Readings & Lectures

14.00

Lecture (in German):
Mark Benecke "Serienmord & Kannibalismus"

Criminal biologist Mark Benecke talks about modern cannibals and their motives for eating others. The strange thing is that it is usually involuntary, but not always. He sheds light on spectacular cases, abnormal chats and surprising findings from the morgues.
-followed by an autograph session

17.00

Reading (in German):
Patrick Becker "Die Metallskulptur"

The 'AI storytelling art project' refers directly to the exhibition by the artist Martin von Lossa: his pictures and sculptures were spun into a story in the style of H.P. Lovecraft by Patrick Becker with the support of an AI. The author will read himself.
(Location: 1st floor)

19.30

Reading (in German):
Sarah Benz / Katrin Trommler "Sarggeschichten"

How do we want to say goodbye? When someone important to us dies, we are often not prepared for it. Yet it is certain that we will all lose close people to death in the course of our lives. But is it even possible to prepare for death? Sarah Benz and Katrin Trommler say: Yes, you can! The two women are the creators of the well-known YouTube channel 'Sarggeschichten - short films that explain what you can do and organise when death enters your life'. Katrin has lost many important people in her life, including her parents, her brother and her daughter. Sarah is a funeral director, grief counsellor and emergency chaplain. In her book, she deals with all the important questions about dying and saying goodbye.

18.00

Lecture and discussion (in German):
Patricia Liebeskind "Zärtlichkeit, Intimität und Sexualität in Zeiten der Trauer"

Patricia Liebeskind is a clinical sexologist iSi, a volunteer death and grief counsellor and a speaker in the field of sexuality within palliative care and grief work. In this dignified lecture she deals with the topic of sexuality within grief. Topics such as: When does grief actually begin? How do people grieve? What changes can occur in the area of sexuality? What needs can occur? What are the effects on relationship dynamics? Information and the identification of counselling options and contact points are also included. A lecture which, despite the gravity of the topic, aims to convey a positive mood and rays of hope.

17.00

Lecture (in German):
Andreas Mang "'Vom Valknut zum Vegvisir' - Authentische und vermeintliche Wikinger-Symbole"

In neo-pagan and 're-enactment' circles, Viking symbolism is very widespread, partly due to the influence of popular films and series such as 'Vikings': runes, Thor's hammer, Valknut, Vegvisir ... But what is behind these terms? What actually dates back to the Viking Age and what is more modern? The lecture delves into the historical, religious and mythological world of the Vikings and repeatedly draws a critical line between archaeologically based symbolism and modern invention.

Andreas Mang graduated in physics, works with computers in the private sector and is privately active in the Society for Scientific Symbol Research. He is also the author of the book 'Aufgeklärtes Heidentum - Philosophien, Konzepte, Vorstellungen' (2012).

17.00

Lecture (in German):
Prof. Dr Eric Steinhauer "Theorie und Praxis der Bibliotheksmumie"

The mummy not only stands for the foreign and the past - it also confronts us with what remains when everything else fades: knowledge, bodies, memory. This lecture explores the tense relationship between the mummy and the library - two places of preservation in which decay and the desire for permanence meet. What role does the human body play as a carrier of history? What do mummies tell us about our ideas of finitude, identity and preservation? The little-known relationship between libraries, books and mummies will be examined from the perspective of 'Morbid Library Studies'.

11:00 - 12:00 a.m.

Reading (in German):
Frank R. "My fantastic life as a leprechaun"

A book for romantics, non-modern dreamers, parents and those who want to become one. In this fairytale novel by Frank R., a sick father is spurred on by his imaginative child to track down the herb Moly, a life-saving magic plant. An adventurous search begins, and unfortunately there is also a pursuer! Whether the herb Moly can be found in a secret corner of the pharmacy museum cannot be ruled out with certainty.

13.30

Lecture (in German):
Mark Benecke "Serienmord & Kannibalismus"

Criminal biologist Mark Benecke talks about modern cannibals and their motives for eating others. The strange thing is that it is usually involuntary, but not always. He sheds light on spectacular cases, abnormal chats and surprising findings from the morgues.
-followed by an autograph session

17.30 - 19.00

Dark cabaret (in German):
Der Tod – WGT-Spezial „Neues aus meinem Leben als Tod"

Death himself returns to the WGT after a year and reports on how he saves politics, redeems the world and eliminates problems in this world. 'Death Comedy' with new cemetery illustrations, fresh, modern lyrics and gruesome song parodies. It's never too late to laugh your head off!

