ibug

Colouring filth!  IBUG is one of the most important festivals of urban art in Europe. Its name sums up its uniqueness.In German, the abbreviation IBUG stands for »industrial waste­land redesign«. Abandoned factories, empty warehouses, over­grown in­dus­trial sites – these are the venues of the festival, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. International artists and a large team of volunteers use painting, graffiti, stencils, paste-ups, illustrations, installations, and multimedia art to transform the derelict sites into a positive utopia of possibilities. Guided tours, dis­cussions, workshops, and events provide a historical overview and engage visitors in places that once defined the city’s identity. Newly, the festival will also focus on what the future holds for the sites.In 2025, visitors were able to experience the 20th edition of the festival. To mark the anniversary, the team had found a very special location rich in industrial history – the site of the former Stadtpark Hospital in Chemnitz. It was originally built as the Presto factory and was later used as the headquarters of Auto-Union AG. After the Second World War, the area was converted into a hospital. The so-called ‘Stadtpark Hospital’ provided medical care for Chemnitz and the surrounding region for over five decades. The complex had stood empty since its closure in 1997. Now it has undergone a creative revival and has been filled with life once again.