Stuttgart’s “Long Night of the Museums” provides patrons the opportunity to enjoy the city’s museums, art galleries and clubs in a new light — starlight, that is.
This year’s “Long Night of the Museums” is April 9 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
The program features over 100 events located in and around downtown Stuttgart, such as jazz and gospel concerts, city tours, boat trips on the Neckar River, laser shows, exhibitions, lectures and parties.
Tickets cost €15 and include transportation, along with admission into every venue. Shuttle buses run all night from the Karlsplatz stop.
“The special thing about the ‘Long Night of the Museums’ is that visitors have the chance to experience so many different event locations and cultural institutions in Stuttgart in just one evening,” said Maria Melber, event organizer from “Lift” Stuttgart (city magazine).
Besides exhibitions in Stuttgart’s main museums such as the “Kunstmuseum” (art museum), “Landesmuseum” (Württemberg state museum), and the State Gallery, as well as the Porsche and Mercedes Benz museums, many smaller institutions and galleries offer one-of-a-kind programs during this long night out.
The Carl-Zeiss Planetarium, for example, features a colorful laser show called “Fantastic Lights.” The show will run hourly from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The planetarium also hosts a photo exhibition displaying celestial images by Sebastian Voltmer, a well-known photo artist. The planetarium is located at Willy-Brandt-Strasse 25 (shuttle bus stop Planetarium, Stuttgart Mitte).
Another first-time event is a boat tour of the Stuttgart industrial harbor along the Neckar River.
“During this tour, the harbor is artfully illuminated to present this industrial area in a different way, with all sorts of special effects,” Melber said.
Patrons can also enjoy live music during the boat trips. Boats will run every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. from the Mittelkai 5 (shuttle bus stop Am Mittelkai, Stuttgart-Wangen).
The bunker in Stuttgart’s city district of Untertürkheim offered shelter during war times. Today, it is used to store champagne and wine.
For the “Long Night of the Museums,” the bunker turns into an event location for spine-chilling stories about vampires and other dark creatures. Candlelight story time (in German only) with Stuttgart actor Irfan Kars will be held every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Due to its special acoustics, the bunker also makes the perfect location for a gospel concert with Jimmi Love and the Harlem Praise Family gospel choir. The gospel concert will be performed hourly from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. The “Bunker Untertürkheim” is located at Strümpfelbacher Strasse 47 (shuttle bus stop, Kelterplatz, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim).
At the “Museum am Löwentor” (museum for natural history), the “Evolution Live” exhibition takes visitors on a journey of southwestern Germany’s past by featuring dinosaurs and fossil findings that document how changes in climate and environment influenced life in this region. Workshops for children ages 6-12 are also offered from 4-9 p.m. The museum is located at Nordbahnhofstrasse 177 (shuttle bus stop Nordbahnhofstrasse, Stuttgart Nord).
The diverse programs make “Long Night of the Museums” popular among community members of all ages and tastes.
“Here, people can really discover Stuttgart, and they also have the chance to find many treasured places throughout smaller city districts, which disappear oftentimes during a regular night out,” Melber said.
For more information, visit www.lange-nacht.de. To purchase tickets, visit www.lange-nacht.de/tickets/tickets-online or call civ. 0711-6015-444.
