{"id":5305,"date":"2026-09-23T18:33:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T16:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runge-in-wolgast.de\/press\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T17:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T15:03:17","slug":"press","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/runge-in-wolgast.de\/en\/press\/","title":{"rendered":"Press"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Press<\/h1>\n

Rungesommer 2027 \u00b7 250 Years of Philipp Otto Runge<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Philipp Otto Runge made visible what has no form: colour as a body, time as an image, the world as a whole. On 23 July 2027, the Early Romantic artist born in Wolgast will turn 250 years old. His hometown is organizing the anniversary as Rungesommer \u2013 from May to October 2027, with the official ceremony on his birthday as the centerpiece. Four exhibition formats, three festival weekends, and original works from Hamburg and Greifswald. <\/p>\n

Press Kit (DE)<\/a>Programme (DE)<\/a>Press Kit (EN)<\/a>Programme (EN)<\/a><\/p>\n

At a glance<\/h2>

As of September 2026<\/p>\n

\u20ac1 million<\/span>

Total volume of the anniversary year, rounded<\/p><\/div>

14<\/span>

Funding sources from the EU, federal government, state, district, city, foundations, and regional economy<\/p><\/div>

50<\/span>

Contemporary artistic positions at the 37th State Art Exhibition<\/p><\/div>

3<\/span>

Festival weekends between June and August 2027<\/p><\/div>

6<\/span>

Original works on loan, including from the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald<\/p><\/div>

4<\/span>

Exhibition formats: new permanent exhibition, guest exhibitions, 37th State Art Exhibition, and the three-part special exhibition<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Press releases<\/h2>

Ready to copy, in three lengths<\/p>\n

Short version<\/h3>

409 characters \u00b7 News item<\/p>

Philipp Otto Runge made visible what has no form: colour as a body, time as an image, the world as a whole. On 23 July 2027, the Early Romantic artist born in Wolgast will turn 250 years old. His hometown is organizing the anniversary as Rungesommer \u2013 from May to October 2027, with the official ceremony on his birthday as the centerpiece. Four exhibition formats, three festival weekends, and original works from Hamburg and Greifswald. <\/p><\/div><\/div>

Medium version<\/h3>

1,483 characters \u00b7 Advance report<\/p>

Philipp Otto Runge made visible what has no form: colour as a body, time as an image, the world as a whole. In 2027, his birthplace will continue this work. <\/p>

He comes from a port city, not a salon: his father was a shipowner and merchant, and he learned silhouette paper-cutting from his mother. That is why in 2027, craftsmanship stands alongside art \u2013 and so everything begins where he first looked as a child. <\/p>

On 2 May, the Rungehaus opens with its new permanent exhibition, offering new perspectives on the life and work of the Early Romantic painter. The former family home provides insights into the complex work of the universal artist and visionary in thematically organized rooms \u2013 in the place where 13 Runges once lived at the same time. <\/p>

23 July 2027, Runge’s 250th birthday, is the cultural highlight of the summer of 2027 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Guests from politics and research, art and culture will speak at the official ceremony in Wolgast. Additionally: spatial art in the rotunda of the St. Gertrude Chapel, a “Dinner at the Runges,” a symphonic ballet in the ship hall at the city harbor, dance and music on Rungeplatz, and the interactive premiere of the Runge comic.<\/p>

Starting 22 May, the 37th State Art Exhibition of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will showcase 50 contemporary positions. Three festival weekends on Rungeplatz, in the historic old town, and at the city harbor will feature theatre, concerts, hands-on activities for children, puppet theatre and fairy tales, as well as culinary delights, crafts, and a regional market. <\/p><\/div><\/div>

Detailed version<\/h3>

3,223 characters \u00b7 Background<\/p>

Philipp Otto Runge made visible what has no form: colour as a body, time as an image, the world as a whole. In 2027, his birthplace will continue this work. <\/p>

He comes from a port city, not a salon: his father was a shipowner and merchant, and he learned silhouette paper-cutting from his mother. That is why in 2027, craftsmanship stands alongside art \u2013 and so everything begins where he first looked as a child. <\/p>

On 2 May, the Rungehaus opens with its new permanent exhibition, offering new perspectives on the life and work of the Early Romantic painter. The former family home provides insights into the complex work of the universal artist and visionary in thematically organized rooms \u2013 in the place where 13 Runges once lived at the same time. <\/p>

23 July 2027, Runge’s 250th birthday, is the cultural highlight of the summer of 2027 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Guests from politics and research, art and culture will speak at the official ceremony in Wolgast. Additionally: spatial art in the rotunda of the St. Gertrude Chapel, a “Dinner at the Runges,” a symphonic ballet in the ship hall at the city harbor, dance and music on Rungeplatz, and the interactive premiere of the Runge comic.<\/p>

