do you find your food on the plate and how do you cut it? Well, that's what makes a Dark Dinner so exciting. Be creative and think together with your table neighbors about how you can master the challenge!

How does The Dark Dinner work?

The service staff is equipped with night vision devices and will guide you to your seat at the beginning of the evening. There, you can calmly get used to the darkness and prepare yourself for an exciting evening with a drink. Then, the 3 courses will be served one after the other, but at The Dark Dinner, you must find out for yourself what is on your plate! Can you correctly identify all the components, flavors, and ingredients? Think together with your table neighbors about the delicacies the chefs of our gastronomy partners have created for you! After the course has been cleared, the service staff will then reveal the dishes.

The seductive 3-course meal is served and created by the kitchen team at the Goldenen Lamm. The experience in the dark starts at 7:00 pm, with admission from 6:30 pm.

Admission: 6:30 pm / Menu is included in the price / Table and seat assignments will be made on-site

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Dante Montoya, flute, and Maximilian Mangold, guitar, will perform works by Astor Piazzolla, Johann Sebastian Bach, Gabriel Fauré, Francesco Molino, Claude Debussy, among others. The program covers a wide range from the classical era to Argentine Tango Nuevo. The musical diversity of the epochs is also reflected in the different styles of the Old and New World, between Europe and Latin America, between baroque sonata and South American passion.

Eight Classical Concerts

Tickets may still be available at local box offices or at the door.

No places left

Welcome to the realm of knowledge in the Baroque era: Stepping onto creaking floorboards into the quiet grandeur of our historical library hall, one is immediately enveloped by the collective knowledge of the Early Modern period. Like stage sets in a Baroque theater, the original bookshelves jut into the space, housing around 50,000 books from all fields of knowledge. Behind unassuming book spines lie remarkable treasures, such as the first German Bible printed in America.

At the end of the 17th century, the orphanage's library was established as one of the first public libraries in Germany. Primarily through donations, book exchanges, and their own publications, the library grew so rapidly that within a few years, it was comparable to significant German university libraries. In 1728, it received its own building, which is considered the oldest surviving secular library structure in Germany. Not only in recent times has the library been visited by guests and researchers from around the world: Albrecht von Haller, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe all admired its bibliophilic treasures. We present a selection of them for you in rotating cabinet exhibitions in the former reading room of the library.

10 am - 5 pm

The Art and Natural History Chamber is considered the oldest German museum room. It was established by August Hermann Francke for educational purposes and is now once again set up according to the original museum concept of the 18th century in its historical location in the attic of the Historical Orphanage.

Eighteen richly decorated collection cabinets house approximately 3000 natural specimens, curiosities, and artifacts. They provide a unique impression of a Baroque cabinet of curiosities. Unlike modern museums, the chamber follows an encyclopedic collecting approach. A distinction is made between natural specimens and artifacts. The natural specimens are divided into rocks, plants, and animals, while the artifacts are categorized into visual arts, calligraphy, coins, everyday culture, and clothing. The goal was to create a mirror image of the world: a microcosm that made the macrocosm as the wonderful creation of God tangible.

In a series of events, art projects take place around the Art and Natural History Chamber. In the so-called "Contemporary Reflections on the Art and Natural History Chamber," foundations invite artists to engage in an artistic dialogue with the chamber.

Detailed information

Tue-Sun 10am-5pm

Palace-like, the orphanage rises on Franckeplatz. Then as now, it is the centerpiece of the Francke Foundations. Erected in 1698 as the first building of the school city, it represents a new facet of European Baroque, combining confident representation without extravagant ornamentation and setting the tone for orphanage architecture.

Today, the orphanage is our museum and cultural center. Right from the start, two permanent exhibitions guide you through the history of the foundation and the global impact of Pietism. On the first floor, the former prayer and singing hall surprises with its bright architecture. Today, it enjoys an excellent reputation as a concert hall due to its fantastic acoustics. In the adjacent conference rooms, a photo exhibition showcases the impressive renovation work since the foundations were reestablished in 1991. The second floor is reserved for our changing special exhibitions, which provide insight into important themes of the foundation's history from both a historical and contemporary perspective. Passing through the art and natural history collections in the attic, you reach the balcony via a narrow wooden staircase. Here, a wide view opens up over the impressive ensemble with school buildings from three centuries. There is also a splendid panorama of the Old Town of Halle from here. In the basement, children can explore their own paths in the Krokoseum.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

What power does the word have? For Halleschen Pietismus, the word was of central importance. On the ground floor of the Historical Orphanage, we show you how August Hermann Francke's reform movement could spread around the world.

Francke developed central reformative goals of Martin Luther's with Halleschen Pietismus. His approach was as clear as it was revolutionary: Every person should find God through their own Bible reading. However, for this to happen, everyone - boys and girls alike - had to learn to read, everyone should be able to afford their own Bible and it should be printed in their own native language. Therefore, Francke established schools for all social classes, printed millions of German-language People's Bibles, and created an international network through which the Bible was translated into many other languages. His educational initiative allowed a broad population to engage with the word. In the 18th-century evangelical parsonages, the authors of the Romantic and Enlightenment periods were highly regarded. A culture of self-reflection spread in Pietism, which was reflected in diaries and personal testimonies, giving us remarkable insights into the spiritual life of people of that time. Symbolically, the power of the word is also evident in the meticulously restored pulpit from the Church of St. Ulrich in Halle, where Francke preached from 1715 and which you can admire in the exhibition.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

