Berliner Festspiele are made of many histories. One of them begins on 5 September , when the first Berliner Festwochen, as they were originally called, opened at the Schiller-Theater. This is the starting point of what will later become known as the Theatertreffen. Kennedy and speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. Ownership of the company is held by the State of Berlin and the Federal Government.
In this way a network of independent, thematically-connected cultural events will emerge that take place all year round. The Berliner Festwochen begin their collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic. The second and final edition takes place in It presents contemporary theatre and modern art, dance and music, crafts and films. International guest productions are presented as part of the Theatertreffen Berlin for the first time.
In the years that follow, a series of other national contests will be founded for young people in music, literature and dance. A special feature of the national contests is that they aim not only to create a non-competitive platform where young artists can meet each other and develop together, but also to provide advanced training for their artistic directors. The series continues until The venue designed by the architect Fritz Bornemann is one of the outstanding post-war theatre buildings and has protected monument status.
The exhibition space presents both modern and contemporary art as well as programmes featuring archaeology and cultural history. Its is solely owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. From now on, the festival takes place annually. This format continues until As a guest festival that returns annually, it supplements the programme by presenting a wide range of literature from around the world including poetry, prose, non-fiction, graphic novels and literature for children and young people.
Running until , it will regularly present single artists and their worlds at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. This programme series, which runs until , realises large-scale original productions intended to offer new impetus to institutional change within contemporary cultural organisations.
