Czech Republic takes centre stage as guest of honor at Frankfurt Book Fair 2026
Czech Republic is the guest of honor at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, opening 7 October. A programme of exhibitions, readings, concerts, and theatre across Frankfurt and the surrounding region begins on 20 August.
Czech Republic as guest of honor
The Frankfurt Book Fair opens on 7 October with the Czech Republic as this year's guest of honor. A wide-ranging programme of exhibitions, readings, concerts, and theatre performances across Frankfurt and the surrounding region begins on 20 August, nearly seven weeks before the fair itself. The events span art, architecture, photography, literature, music, and theatre, spread across more than ten venues in Frankfurt, Offenbach, and Wiesbaden.
Art exhibitions
Five art exhibitions form the visual backbone of the programme. The Kunsthalle Schirn presents sculptor Anna Hulačová, whose work connects surrealism, socialist realism, and Czech folk art, from 1 October 2026 to 10 January 2027. The Deutsches Architekturmuseum shows new Czech architecture under the title "More is Now!" from 19 September 2026 to 17 January 2027. The Palmengarten displays garden utopias by Veronika Richterová, who creates artworks from plastic bottles, from 1 October 2026 to 7 February 2027. The Deutsches Filmmuseum presents Czech photography in "Freude und Versteck" from 4 October to the end of the year. The Archäologisches Museum focuses on a bronze cauldron found in East Bohemia, from 5 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
- Museum für Kommunikation opens 'Samizdat - Worte der Freiheit' on suppressed literature in former Czechoslovakia
- Klingspor Museum in Offenbach opens exhibition on Czech book art and illustrations
- Struwwelpeter Museum opens 'Beyond Paper Plane', showcasing Czech picture books
- Deutsches Architekturmuseum opens 'More is Now!' on new Czech architecture
- Deutsche Nationalbibliothek opens 'Reiner Kunze und die tschechische Poesie'
- Kunsthalle Schirn opens Anna Hulačová sculpture show; Palmengarten opens Veronika Richterová garden utopias
- Miroslav Hlauco reads from debut novel 'Pfingsten' at Villa Clementine in Wiesbaden
- Deutsches Filmmuseum opens 'Freude und Versteck' on Czech photography
- Archäologisches Museum opens East Bohemian bronze cauldron show; Haus am Dom opens resistant literature exhibition
- Frankfurt Book Fair opens with Czech Republic as guest of honor
- Ensemble Modern concert of contemporary Czech composers at Alte Oper Frankfurt; theater performance at Internationales Theater Frankfurt
Literature exhibitions
Five literature-focused exhibitions complement the art shows. The Museum für Kommunikation opens the programme on 20 August with "Samizdat - Worte der Freiheit", examining suppressed literature in the former Czechoslovakia, running through 24 January 2027. The Klingspor Museum in Offenbach presents Czech book art and illustrations from 5 September to 29 November. The Struwwelpeter Museum showcases "Beyond Paper Plane", featuring Czech picture books, from 17 September 2026 to 17 January 2027. The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek explores "Reiner Kunze und die tschechische Poesie" from 29 September to 30 October. The Haus am Dom covers resistant Czech literature from Božena Němcová to Radka Denemarková, from 3 October to 27 November.
Readings, music, and theatre
Author Miroslav Hlauco reads from his debut novel "Pfingsten" on 2 October at the Literaturhaus Villa Clementine in Wiesbaden. On 10 October, the Alte Oper Frankfurt hosts a concert by Ensemble Modern featuring works by contemporary Czech composers, several of which will be performed in Germany for the first time. The Internationales Theater Frankfurt also stages a theatre performance on 10 October. The article text was cut off before the full theatre title could be confirmed.
