Dresden to honour Carl Maria von Weber with a commemorative year in 2026

Dresden, 13 January 2026. Dresden is dedicating the year 2026 entirely to Carl Maria von Weber. To mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death on 5 June 2026, the state capital, together with numerous cultural institutions, is paying tribute to the life, work and lasting influence of one of the most important figures of German Romanticism. Under the motto “Discover Romanticism. Anniversary Year 2026”, both visitors and locals can look forward to a diverse programme of concerts, opera performances, exhibitions, lectures and interactive experiences in Dresden and throughout the Dresden Elbland region. From a tourism perspective, Dresden Marketing GmbH (DMG) is supporting the anniversary year with targeted communication initiatives, including a dedicated leaflet, a website and a newly developed ‘Weber Trail’ linking the composer’s key locations. Corinne Miseer, Managing Director of DMG: “Weber and Wagner offer lasting tourism potential for our destination in Germany and selected international markets. Both are fascinating and well-known musical figures, through whom we can appeal to all generations and once again underpin our status as a world-class musical metropolis.”
 

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 Dresden Court Theatre, he had a lasting influence on the city’s musical life. Under his influence, Dresden became a centre of Romantic music; it was also here that he composed his most famous work, the opera *Der Freischütz*. Weber died in London in 1826. On the initiative of Richard Wagner, Weber’s remains were transferred to Dresden in 1844. His final resting place is at the Old Catholic Cemetery in Friedrichstadt. 

 

Programme highlights for 2026 

Among the highlights of the anniversary year is the opening concert of the Dresden Music Festival featuring Weber’s Jubilee Overture (15 May 2026). The Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) holds numerous autographs, letters and musical manuscripts by Weber and is showcasing them in the special exhibition ‘No Freischütz for Dresden. Carl Maria von Weber and German Opera’ from 3 February to 6 June 2026. 
 

The Landesbühnen Sachsen are dedicating two productions to the anniversary year: *Der Freischütz* and *Silvana*. *Der Freischütz* at the Felsenbühne Rathen is particularly impressive, thanks to its atmospheric staging in the natural setting of Saxon Switzerland. The romantic opera *Silvana* at the Landesbühnen Sachsen, meanwhile, offers the chance to rediscover Weber’s early masterpiece (performances from March to June 2026). 

 

From 28 March to 6 September 2026, the Kügelgenhaus – Museum of Dresden Romanticism will focus on these two contemporaries and defining figures of the Romantic era in an exhibition entitled “WHERE SHADOWS DWELL – E.T.A. Hoffmann, Carl Maria von Weber and the Dark Side of Romanticism’, the Kügelgenhaus – Museum of Dresden Romanticism will focus on these two contemporaries and defining figures of the Romantic era. 

 

The Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden is also taking part in the anniversary year. On 29 May 2026, the choir and symphony orchestra of this renowned university will perform, amongst other works, some of Weber’s forgotten choral symphonies in the main concert hall of the Dresden University of Music. The Dresden Philharmonic, the Saxon State Opera and the Saxon State Orchestra Dresden will all honour Weber’s legacy in a series of concerts. The Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Big Band of the Saxon State Music Grammar School invite you to ‘Weber meets Jazz’ at the Kulturpalast Dresden on 30 March 2026

 

Getting up close to the artist and the man. Weber’s haunts in Dresden  

Anyone wishing to get to know Weber beyond his music will have the opportunity to do so in Dresden and the Elbland region. Authentic sites have been preserved, marked and linked together to form themed routes. This makes exploring Weber’s legacy an experience not only for connoisseurs of his oeuvre. Key locations in Dresden and the Elbland region include the Carl Maria von Weber Museum in Hosterwitz/Pillnitz (reopening in autumn 2029 following extensive refurbishment), the Carl Maria von Weber monument on Dresden’s Theaterplatz, and Weber’s former residences on the Altmarkt and Neumarkt. 

 

The Weber stops have been grouped into three tours on Komoot: one tour on the Old Town side, one between the Baroque Quarter and the three Elbe palaces, and one tour through Hosterwitz and Pillnitz. 

 

Find out everything about Weber in Dresden Elbland at www.visit-dresden-elbland.de/weber.