16.00 (for beginners)
18.00 (for advanced students)

Lecture (in German):
"Sex, Drugs and Rock n'Roll' - A mythical and magical journey into the world of the dead, magic plants and secret tinctures"

The lecture is dedicated to a very special journey through time beyond all physics, philosophy and literature: it wanders through the ancient and medieval underworlds and gets to the bottom of the horror of revenants - naturally with instructions on how to ward off the undead and the answer to the question of why buttons, clothing or bones from the dead were extremely popular, and not just for collectors' purposes. It has even occurred that some of the dead did not leave this world entirely voluntarily. This is a look into the magical world of magic plants and secret tinctures, which is interesting for the living as well, and including topics such as divination, potency and other intoxicating states. The physician and alchemist Paracelsus already knew that the dose makes the poison. That's why it's best to ask the mythologists and magicians from the 'Working Group for Comparative Mythology' about the risks and side effects of WGT 2025. Dr. Constance Timm and her travel companion will be the presenters.

16.00

Reading (in German):
„Literarischer Höllenpunsch im Laubengarten"

Medicinal plants have always been not only medical helpers for humans, but also their spiritual companions. A ladder to reach other subterranean or supernatural worlds. To this day, knowledge of this is reserved for initiates. A knowledge that has often proved fatal for wise women. Actor Jan Uplegger intoxicates himself literarily with medicinal plants and mixes a spiritual magic potion with traditional texts … 'Du mußt verstehn! Aus eins mach zehn …'

KULTHAUS V - Secret science lectures and presentations in the vaulted hall of Torhaus Dölitz

14.00

Opening of the Kulthaus by Ivan Wojnikow with a short remembrance of the late Georg Dehn, translator and publisher of the 'Book of Abramelin'

14.30

Lecture (in German):
Claas Hoffmann, alias Prince Claas of Mars, "Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot in the 'Book of the Law'"

The famous Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris is an illustration of Aleister Crowley's 'Book of the Law' which was dictated to him by Aiwas, a messenger of the Egyptian god Horus.
Claas Hoffmann has lived with the Thoth Tarot and the Book of the Law for 40 years and shows vividly and clearly how the cards and the book are directly connected. are directly connected with each other.

15.30

Lecture (in German):
Claas Hoffmann, alias Prince Claas of Mars, "The Abraxas Oracle"

"Every man and every woman is a star": In the Abraxas Oracle we receive answers to our questions by means of verses from Crowley's Book of the Law. The oracle also contains personal key verses that are assigned to our birthday or ascendants.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will!

16.30

Concert:
Jim Cosmo and Prince Claas from Mars: 'Songs against gravity'
The greatest hits of the Time and Space Society

15.00 -16.00

Reading (in German):
Lisanne Surborg presents her dark fantasy novel "Nachtlügen"

Isra is a night elf, and night elves can't dream. During the day, Isra waits tables in a variety theatre and is subject to the whims of her guests. But at night she is powerful. Then she sneaks into other people's bedrooms to steal dreams and turn them into terrifying nightmares.

Not long ago, Isra was considered a great talent in dream manipulation. She is a master at composing dream sequences. But since one of her nightmares frightened a dreamer to death, she is in danger of being expelled from the Nightmare Society. And then she also records a forbidden lucid dream. Hallucinations take over her everyday life. When another of her dreamers meets with misfortune, Isra finds herself on a precipice …

13.45 - 15.00

Reading (in German) and music:
Vicky Vomit "Mein Klampf"

The incredible guitar swallower Vicki Vomit bid farewell to the stage in 2020 with a brilliant farewell tour, which was then abruptly interrupted by coronavirus. Even today, people are still puzzled as to how a fake Mexican beer could be so contagious. And how Vicki Vomit managed to forcibly inoculate all Germans with a harmful 'placebo' and blame the government for it. But Vicki Vomit wouldn't be Vicki Vomit if new ideas weren't already taking hold in his head. And so the threat of new mischief looms once again! Vicki Vomit presents his first novel 'Mein Klampf'. And not only that, his geriatric nurse is dragging his guitar behind him on the reading tour, so that the intonation of some of the master's most atrocious works is to be feared.

15.30 - 17.00

Dark cabaret (in German):
Der Tod – WGT-Spezial "Neues aus meinem Leben als Tod"

Death himself returns to the WGT after a year and reports on how he saves politics, redeems the world and eliminates problems in this world. 'Death Comedy' with new cemetery illustrations, fresh, modern lyrics and gruesome song parodies. It's never too late to laugh your head off!

