Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH: Ideas that bind – competence as a principle

Since the architecture prize-winning trade fair centre opened in 2003, the Karlsruhe Trade Fair has become the most important economic factor in the region. The best example is the “art KARLSRUHE” fair, which attracted around 43,500 art lovers yearly. This was another visitor record that hardly anybody imagined a few years ago. The potential of the trade fair location in terms of transport accessibility, a financially strong region and not least its daylight-flooded halls were accurately recognized by curator Ewald Karl Schrade’s team at the Karlsruhe Art Fair. art KARLSRUHE is now one of the most significant fairs for classical, modern and contemporary art in Europe.

Fair manager Britta Wirtz emphasises that “art KARLSRUHE lends the location a unique charisma, regionally, nation­­ally and inter­­nation­ally”. And apart from the hotel and café-restaurant sector, the art world also benefits in the Karlsruhe technology region. Curator Schrade be­­lieves that “since art KARLSRUHE start­­ed, the number of galleries in Karlsruhe has at least doubled, which speaks for itself. Of course, the museums in Karlsruhe and the surrounding area also benefit from the fair – but the converse is true, too.”