Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design Halle has been a recognized institution of higher education since 1958. It was developed from 1915 onwards by the architect Paul Thiersch, creating a modern school of arts and crafts dedicated to the "Werkstätten" tradition. The profile of the school was formed by the legacy of the "Deutscher Werkbund". Consequently, the hallmarks of the school have been: hand-craft tradition, individual artistic work, industrial and small scale production, as well as architecture and architecture related art. From 1958 on, alongside the fine and applied arts, study, research and development capacities were set up and extended in the fields of industrial design, interior design and environment design.

The interaction of free and applied disciplines and the presence of a wide range of fields of art and design has always been a significant part of the University. This offers students the opportunity to acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills in various fields of art and design, and enables them to develop a unified approach to designing the environment.

The standard course length is 8 semesters (4 years) in the faculty of design and 10 semesters (5 years) in the faculty of art. The courses lead to diplomas in art or design, teacher training courses are completed with the first state examination. During the first four semesters students are introduced to the basics of visual art, theory of art and design, media technology and scientific-technical fundamentals. The "Vordiplom" (intermediate exam) completes this first part. In the following four semesters the courses are problem-oriented with a strong emphasis on special projects. Work on the diploma-thesis (two semesters) concludes each program. The school has well-equipped workshops for all courses and subjects. The computer and media technology in the school’s own Medienzentrum (multi media center) is open to students of all subjects.

The program offers a wide-ranging training in design, teaching students the skills necessary for the solving of concrete, spatial, and process-related problems. It anticipates coming demands in the area of design and encourages students to develop alternative methods and concepts through experimental work. Courses are being offered in the following areas: industrial design (industrial design, ceramic/glass design, toy design), communication design, fashion design (fashion design, textile design), interior design. All departments in the faculty of design offer four-semester postgraduate programs. In addition postgraduate programs in Digital Design Modelling and in Design of Interactive Virtual Worlds are being offered. The industrial design program may be taken part-time (full-time program is 8 semesters).

The visitor who enters on a sunny day into the courtyard of the Castle and its medieval buildings might think that time has come to a standstill. He or she may want to stretch out on the lawn and dreamily watch the clouds move by. But as soon as the visitor gets into a conversation with students or teachers this first impression will rapidly vanish. Not much time is left for daydreaming. Burg Giebichenstein and its people have to define and redefine themselves constantly between the forces of tradition and the demands of the present and the future. The changes that have seized Germany with the coming down of the wall have lead to a reevaluation of the values and goals of our school: what are the demands on future artists, art teachers, and designers, how to prepare them to a self guided and responsible work in society?

On the one-hand-side there is the long history of the university Burg Giebichenstein from school of arts and crafts to its reorganisation in the Twenties following the Bauhaus model, to the school of industrial design during the years of the GDR. To this day, this tradition is a source of inspiration and its traces are still recognisable. As a result, the curriculum puts emphasis on a thorough basic education during the first two years: students are introduced to craft skills and techniques and to intensive nature studies. The idea behind this rather traditional education is to provide students with the self-assurance necessary to eventually find one’s individual artistic expression in the years thereafter. The following three years, consequently, are dominated by independant work in the studio or in different projects. Tradition also means the conservation of old artistic techniques in such areas as jewellery or glass. And tradition means to understand free and applied disciplines as an organic whole and to work and elaborate on the idea of working across disciplines. The studios are open to all students regardless of their major field of interest. This combination of different and sometimes almost unique course offerings (such as toy design, book) gives an unparalleled profile to the university. There are few institutions in Germany that offer a similar variety.

With 1000 students the university is far from the anonymity of most other schools. It is easy to get in touch with people. The atmosphere is - very much like in the entire city of Halle - amicable and supportive. In comparison to other art universitys our teachers are very much available. They dedicate a lot of time to the individual student and his or her work. Especially for foreign students who might feel disoriented in a new culture this whole atmosphere might be of great advantage. Our university is undertaking great efforts to integrate international students: free German language courses are being offered and many excursions and get-togethers are being organized. Students who encounter problems will get a lot of individual attention.

The most important thing is self-motivation. At the "Burg" students will not be provided with ready answers. The students who would like to come and participate in the ongoing process of defining ourselves as artists or designers are welcome to join in. It will most likely be an enriching experience for both sides.

The university is spread out over several locations - the most spectacular being the "Burg", the castle. Studios of sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, textile art are actually located in the buildings of a castle. They surround a romantic courtyard with rose covered ways where plastic art students work in the sunshine along the castle walls. A most interesting counterpoint to this fairy-tale atmosphere is the so-called "Hermes"-building. In and around this red-brick factory building at the other part of town all romantic atmosphere has been banished. Located in a business and industry district students are torn away from the shelter of the "Burg" and they are confronted with the bleakness of the industrial world. Huge spaces, however, allow for excellent working conditions in painting, communication design and art education. At yet another location, Neuwerk 1, a multi-media studio offers state-of-the-art equipment. It is open to students of all fields regardless of whether they just need a wordprocessor or whether they want to immerse themselves into the field of computer animated art or design.