16.00

Reading (in German):
Patrick Becker "Die Metallskulptur"

The 'AI storytelling art project' refers directly to the exhibition by the artist Martin von Lossa: his pictures and sculptures were spun into a story in the style of H.P. Lovecraft by Patrick Becker with the support of an AI. The author will read himself.
(Location: 1st floor)

Gothic Identity Lecture Series

During the 32nd Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Gothic Identity will organise a series of lectures and discussions in English, that will focus on several aspects of the gothic identity including its history, the use of political or spiritual symbolism, and the deeper artistic concepts. (Entrance on Vollhardtstrasse through the Beer Garden)

11:00 DOORS

11.15

Lecture in English:
Alexander Pehlemann (D): "The Darker Sides of Unearthing the Music"
"Unearthing the Music. Footnotes on Sonic Resistance in Non-democratic Europe 1950–2000" is the final piece of an international project initiated in Portugal, which has established an online archive for experimental underground and protest sounds of Eastern Europe and the often-overlooked regimes of Spain, Portugal, and the Greek military dictatorship. The book, published by Spector Books, presents key aspects of this spectrum: the relationship with the state, the desire for escape, the power of counter-communities, but also the disappointments that followed liberation. It covers topics such as jazz in Poland and the GDR, conceptual post-punk in Yugoslavia, state-run electronic music studios, Roentgenizdat and Magnetizdat productions, women in subcultures, Romanian avant-garde, Iberian punk, and the Ukrainian underground.

Alexander Pehlemann, co-editor alongside Rui Pedro Dâmaso and Lucia Udvardyova, will give a general overview and show some darker conceptual sides of Eastern European underground music. Pehlemann, a self-proclaimed East German "provincial punk" in the late 80s, is an art historian, curator, compiler, sub-label operator, author, DJ, dub mixer, and editor. He collaborates with Kulturny Dom Lipsk / Salon Similde and promotes Neue Sorbische Kunst.

12.00

Lecture in English:
Jonny Hall (GB): "The Dark Scene 500 - Defining a Scene Through Its Most Notable Songs"

The Dark Scene 500 is a book telling the story of dark scene music via analysis of its most popular and influential songs. From the foundations of gothic rock and industrial, the emergence of a multitude of subgenres, their varying popularity during the 1990s and 2000s, through to the most recent developments. There will be a brief talk about the project's origins, a look at which themes and concepts arise most frequently and selected readings from the text.

Jonny Hall is a DJ and music writer from London, UK. He began DJing under the name Terminates Here in 2008, highlights including afterparty sets at Infest 2016 and the Darkflower at WGT 2018. In terms of music writing, he ran his own dark-scene review site EOL-Audio from 2000 to 2006, and later wrote for Brutal Resonance from 2012 to 2014. He took up writing for his own Terminates Here site in 2018, and has recently completed his first full-length book "The Dark Scene 500".

12.45

Lecture in English:
Jirka Liessens (BE): "The Psychology of Enjoying Noise Music"

Noise music is a genre that mixes musical compositions with otherwise undesirable sounds. In stark contrast to its unsettling nature, it is a thriving genre with many fans. But how do people manage to appreciate noise music and what are important elements in this process? This lecture will shed light on the appreciation of noise music by zooming in on the psychology of art appreciation. The lecture will discuss individual, contextual and artistic factors in noise music appreciation. The lecture will wrap up with practical recommendations for noise artists and labels.

Jirka Liessens holds a masters degree of experimental psychology and has a long-standing interest in all forms of art. The phenomenon of noise music has been one of her fascinations during the past 10 years. Last year she wrote a well-received masters thesis in the field of empirical aesthetics, which links the observable qualities of an artwork to the psychology and appreciation of art. Jirka brings a distinctive blend of expertise in art, noise music, and experimental psychology, which she will draw upon for this lecture.

13.30

Lecture in English:
Jana Komaritsa (NL): "Art of Insanity: Dark Psyche and Mental Disorder in Visual Arts"

Presented by Jana Komaritsa, an artist and art therapist, this lecture will explore how creativity can navigate through the chaos of the brain. It will uncover how mental illness has helped shape some of the most haunting works in art history, and wander through the shadowy corridors of the artistic psyche where madness and genius merge. The lecture will also explore the transformative power of art therapy to channel inner darkness into creativity rather than destructiveness. Can the rituals of art soothe the tortured brain and transform suffering into beauty?

14.15

Panel discussion in English:
Gothic Influence in Burlesque and Drag

Panel discussion on the influence of gothic music and related countercultures in the burlesque and drag performance arts. Presented by Eden Lost (USA/Sweden, burlesque and drag performer/producer), with Noeline La Bouche (Germany, burlesque performer/producer), Antina Christ (Germany, drag performer/producer), Matija Black (Croatia, performance artist), and Devi Letalis (Austria, burlesque performer/producer).

