28.01.2026

Dionysus – god of wine

Building design

One of the most famous depictions of Dionysus was made by the Attic vase painter Exikias. Photo: Matthias Kabel, via: Wikimedia Commons

Hardly any other figure in ancient mythology combines intoxication, art and religious experience in such a complex way as Dionysus. The god of wine, ecstasy and theater defies simple attributions and remains fascinatingly ambivalent to this day. Even in the earliest myths, Dionysus appears as a border crosser between order and transgression, between culture and nature.

Ancient Greece knew numerous deities, but few stood for emotional intensity and creative unleashing as much as the figure of Dionysus. His worship was focused less on monumental temples than on rituals, processions and communal experiences. They reflected a world view that allowed people to temporarily abandon social norms and enter a different form of existence. Dionysus thus embodied a religious antithesis to the more rational aspects of the Olympic pantheon and opened up spaces for experience that lay beyond the everyday.

Origin, myths and transformations of the image of Dionysus

The myths surrounding Dionysus are characterized by ruptures and rebirths. As the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele, he united divine and human qualities in a unique way. His unusual birth – from the thigh of Zeus – made him an early symbol of transition and transformation. In archaic times, he was often depicted as a youthful god, later also as a bearded, mature figure. This iconographic mutability refers to his open, elusive nature. In art, vase painting and sculpture reflect this multifaceted nature, for example in Attic drinking vessels depicting scenes of winegrowing or ecstatic processions. One of the most famous pictorial creations of Attic vase painting shows the odyssey of Dionysus. The famous Eye Bowl of Exekias is considered an outstanding example of the black-figure technique. Inside the bowl, Dionysus is depicted on a sailing ship, surrounded by dolphins swimming calmly around the vessel. Vines sprout from the ship’s mast, a central attribute of the god that emphasizes his connection to fertility and intoxication. The outside of the bowl is decorated with large eyes, which are often interpreted as panther eyes in research. The panther, in turn, is one of Dionysus’ typical companion animals and refers to his wild, untamed nature.

Cult, ritual and social significance

The cult of Dionysus was closely linked to communal festivals that took place cyclically throughout the year. The urban celebrations in Athens in particular developed into central events in public life. Music, dance and ritual intoxication created an atmosphere in which social differences were temporarily abolished. This experience of collective ecstasy had a stabilizing function: by allowing controlled transgressions of boundaries, the existing order could be strengthened in the long term. Archaeological finds of masks and cult implements attest to the material side of these rituals and at the same time point to their performative dimension.
An important indication of the deep roots of the cult of Dionysus in Greece is the sanctuary of Yria on the island of Naxos. There, an early natural sanctuary in the wetlands developed into a cult site that was used for centuries and where Dionysus was worshipped in various forms. The sequence of several successive temple buildings makes the sanctuary a key finding for the development of early Greek sacred architecture and at the same time illustrates how closely Dionysian religion was linked to the local landscape, viticulture and regional identity.

Theater, art and cultural heritage

The festivals in honor of the god gave rise to ancient drama, which had a lasting influence on European cultural history. Tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were originally performed as part of religious celebrations and combined mythological material with current social issues. Dionysus also remained present in the visual arts of the Roman period, now often adapted as Bacchus and integrated into luxurious villa decorations. Mosaics and murals depict him as the epitome of joie de vivre and sensual abundance, illustrating his transformation from an ecstatic cult god to an aesthetic motif.

24.12.2024

Promoting resilient city centers

Building design

36 cities and municipalities in Lower Saxony are authorized

As part of the “Resilient inner cities” funding program, the state government of Lower Saxony is awarding 61.5 million EU funds for sustainable urban development. The city of Hamelin is one of the cities planning to apply.

As part of the “Resilient inner cities” funding program, the state government of Lower Saxony is awarding 61.5 million euros in EU funding for sustainable urban development. The city of Hamelin is one of the cities planning to apply.

36 cities and municipalities in Lower Saxony are eligible to apply for part of the 61.5 million euro funding pot. This was awarded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the period 2021 to 2027. The 15 that submit the most convincing concepts on the topic of “resilient inner cities” will ultimately receive the funding. These range from 4.2 million euros in more developed regions (SER) to 3.95 million euros in transition regions (ÜR) per city or municipality.

“The ‘Resilient City Centers’ are a building block with which we support cities in Lower Saxony in making their city centers future-proof. Especially in our large state of Lower Saxony, cities have a very important function for the areas surrounding them. However, they are also facing major challenges – exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic,” says Regional Minister Birgit Honé about the funding program.

Projects that are eligible for funding include the revitalization of inner cities, environmentally friendly land design, climate-friendly mobility and participatory processes for citizens. Among other things, the application requires the development of a strategy, which is divided into the chapters programme area, need for action and concept, cross-sectional objectives, participation processes, steering group and organizational structure as well as lead projects.

Applications from eligible cities and municipalities can be submitted by the deadline of 21.04.2022. These will then be formally reviewed by the Offices for Regional Development on the one hand and prepared for presentation to a jury of around ten people on the other. This jury evaluates the submitted plans on the basis of eight main criteria. On the basis of the jury’s assessment, the ESRE also selects 15 cities (nine in SER and six in ÜR) to benefit from the funding budgets. The Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen NBank also advises on questions of eligibility for funding.

More information on the ERDF funding program “Resilient Inner Cities” in Lower Saxony can be found here.

Also interesting: The Federal Ministryof the Interior, Building and Community is once again calling for a funding round for National Urban Development Projects 2022. You can read all about the procedure here.

09.01.2025

Design

Silently lost in haste

Building design

“Still lost in haste”. This is the title of Simon Ledergerber’s artwork, with which he won the Lucerne Art Society’s exhibition prize last week. “For me, the work is an exploration of the different stages of age that one goes through. The inner resilience changes,” explains the artist. A rusty steel plate serves as a material analogy to this […]

“Still lost in haste”. This is the title of Simon Ledergerber’s artwork, with which he won the Lucerne Art Society ‘s exhibition prize last week. “For me, the work is an exploration of the different stages of age that one goes through. The inner resilience changes,” explains the artist. A rusty steel plate with a rectangular Bernese sandstone at the end serves as a material analogy.

This is the second award in a row – only at the beginning of the month he won one of the grants from the Art and Culture Foundation of the Canton of Uri. And 2018 looks set to be another exciting year for Simon Ledergerber: For the Kunsthalle Arbon, he will be staging an exhibition covering 600 square meters in June. He will also be given his own space for his art as part of the exhibition prize in Lucerne: “This is an important platform for me,” explains Ledergerber. It is not yet clear what the artwork will look like. But it is certain that it will be a single work: “I would like to make a work that takes up the whole room.”

The project “Gigantisches Kleinod”, which was shown in 2016 in the exhibition Dall altra parte by Haus für Kunst Uri, was also an intensive exploration of space. It is a 300-kilogram cuboid attached to the ceiling of the Gotthard Fortress. “A hundred years ago, blasting and hand-picking took place here. I wanted to create a hand-chiseled counterpart.”

The material also played an important role – Ledergerber chose white marble as a contrast to the granite of the fortress.

Workshop or laboratory

The artist is also very interested in technique, as the material reacts differently to structures and external conditions. In this respect, he does not simply design a work and complete it – on the contrary: the process of working with the material is an essential part of the work.

According to Ledergerber, the results are not necessarily works that can be placed in the living room. But he is also not interested in making sellable art: “I want to dedicate myself to the cause. You owe something to the work.”