Congratulations! A model project demonstrating sustainability and forward-looking design was honoured on 26 November 2025 with the Architecture Prize of the State of Saxony-Anhalt 2025: the restoration and adaptive reuse of the former slaughterhouse into the Theatre Naumburg in Naumburg (Saale).!
Der historische Schlachthof von 1891 wurde nach mehr als 100 Jahren vielfältiger Nutzung behutsam zum Theater Naumburg umgebaut. Für die gelungene Umsetzung erhielten das Architekturbüro Peter Zirkel Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Dresden, und die Stadt Naumburg (Saale) den mit 3.500 Euro dotierten Preis. Die achtköpfige Jury unter Vorsitz von Prof. Carsten Wiewiorra, Architekt und Innenarchitekt aus Berlin, würdigte das Projekt in seiner „minimalen und gestalterisch herausragenden Umsetzung“ und hob hervor: The historic slaughterhouse, built in 1891 and used in various ways for more than 100 years, has been carefully transformed into the Theatre Naumburg. For this successful implementation, the architectural firm Peter Zirkel Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Dresden, and the City of Naumburg (Saale) received the €3,500 prize. The eight-member jury, chaired by Prof. Carsten Wiewiorra, architect and interior architect from Berlin, praised the project for its “minimal yet outstanding design approach” and emphasised: “The foyer required for circulation and distribution has been sensitively integrated into the existing structure. The interventions are reduced to the absolute minimum, demonstrating a clear commitment to subjecting the existing building to a future-oriented transformation. The project consistently and exemplary applies the principles of sufficiency: only what is absolutely necessary and appropriate is added.”
Five further awards were presented to the following projects: the refurbishment and renovation of the Hyparschale in Magdeburg; the new Museum Lützen 1632 in Lützen; the restoration and extension of a half-timbered house in the World Heritage City of Quedlinburg; the Ackerstraße playground and Gartenstraße neighbourhood park in Dessau-Roßlau; and the conversion and restoration of a former barn into a residence in Ummendorf. From the eleven shortlisted projects, the public selected the winner of the audience prize: the Liebfrauen Concert Hall in Wernigerode.
Die Preise und Auszeichnungen wurden während einer Festveranstaltung in der Hyparschale Magdeburg durch die beiden Auslobervertreter Sven Haller, Staatssekretär im Ministerium für Infrastruktur und Digitales des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt, sowie Prof. Axel Teichert, Präsident der Architektenkammer Sachsen-Anhalt, überreicht. Beide würdigten die Vielfalt der 38 Einreichungen. In beeindruckender Dichte fänden sich Zeugnisse der Geschichte und Baugeschichte über das ganze Land verteilt. The prizes and awards were presented during a celebratory event at the Hyparschale in Magdeburg by the two representatives of the awarding institutions: Sven Haller, State Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Digital Affairs of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, and Prof. Axel Teichert, President of the Chamber of Architects of Saxony-Anhalt. Both paid tribute to the diversity of the 38 submissions. In remarkable density, they reflect testimonies to history and building culture across the entire region. Every revitalisation of an unused and protected building, as well as every high-quality transformation of an open space, is considered a success, with nearly half of the submissions once again focusing on existing structures.
The awarded projects embody approaches that resonate with the core values of the New European Bauhaus — from building on existing structures to cultivating a responsible material and design culture. Saxony-Anhalt is a land of transformation!
