Alfred Mahlau. Festive Parade 1926

In 1926, Lübeck celebrated 700 years of “imperial freedom” and commemorated the issuance and presentation of the “Letter of Imperial Freedom” in 1226 by Emperor Frederick II. This document is considered a key prerequisite for Lübeck’s subsequent rise to become the leading city of The Hansa. By 1926, the heyday of the Hanseatic League was long past; Lübeck remained a free city, and Germany was now in its eighth year as a republic. With an extensive program of festivities, people at the time looked back on Lübeck’s eventful history and hoped to build on those glorious times.

Exactly one hundred years later, this exhibition looks back at the highlight of those celebrations: the festive parade artistically designed by Alfred Mahlau. Through numerous images, this parade brought stories and events from Lübeck’s history to life. Thousands of people lined the streets as the parade made its way through the city center on June 6.

Today, photographs and a film provide us with a vivid black-and-white picture. The parade comes to life in color through Mahlau’s first overall design, a “scroll” more than 16 meters long featuring detailed scenes with numerous figures. For the first time in 100 years, these watercolors are now on display again. We invite you to take a stroll along the festive parade and explore Mahlau’s artistic engagement with Lübeck.