Starting 22 May, the 37th State Art Exhibition of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will showcase 50 contemporary positions. Three festival weekends on Rungeplatz, in the historic old town, and at the city harbor will feature theatre, concerts, hands-on activities for children, puppet theatre and fairy tales, as well as culinary delights, crafts, and a regional market. <\/p>

Philipp Otto Runge was born as the ninth of eleven children to the Wolgast shipowner and merchant Daniel Nicolaus Runge. The port city on the Peenestrom shaped Runge’s childhood and youth. After a commercial apprenticeship in Hamburg, he went to Copenhagen in 1799 and later to Dresden to study art. Eventually, he lived in Hamburg with his wife Pauline and three children. Through his family, he remained connected to Wolgast as a place of home and longing. <\/p>

Runge painted portraits of unusual directness: the portrait of his parents, the H\u00fclsenbeck Children, several self-portraits. He shows people without posing and children as independent characters, not as small adults. His probably most extensive project, to execute the large-scale “Times” cycle as a Romantic Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), remained unfinished. His theory of colour was published in 1810 under the title “Colour Sphere” and arranged colours in a three-dimensional spherical model for the first time. <\/p>

Runge put two fairy tales into writing in the Low German language: “The Fisherman and His Wife” and “The Juniper Tree.” Through Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, they reached the Brothers Grimm and were included in their collection. <\/p>

No other place can tell the story of Runge’s origins like Wolgast. From 1295 to 1625, the Dukes of Pomerania-Wolgast resided here; subsequently, the Renaissance castle became the administrative seat of Swedish Pomerania. Runge only knew the former castle as a ruin. What remains is the ducal crypt under St. Peter’s, the oldest ducal crypt in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. <\/p>

With the anniversary, Wolgast is establishing itself sustainably as a cultural centre in Western Pomerania as well as statewide and nationwide. Runge becomes “our” artist for all citizens of Wolgast. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Dates 2027<\/h2>

Programme status 14 September 2026 \u00b7 Subject to changes in the event calendar<\/p>\n
18 March<\/td>Lecture “Romantic Art-Religion in the Work of Philipp Otto Runge” by Dr. Karl Tetzlaff, City History Museum<\/td><\/tr>
2 May<\/td>Opening of the new permanent exhibition, Rungehaus<\/td><\/tr>
2 May<\/td>Inauguration of “Buntes Band”: digital city tour with colour-coded themed paths, Old Town<\/td><\/tr>
8 May<\/td>Opening of the 1st temporary exhibition: Henning Wagenbreth and Sophia Martineck, Rungehaus<\/td><\/tr>
8 May<\/td>Presentation of the results of the silhouette paper-cutting competition, Rungehaus<\/td><\/tr>
22 May<\/td>Opening of the 37th State Art Exhibition, Kirchplatzschule<\/td><\/tr>
29 May<\/td>Hands-on concert for children “Buttje, Buttje in de See,” Wolgast-Anklam District Music School<\/td><\/tr>
5 June<\/td>“Runge’s Flying Colour Sphere” \u2013 Hot air balloon on Rungeplatz with historical reenactment<\/td><\/tr>
June<\/td>Premiere of the Runge play “The Essence of Colours,” Fireplace Room, Historic Town Hall<\/td><\/tr>
26 June<\/td>Opening of the three-part special exhibition “The Dream of the Whole \u2013 Philipp Otto Runge in Wolgast” with concert, City History Museum \u00b7 St. Peter’s Church<\/td><\/tr>
26 June\/27<\/td>1st Festival Weekend<\/td><\/tr>
23 July\u201325<\/td>2nd Festival Weekend + Wolgast Culture Night on 24 July<\/td><\/tr>
21 August\/22<\/td>3rd Festival Weekend<\/td><\/tr>
September<\/td>Concert as part of the Usedom Music Festival, St. Peter’s Church<\/td><\/tr>
20 September<\/td>Children’s festival in the Old Town<\/td><\/tr>
9 October<\/td>6th Manufactory Day \u2013 Hands-on craftsmanship, City History Museum<\/td><\/tr>
15 October\u201317<\/td>Wolgast Symposium “Romanticism : Religion : Revolution,” City History Museum \u00b7 Rungehaus<\/td><\/tr>
31 October<\/td>Theatre performance “The Juniper Tree” for Halloween, Wolgast Zoo<\/td><\/tr><\/table>\n

