A blaze of color to marvel at: Open Monument Day in Dresden!

A blaze of color to marvel at: Open Monument Day in Dresden!

On September 14, 2025, the König Building at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD) will open its doors for Open Monument Day. In this context, the world is unique Historical dye collection presented. Organized by the University's Custody, this event invites visitors to delve into the depths of color and textile chemistry.

With over 20,000 both natural and synthetic dyes, the collection is one of the most important of its kind in Europe. Some of it goes back to the 1830s and contains numerous rare color sample cards as well as theses with original color samples. In a two-story collection room, these exhibits are stored in light-tight original cabinets to preserve the quality of the dyes.

A look at the collection

The Historical Dye Collection is not only a scientific resource, but also a document of industrial and technological development in Germany. Over 1,500 natural dyes from plant and animal sources are part of the collected treasures. The collection also includes more than 20,000 commercial samples of synthetic dyes from over 80 manufacturers and arranged according to chemical structure.

Particularly noteworthy are the over 2,500 color sample books and color sample cards, which illustrate the connection between colorants and various dyed substrates such as wool, cotton and silk. These documents play a significant role in industrial and dye history and were issued by manufacturers to textile producers and designers for advertising.

The collection was founded in 1926 by Martin Dülfer as part of the Laboratory for Color and Textile Chemistry and has been continually expanded since then. Their oldest dye samples date from around 1830, the latest from today's research in the field of organic dyes. Loud saxony.digital The dye collection also shows modern developments such as organic light-emitting diodes and solar cells.

Visitor Information

Tours of the dye collection are offered every hour on Memorial Day and no registration is required. Opening times are from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., but access to the collection rooms is not barrier-free. What deserves special attention is that the König Building was included in the Historic Chemical Sites program in 2023, which underlines the historical significance of the place.

For further information, please contact Gwendolin Kremer from the Custodianship of the TU Dresden on +49 351 463-36405. A video of the historical dye collection is also provided to get a first impression.