Heidelberg Castle Talks November 2023

On November 7, 2023, the Heidelberg Palace Talks will take place for the 22nd time at Heidelberg Palace. Andrea Gebhard, President of the Federal Chamber of Architects, will talk about her own work and discuss the topic of the evening together with architectural botanist Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig (TU Munich) and Philip Haggeney from RMP Stephan Lenzen, the planners of BUGA-Mannheim: Can the transformation succeed?

While the “Heidelberg Castle Talks” initiative began in 2011, the history of the event actually goes back to around 1900. Around 100 years ago, a kind of “spark” for the concept of monument preservation was created at Heidelberg Castle. At the time, the restoration of the ruined castle was the first time that the possibilities and limits of preservation, reconstruction and structural expansion were discussed throughout Germany. To this day, hardly any other place in Germany is so closely associated with the reflection of principles in dealing with historical ensembles. Heidelberg Castle as an event building is therefore no coincidence, but a long-standing tradition.

Although the venue has remained the same over the years, the Schlossgespräche now cover a much broader spectrum than back then. When visitors make the pilgrimage up to the castle’s King’s Hall twice a year, the focus is not only on “old and new” but also on density, home, building in other cultures, new housing or building turnaround topics such as sustainability, climate protection or energy-efficient construction. The talks will focus on the construction of the last few decades, whose developments, trends and findings will drive the construction of tomorrow. In addition, all of the institutions supporting the Schlossgespräche will host traditional and high-caliber “building talks”. The palace itself is also continuing this aspect of Heidelberg’s discussion culture. This time, the topic is transformation – or rather the question of whether it can succeed.

With an audience of 500-600, the Heidelberg Palace Talks are now one of the most renowned and best-attended regular architecture events in Germany. They aim to promote good urban planning and architecture with quality and make it easier to understand. The fascination that both topics hold should also be brought to life and made tangible through the events – especially in times when citizens are actively involved in urban development processes. The general public is addressed. After well-known architects have been introduced, their work presented and their views on current building issues discussed, there will be a joint discussion at the end in which questions from the audience will be answered and the main guests, experts and listeners will exchange ideas.

It becomes clear that public participation processes require a minimum level of information as well as an understanding of planning and architecture. This is another reason why the Heidelberg Palace Talks are intended to open up a dialog for all those interested in architecture: About the aesthetics of building and the joy of high-quality architecture. In particular, the State Property and Building Administration of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Heidelberg, as building owners, see themselves as role models for society when dealing with the cultural properties entrusted to them. Together with their project partners, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects, the Association of German Architects and the SRH University of Applied Sciences, they make a significant contribution to the preservation of building culture.

The success story and documentation of the Heidelberg Castle Talks can be found on the website. So far, there are also two book volumes with the first ten talks, with more to follow. In 2018, an international exhibition project was also added. It consists of individual exhibition panels by the architects and architectural photographs by top international photographers. Event boards also document the event evenings in the Königsaal. Overall, the exhibition is constantly growing and changing: exciting new content is added with each Schlossgespräch.

The Heidelberg Palace Talks will take place on November 7, 2023 at 7 pm in the Königsaal. Admission is free.

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