The Kulturpalast Dresden (lit. 'Palace of Culture') is a modernist building built by Wolfgang Hänsch during the era of the German Democratic Republic. It was the largest multi-purpose hall in Dresden when it opened in 1969, and was used for concerts, dances, conferences and other events. The building underwent several years of reconstruction beginning in 2012 and opened with a new concert hall in April 2017. Unlike the other buildings in the Altmarkt square, the Kulturpalast is designed in the unadorned International Style. It is a stand-alone building with a floorspace of around 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft). It faces Wilsdruffer Straße and forms the second part of the Altmarkt square. Located east of Schloßstraße and southwest of nearby Neumarkt, which has been undergoing a reconstruction project since 2005, it lies in the center of the historic old town, which was largely destroyed during the firebombing of Dresden on 13 February 1945.
