Hellerau. Site of Modernity

The dream of a better life in a reconciled community was dreamt of in many places around 1900, just as it is today - also in Hellerau near Dresden. The settlement, built as a garden city, ventured into a particular form of modernity in its founding years from 1908 to 1914. During this intense period, the place was a centre of the Lebensreform (life reform) movement and a centre of attraction for the artistic avantgarde of Germany and Europe. Hellerau was not only regarded as a pioneer of sustainable urban development, but was also the starting point for diverse cultural innovations and social experiments. It was here that holistic ideals of life were dreamed up and tested - ideals that continue to have an impact to the present day. At the same time, however, Hellerau stands for controversial interactions and sometimes irritating ambivalences in art, science and society. The private realm was often politicised, full of conceptual and ideological fractures. With its contributions to an interdisciplinary colloquium held in autumn 2020, this publication closes significant knowledge gaps in research on Hellerau.