15.00

Lecture in English:
Magnus Ovhed (Norway): "It was a dark and stormy night …"

This laughed at cliché actually hides a very accurate description of a night time thunderstorm. How are weather and meteorological phenomena described in gothic and romantic literature and art? Some are a treat for a weather forecaster, others give you a good laugh and a few have absolutely nothing to do with real weather. We will have a short dive into the intersection of weather science and gothic culture.

Magnus Ovhed has been a weather forecaster and goth for 30 years. He lives in Northern Norway and is a recurring visitor to WGT.

15.45

Lecture in English:
Xavier Kruth (BE): "The Repression of Russian Alternative Music — From Soviet Times to the 'Special Military Operation'"

Making music in Russia has always been subject to special restrictions. This was true during the communist era in the Soviet Union. During perestroika, censorship largely disappeared, and the fall of communism seemed to herald a new era of artistic freedom. However, the gradual tightening of Vladimir Putin's grip on Russian culture increasingly affected musicians' freedom of expression. With the full-scale war against Ukraine — euphemistically referred to as the "special military operation" — the repression of alternative musicians has returned in full force, prompting many of Russia's greatest rock stars to emigrate.

Xavier Kruth is a sociologist, editor, and an enthusiast of both music and history. In his spare time, he writes for the Dutch-language online gothic magazine Dark Entries (www.darkentries.be).

16.30

Lecture in English:
Alexander Nym (DE) "The Vampire in Film & TV"
In 1922, the first cinematic vampire rose from the grave when „Nosferatu – A Symphony Of Horror" premiered. From this first incarnation to the portrayals of Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee and others, to the most recent remake of „Nosferatu", the figure of the vampire has undergone numerous changes. Once a feared symbol of otherworldly terror, infection and sexual deviance, the vampire has been co opted and adapted by a variety of pop-cultural productions. The presentation looks into a variety of vampiric transformations, inspirations and representations, and how the vampire character was affected by contemporary projections and interpretations in audiovisual mass media.

Alexander Nym is the editor of the German reference book on Goth culture, "Schillerndes Dunkel"; occasional booker/performer, curator, event manager, writer & editor. Recent publication: John Carpenter - Horror & Apokalypse (ed. Marcus Stiglegger, Pelle Felsch, Andreas Rauscher; Deadline 2025), upcoming: QBL+POP (Edition Aleph). Regular contributor to "phantastisch!" magazine.

14.30

Philosophical salon (in German):
"On alienation and provocation - food for thought on the edge of the familiar"

Whether horror thriller or state of intoxication, whether extreme sport or 'body mod', whether performance art or excess: anything that is not commonplace is alienating. But at the same time, this provocation stimulates us and we passionately expose ourselves to it again and again. At the edge of the familiar, our thoughts and feelings are put to the test: When is enough of the strange enough and how do we deal with it? How alien are we to ourselves? When does the strange leave us changed? When is it just a sensation that affects us in the short term? And when is living with the strange a change of life? Together we will philosophise about crossing boundaries, self-transformation and 'mere' sensationalism.

With Dr Jirko Krauß, Leipzig; Johanna Kosch, Stuttgart; Stefanie Rieger, Graz

15.00 - 16.30

Meeting point: Vortragsraum

Reading (in German):
Christian von Aster "DIE SCHWARZE KUNST 3.0 - eine Lesung finsterer Tintengespinste"

On the occasion of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Leipzig author Christian von Aster will be reading from his black-humoured texts in the Humanities Reading Room of the German National Library. In order to please those with a gloomy disposition, there will be a further excursion into equally cryptic and peculiar short stories between printer's ink and darkness. These stories are, of course, suitably sinister, but also entertaining, nasty and humorous.

KULTHAUS V - Secret science lectures and presentations in the vaulted hall of Torhaus Dölitz

13.00

Lecture (in German):
"Das Erzgebirge und die freien Männer von gutem Ruf - Freimaurerei im Erzgebirge"

The lecture sheds light on the activities and the spread of the 'mysterious' Freemasonry in the Erzgebirge region. From the first founding of the lodge in 1742 in Sachsenfeld near Schwarzenberg to the last one in Stollberg in 1929, the speaker will give an overview of the work and existence of the brothers in their Erzgebirge homeland.
Speaker: Berndt Thomas Möckel (archivist, Freemason and Goth)

14.30

Lecture (in German):
Janosch Moser "The magic of storytelling"

Stories have their undeniable magic - and not just in a figurative sense. The direct effect of a film, for example, on our emotions and also its more subtle effects on our view of the world will probably not be denied by anyone. We want to look at these magical aspects of storytelling using various examples and then make a practical connection to life: How can I magically enrich my life by (re)telling my own story and how does my own story perhaps even interact with what could be called the 'dominant narrative'?