Full calendar as PDF<\/a><\/p>\n

Press motifs<\/h2>

Five motifs, each as a package with all formats \u00b7 JPG, RGB, maximum 800 \u00d7 800 px (requirement of the Hamburger Kunsthalle) \u00b7 sorted by format in the package<\/p>

\"Press<\/div>

LOVE<\/h3>

“We Three” \u00b7 Runge Red<\/p>

Image credit: Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford <\/p>

All formats as ZIP<\/a> 2.1 MB<\/span><\/p>

A4 \u00b7 A2 \u00b7 4:5 \u00b7 1:1 \u00b7 A4 landscape \u00b7 14:10 \u00b7 16:9 \u00b7 2:1 \u00b7 Banner 6:1<\/p><\/div>

\"Press<\/div>

SHINE<\/h3>

“The H\u00fclsenbeck Children” \u00b7 Runge Yellow<\/p>

Image credit: Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford <\/p>

All formats as ZIP<\/a> 2.5 MB<\/span><\/p>

A4 \u00b7 A2 \u00b7 4:5 \u00b7 1:1 \u00b7 A4 landscape \u00b7 14:10 \u00b7 16:9 \u00b7 2:1 \u00b7 Banner 6:1<\/p><\/div>

\"Press<\/div>

YEARN<\/h3>

“Self-Portrait” \u00b7 Runge Turquoise<\/p>

Image credit: Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford <\/p>

All formats as ZIP<\/a> 2.1 MB<\/span><\/p>

A4 \u00b7 A2 \u00b7 4:5 \u00b7 1:1 \u00b7 A4 landscape \u00b7 14:10 \u00b7 16:9 \u00b7 2:1 \u00b7 Banner 6:1<\/p><\/div>

\"Press<\/div>

SEA<\/h3>

“Peter on the Sea” \u00b7 Runge Turquoise<\/p>

Image credit: Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford <\/p>

All formats as ZIP<\/a> 2.4 MB<\/span><\/p>

A4 \u00b7 A2 \u00b7 1:1 \u00b7 A4 landscape \u00b7 14:10 \u00b7 16:9 \u00b7 2:1 \u00b7 Banner 6:1<\/p><\/div>

\"Press<\/div>

FEEL<\/h3>

“Rest on the Flight to Egypt” \u00b7 Runge Blue<\/p>

Image credit: Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford <\/p>

All formats as ZIP<\/a> 2.0 MB<\/span><\/p>

A4 \u00b7 A2 \u00b7 1:1 \u00b7 A4 landscape \u00b7 14:10 \u00b7 16:9 \u00b7 2:1 \u00b7 Banner 6:1<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Press images<\/h2>

Motifs in three formats \u00b7 JPG in RGB \u00b7 convert to CMYK for printing<\/p>\n

\"Old\"Town\"City\"Sculpture\"St.\"Historic<\/div>

City and venues<\/h3>

Wolgast, Rungehaus, Rungeplatz, City Harbor<\/p>

Old Town<\/a> \u00b7 Town Hall Square<\/a> \u00b7 City Harbor<\/a> \u00b7 Sculpture at the Peene Bridge<\/a> \u00b7 St. Peter’s, interior<\/a> \u00b7 Historic building<\/a><\/p>

JPG \u00b7 2400 \u00d7 1600 px \u00b7 RGB \u00b7 Photo: Christoph Eisenmenger, City of Wolgast<\/p><\/div>

\"Portrait\"Portrait
<\/div><\/div>

Contact persons<\/h3>

Portraits of press contacts<\/p>

Fabian Olbrich<\/a> \u00b7 David Adler<\/a><\/p>

Portrait of Ann Kathrin Dworatzek to follow<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Image credit<\/h3>

The credit should read “Photo: Name” \u2013 without the \u00a9 symbol. For works from other collections, the owning collection is listed first, followed by the photo credit: “Hamburger Kunsthalle \/ bpk. Photo: Elke Walford.” The series by Christoph Eisenmenger is free for editorial use; credit: “Photo: Christoph Eisenmenger, City of Wolgast.” <\/p><\/div>\n

Works by Philipp Otto Runge<\/h2>

No download via this page<\/p>\n

Separate terms of use apply to works from the Hamburger Kunsthalle and material from MV Tourismus GmbH. The Hamburger Kunsthalle provides press images for the original works separately. We are happy to establish contact. <\/p><\/div>\n

Combination mark<\/h2>

250 Years of Runge \u00b7 Logo package with CMYK-EPS, SVG, PNG, and JPG<\/p>\n

Download<\/h3>

Colour and black and white, for print and web, with instruction sheet.<\/p>

Logo package as ZIP<\/a><\/p><\/div>

Usage rules<\/h3>