“NetzWERKE: Monuments and Infrastructure” – Heritage Days 2026 in Jena

Under the theme “NetzWERKE: Monuments and Infrastructure,” Jena is also inviting visitors to this year’s Open Monument Day. On Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, 2026, numerous historic sites will open their doors. A varied program featuring guided tours, exhibitions, music, and hands-on activities brings monuments and their significance to the city to life.

As a university town, industrial center, and former royal residence, Jena boasts a diverse landscape of historic sites. This year’s focus is on infrastructure—ranging from technical to social to cultural—as well as networks in the technical and technological sense, and important social and civil society networks.

Saturday: 125 Years of Electricity and Streetcars

Saturday is entirely dedicated to technical heritage sites. In the former machine hall of the power plant at Nollendorfer Straße 30—now TRAFO—there will be guided tours with eyewitnesses and a discussion about the future of industrial heritage sites. The historic streetcar will also be in service: Railcars 26 and 101 will run on a regular schedule between Nordschule and Winzerla via the city center.

The opening event of Jena Heritage Day will take place at the Jena Nord substation, which went online 100 years ago and now houses the Imaginata. Afterward, visitors can explore the technical monument on a guided tour.

Sunday: Discover Monuments and Experience the Boys’ Choir

On Sunday, visitors can look forward to a particularly diverse program: The Jena Philharmonic Boys’ Choir, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, plays a key role. To mark this occasion, the idea of a musical city walk was conceived. On Open Monument Day, the boys’ choir will give short pop-up concerts at and inside various architectural and garden monuments.

The tour begins at 9:15 a.m. at the “Faulloch.” JenaKultur has kindly agreed to open the city wall complex—from the Pulverturm to the Johannistor—as early as 9:00 a.m. for this event. Other stops along the choir’s route include the courtyard of the Collegium Jenense and the Griesbach Garden. At 11:00 a.m., the tour continues to the Friedenskirche at the Historic Johannis Cemetery, where exciting lectures, guided tours, a supporting program with hands-on activities for families, live music, and cake will be offered throughout the day. The musical walk ends in Schiller’s Garden.

The Jena Municipal Museums are opening their doors free of charge. Among the sites open to visitors are the Romantikerhaus, the Göhre, the Carmelite Monastery, and the Pelzer Workshop. Villa Rosenthal and numerous other historic sites in the city center also invite visitors to explore.

A special highlight is the combination of Heritage Day, the Volkshaus Open House, and the Jena Philharmonic’s season opener.

There’s also plenty to discover outside the city center

Numerous historic sites in Jena’s neighborhoods and historic town centers are also opening their doors. On the Forst, visitors can explore the Forst Observatory, the Forst Tower, and the Bismarck Tower. At the Bismarck Tower, experts will provide insights into the ongoing restoration work. At Lobdeburg Castle, the city archaeologist invites visitors to a guided tour of the castle grounds.

Numerous historic churches are also opening their doors—including the Schiller Church in Wenigenjena, the churches in Ziegenhain, Drackendorf, Leutra, Zwätzen, and Lobeda, as well as the Trinity Church in Burgau. Other stops include the Old Göschwitz Highway Bridge, the Obermühle Leutra, and the Rats- und Brauhaus in Laasan.

Children and families are warmly welcome everywhere. Special hands-on activities are available at Schiller’s Garden, the Johannis Cemetery, and the Pelzer Workshop, among other places.

Program

The complete program, including all opening hours, guided tours, and events, can be found in the printed program booklet, which is available at the Tourist Information Office and the City Museum, among other locations, as well as online at:
https://planen-bauen.jena.de/de/ueberblick-tag-des-offenen-denkmals

Last-minute changes or cancellations are possible and will be announced online and in the press.