1. ForumKonzert on Tour Paul Gerhardt on the 350th anniversary of his death

Here's the English translation:

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Paul Gerhardt, the Baroque poet born in Gräfenhainichen, died 350 years ago, yet his hymn texts still offer meaning and comfort today. Coping with loss and grief was one of his central themes, and his "songs of comfort" served as vital companions for people living through an age marked by war and plague. Gerhardt himself lost his wife and three of his four children, and witnessed countless atrocities and devastation during the Thirty Years' War.

The concert installation at Zschornewitz Power Plant sets the texts and music of that era against a contemporary backdrop: How do we cope with a loss of control? How do we confront the feeling of helplessness in the face of present circumstances? How can we lend one another strength?

Zschornewitz Power Plant is a place where these very themes become immediately tangible. The massive control room still stands, though control has long since ceased to be exercised there. The imposing 1920s architecture is every bit as striking as the world of century-old steel turbines. The field of ruins in front of the last remaining hall calls to mind the remnants of ancient cities.

This site, charged with emotion even in its silence, offers an ideal resonant space for an encounter between sounds from different eras and the texts of Turkish author Ece Temelkuran, who, in her latest book "Nation of Strangers", explores the loss of home in many forms. She herself has lived in exile for nearly ten years and can no longer return to Turkey. In letters, she addresses her readers, weaving together "politics and poetry, humanity and reason" (Eva Menasse). And she proposes that all who have lost their homeland join together to found a nation of strangers—including those who no longer feel at home in their own country.

The event begins at the info point and ends in the machine hall, which is accessible only via stairs.