4 talers and 16 groschen are considered the founding capital of the Francke Foundations. How an unparalleled school city grew from this unexpected donation to a simple pastor in Glaucha can be discovered on the ground floor of the Historical Orphanage. A multimedia installation and numerous extraordinary objects will transport you into the fascinating founding and impact history of Francke's work. Because what began with a school for the poor and an orphanage, developed in a few decades into a true reform project that was based on education: Over 2,000 students learned in various schools, specially constructed economic buildings, a hospital, and a pharmacy guaranteed the care of over 3,000 people on the premises, unique cultural-historical collections in the library and chamber of wonders were established, and Francke's ideas were spread within and outside Europe. August Hermann Francke wanted nothing less than a "world change through personal change." Discover everything he set in motion through this.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

No places left

Lucy van Kuhl
"At Second Glance"
Musical Cabaret, Chanson
Wednesday, 12.03.2025, 8:00 PM
gong in the Kulturforum Illenau

In love at second glance. Enthusiastic at second glance. Empathetic at second glance. Disappointed at second glance. Many people, moments, and emotions are not perceived correctly the first time. Lucy van Kuhl empathetically sings and comments on love, aging, people who are hardly noticed in our society, people who (unfortunately) are much too noticed, situations one has gotten into and cannot easily get out of. And she asks herself the question "When did I last do something for the first time?" Lucy van Kuhl reaches her audience through her naturally authentic manner. You find yourself in her songs, in the little quirks of everyday life that she sings about ironically, but also in her honest, calm chansons. In 2021, the musical cabaret artist received the Stuttgart Besen (Audience Award).

Is the journey of Odysseus a mistake of history? Was Odysseus actually Greek? No, he was Frisian and his name was Oddo. His journey was called "Oddo's Sea" at the time, later mistakenly handed down as "Odyssey". The many adventures are well known, but Oddo's journey lasted ten years not only because Poseidon blocked his way. No, it was mainly due to a language barrier, because Oddo's crew spoke Low German and most people in the Mediterranean did not. To keep themselves entertained during the long journey, the crew casually invented the famous Shanty!

Really, these are tough times. Crises, wars, disasters – it’s easy to lose hope. But not with Florian Hacke. He rummages through the glass recycling bin of emotions for the last remnants of humanity and boldly calls out to us: “Everything will be fine.” Isn’t that nice? And before you ask again, “Yes; but how?” – Probably not at all. But wait, don’t lose courage: If you have no solution, just refuse the task! Is the happy ending still a desirable concept? Nobody knows when the end comes. So do you have to be happy all the time? That sounds stressful. Maybe it’s time to revolutionize our idea of happiness. Regardless of whether it’s the sparrow in the hand or the dove on the roof: Birds should not be touched at all. Instead of patiently hoping for a better tomorrow, let’s wipe the idea of a happy ending off our faces and confront the facts: The most beautiful moment is always now.

Evening box office surcharge: Mgl: €1.50 / Nmgl: €2.00

Are you stressed? Do you suffer from at least one or none of the following symptoms: mild discomfort, general dissatisfaction, vague feeling of illness, spontaneous magnetism, or acute laughter deficit? Then maybe your quanta are out of order. Visit "Quantum Healing through Stand-Up Comedy" and get healed!

Jan Philipp Zymny has been practicing as an author and comedian for over 10 years. He graduated from his hypochondriac training with the best grade of 3+ and holds a Master of Science in hypothetical physics. Additionally, he is in direct spiritual contact with the archangel potassium permanganate.

"The best way to deal with the world's problems is solutions." - Jan Philipp Zymny, retail salesman

For a long time, it was believed that laughter is the best medicine. Today, we know that quantum healing is the best medicine. But Jan Philipp Zymny has the courage to ask: "Hey ... why not both?" In his new 100-minute comedy program, the artist from Bochum presents an evening for those who find ordinary comedy too silly, philosophy too strenuous, and reality too boring.

Photo © Fabian Stuertz
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Admission: 7:00 PM, Start: 8:00 PM, Hall A
The event is seated. Free choice of seats.

Admission: 7:00 PM

BRETAGNE - Land in the Sea
A live presentation by Hartmut Krinitz
Deep in the west of Europe lies a region shaped by the sea: Brittany. Countless lighthouses dot the coast, endless sandy beaches transform with the rhythm of Europe's highest tidal range, islands like Ouessant and Belle-Ile defy the force of winter storms, fishing villages huddle in deep coves, and cities like Saint-Malo, Brest, and Concarneau tell the story of human life by and with the sea.
Special regions attract unique characters, and Brittany is no exception: fishermen, oyster farmers, salt harvesters, druids, cider producers, artists, embroiderers, lighthouse "keepers," and dropouts allowed me insights into their lives.
Inland, the mythical forests of Brocéliande and Huelgoat stretch, and scattered across the land, megalithic sites like Carnac or Gavrinis testify that we humans have always sought contact with the divine.
Eli and Hartmut Krinitz explored the coast on board a traditional sailing ship, navigated the "Canal de Nantes à Brest" with a Penichette, a cabin boat flanked by old trees, and circled the Crozon Peninsula on the long-distance hiking trail GR34.
Ultimately, however, all roads lead to the sea in Brittany and eventually to Finistère, to the end of the world: there, where everything begins.
Hartmut Krinitz spent more than a year in Brittany and combines high-quality photography, authentic music, excerpts of literature, original sounds, and a well-founded live commentary in his Multivision to create a unique style.

Admission to the foyer starts at 6:45 pm.

We all access the internet daily through web browsers. The question of how browsers determine what we experience online has fascinated artists early on. Based on a research project by the KIT Institute for Art and Architectural History on browser art, the exhibition »Choose Your Filter!« provides insights into 30 years of browser development. Here, you can discover and try out browser visions through interactive installations. 

Wed to Fri from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Sat and Sun 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM