World Design Capital is a title awarded every two years by the World Design Organization (WDO) to recognize cities and regions for their effective use of design to promote cultural, economic, social and ecological development. The motto of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region's application is "Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life".

"Existing spaces and buildings have the potential to strengthen our social coexistence if we think innovatively and with a view to the future. The future cultural venue Walhalla in Wiesbaden's city center should also have this effect and is therefore rightly a cooperation partner of WDC 2026. Culture has always been at the heart of sustainable urban development. The Walhalla will be a versatile space that meets the needs of the future and ensures the attractiveness of the state capital for generations to come. A project that the state of Hesse is happy to support with funding," says Kaweh Mansoori, Hessian Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport, Housing and Rural Areas.

The designation offers the region the opportunity to establish itself as a center for design, innovation and creativity within a year, in 2026. The aim is to create a sustainable, participatory international center of design in the Rhine-Main region.

"The future Walhalla cultural venue is a central project for inner-city development. As a place of exchange, it invites the entire urban society. Valhalla is thus pursuing the same goals as our cooperation partner WDC 2026 with 'Design for Democracy. Atmospheres for a better life'. Strengthening democracy with the means of culture is a key driving force behind our urban project," says Gert-Uwe Mende, Lord Mayor of the state capital of Wiesbaden.

With its development into a cultural venue, the Walhalla offers the opportunity to combine such an attractive place of identity, authenticity and building culture with the needs of today's urban society. Multifunctional spaces are needed to strengthen democratic dialog and to develop places that take account of the changing world. A cultural venue that sets things in motion, that provides impetus, is created in this way.

The installation "Inside Out", which will be shown at the entrance to Walhalla in Mauritiusstraße in 2026, offers a look through the keyhole into this future using the means of architecture, design and art. The exterior and interior spaces of the future cultural venue Walhalla can be experienced in a virtual 3D animation. Designs by Darmstadt-based architects Waechter+Waechter, who have been commissioned with the renovation, will be shown. The third location on the first floor of the future Valhalla will also be the subject of an initial visualization by the global design studio 3DELUXE.

The future Walhalla will offer a program that incorporates all disciplines, with an interdisciplinary approach. Film sequences from the archive of the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation provide a glimpse of this. Performances and collaborations with cultural education providers will be shown. A call for artists and designers enables participation and follows the cooperative concept of this future cultural venue.

The overall graphic design of the "Inside Out" installation is being handled by Wiesbaden-based design studio Michael Eibes. The overall concept was developed by the Walhalla project manager, Vanessa Remy.

Organizational support for the installation is provided by the Cultural Office and the Urban Development Corporation, with funding from the federal-state programme "Lebendige Zentren".

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