16.00

Lecture in English:
Nikolas Schreck "Magic and Sorcery on the Path of Initiation"

The author, musician and filmmaker Nikolas Schreck uses his decades of experience to teach a profound lesson on the pragmatic use of the art and science of magic as the key to spiritual awakening.

16.00 - 17.30

Reading (in German):
Luci van Org and Florentine Joop "Blood Dialogues" - texts and conversation with a mixture of wisdom, femininity and humour

The two extraordinary, cross-media artists invite you to an inspiring hour in the gallery. You can expect a lively mix of texts, conversations, music and art. In their "Blood Dialogues", Luci and Florentine share their thoughts and questions on topics such as family dynamics, personal inner turmoil, female wisdom, love and humour.

In addition to their texts and conversations, both Luci van Org and Florentine Joop will present selected artworks in the exhibition.

12.00 - 13.30

Reading (in German):
Sebastian Fitzek „Das Kalendermädchen"
Was, wenn der Tod deine einzige Chance ist, zu überleben?

Germany's best-selling author reads from his new psychological thriller:
Eleven years ago, Alma was given up for adoption as a baby under mysterious circumstances.
Her adoption file, which is kept strictly under lock and key, contains the note: "The identity of the parents must not be revealed under any circumstances! Mother is in danger of death!!!" But Alma is now critically ill and urgently needs a bone marrow donor.
To save the life of her adopted daughter, Olivia Rauch starts a desperate search for her biological parents. In the process, the psychologist, who specialises in violent crime, comes across the legend of the "Calendar Girl", a young woman who once hid in a secluded cottage in the Franconian Forest at Christmas time. And who was haunted there by a psychopath who forced her to open an Advent calendar of horror...

14.30

Lecture(in German):
Mark Benecke "Serienmord & Kannibalismus"

Criminal biologist Mark Benecke talks about modern cannibals and their motives for eating others. The strange thing is that it is usually involuntary, but not always. He sheds light on spectacular cases, abnormal chats and surprising findings from the morgues.
-followed by an autograph session

12.30 – 14.00 Uhr

Lecture (in German):
Andreas Auer „Von Totentrompeten und Satanspilz - die düstere Welt der (Gift)Pilze"

In this somewhat creepy, but also informative lecture, mushroom expert Andreas Auer will take you into the dark world of (poisonous) mushrooms. He explains why people usually poison themselves with porcini mushrooms, that there are poisonous effects that are even worse than death - and in general, why dealing with mushrooms is totally gruesome.

15.30-17.00

Reading in English :
John Robb (The Membranes) "The Art Of Darkness: The History of Goth"

This work offers a comprehensive overview of Goth music and subculture and its enduring significance to this day. In this fundamental work, Robb describes the social, political and pop-cultural contexts from which a new, independent youth culture developed in the UK from the late 70s and early 80s, after punk and parallel to post-punk. This initially remained nameless and was then referred to as Goth. As a contemporary companion of this subculture, Robb describes the peculiarities of this "Art of Darkness", which on the one hand - consciously or unconsciously - drew on cultural influences, some of which went back a long way, and on the other hand drew on glam, psychedelic, rock'n'roll, punk and post-punk, thus establishing its own tradition.

Robb writes about the distant origins of the Goth phenomenon: the fall of Rome and the Goths, Lord Byron and the Romantic poets, European folk tales, vampires, Gothic architecture and painting, the occult and spans the arc to today's Instagram and TikTok phenomena.

The book has recently been published in German translation under the title "Goth - Die dunkle Seite des Punk" by Ventil-Verlag.

11.00 – 12.00

Reading (in German):
Frank R. and Steffen Hirn "Die wahre Geschichte von der unendlichen Liebe"

Harmless, with a pressed plant, a Solomon's seal, the puzzling story takes its course. A mysterious pile of letters is discovered in the attic of an old house. For the finder, a young man, reading them turns out to be a lead to the love of his life ... Or a trap. A novel in the romantic style, read by Frank R. and Steffen Hirn as a duo. "König Salomo" can also be found in the Pharmacy Museum. How this came about can be explored before or after the reading.