The Fagus Factory World Heritage Site in Alfeld will be part of the international UNESCO exhibition in Venice this year. Under the title ‘Deep Surfaces: Architecture to enhance the visitor experience of UNESCO sites’, the exhibition shows how visitor centres around the world contribute to bringing history and culture to life.
Living architecture as a mediator
The Fagus Factory is not just an architectural monument - it is a living place where people have been producing, working and designing for over 100 years. At the same time, it embodies one of the earliest ideas of modern industrial architecture.
The visitor centre, which opened on the factory site in 2015, brings this history to life in a variety of ways - through exhibitions, guided tours and direct access to the listed architecture. Past and present meet at eye level where industrial history was written in the past and continues to be written today.
As part of the ‘Deep Surfaces’ exhibition, curated by UNESCO and the Royal Commission for AlUla, this visitor centre is now part of an international presentation. The show brings together globally significant architectural projects that stand out due to their social, cultural or ecological aspirations - including new buildings, refurbished buildings and modular architectural concepts.
Three overarching themes
- How architecture is interpreted culturally.
- How sustainable building is realised.
- How as many people as possible can be involved in this process.
The UNESCO exhibition is complemented by interactive elements, an extensive materials library and digital content - for a lively, multi-layered exhibition experience.
Interested visitors can marvel at ‘Deep Surfaces’ from 10 May to 23 November 2025 at Palazzo Zorzi, the headquarters of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe.
