Dresden honors Carl Maria von Weber with a year of festivities

Paying homage to a great composer: the city of Dresden is honoring the composer Carl Maria von Weber with a year of festivities. 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of the composer (July 5), who was closely associated with Dresden and created his most important works here. Under the motto "Discover Romanticism. Festjahr 2026", locals and guests can expect a diverse program of concerts, operas, exhibitions, lectures and tourist attractions in Dresden and the surrounding area, the city announced.

Weber shaped musical life in Dresden

Carl Maria von Weber lived and worked in Dresden from 1817 until his death in 1826. As Royal Kapellmeister and Director of the German Opera at the local court theater, he shaped musical life in the city like no other at the time. Under his influence, Dresden became a center of musical romanticism and at the same time the cradle of his most famous work: the opera "Der Freischütz". The premiere took place on June 18, 1821 at the Königliches Schauspielhaus Berlin and was a huge success.

The composer's summer residence is being renovated

The city of Dresden is taking the anniversary as an opportunity to renovate the composer's former summer residence in the Hosterwitz district. The listed building - a former winegrower's house - serves as a Weber museum and is to be renovated from March with federal funding and reopened in the fall of 2028. The German Foundation for Monument Protection is funding the work on the historic roof truss and the load-bearing beams. A total of five million euros is estimated for the renovation.

Weber to be honored in authentic places

For Dresden's Mayor of Culture Annekatrin Klepsch, the aim is to pay outstanding tribute to Weber in authentic places. The highlight of the anniversary year lies in the period from May 28 to June 28, 2026 around the anniversary of Weber's death. With the support of the Keppgrund citizens' initiative, the wild and romantic Keppgrundweg, one of the composer's favourite hiking trails, is to be made safe to walk on again.

"Researching and communicating Weber's life and work is an important part of Dresden's city history and offers numerous exciting points of reference," emphasized Christina Ludwig, Director of the Dresden City Museum, to which the house in Hosterwitz belongs. In the anniversary year, the focus will be on a special exhibition in the Kügelgenhaus as well as the redesign of the permanent exhibition.

Weber is also celebrated with jazz and pop music

The University of Music, which bears the composer's name, also joins the crowd of well-wishers. "We are honoring our namesake in an interdisciplinary and innovative way - with historical rediscoveries of Weber's works as well as world premieres, with choral and orchestral works and with jazz and pop sounds." The program will be accompanied by an academic Weber symposium and the founding of the "Weber Music Campus Dresden" - a network for young talent.

Weber fans from abroad are also to be attracted - just as the community of admirers of Richard Wagner should have a place of pilgrimage in Dresden. Wagner was also court conductor here and had delivered the eulogy for Weber at the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden-Friedrichstadt after his mortal remains had been transferred from London to Dresden.

Weber and Wagner as musical figureheads for Dresden

"Weber and Wagner have lasting tourist potential for our destination in Germany and selected foreign markets. Both are very exciting and well-known musical personalities with whom we can appeal to all generations and once again underline our importance as a world-class music metropolis," said Corinne Miseer - Head of Dresden Marketing GmbH - with conviction.

Animal lovers will also find a kindred spirit in Carl Maria von Weber. The family pets are often mentioned in his diaries and letters - often with their given names. His capuchin monkey Snuff, which Weber is said to have acquired during a visit to Altona in 1820, made him famous. He is commemorated by an epitaph on the outer wall of the Hosterwitz church.