Verena Lebherz (left) and Anja Krämer (right) on the rooftop garden of Le Corbusiers semi-detached house in Stuttgart
© Freunde der Weissenhofsiedlung e.V./ Weissenhofmuseum im Haus Le Corbusier

On 1 July 2026, Verena Lebherz will take over as Director of the Weissenhof Museum in Haus Le Corbusier and of the future visitor centre “Weissenhof.Forum”. The current Director, Anja Krämer, is stepping down from her role after twenty years at the helm to become Deputy Director, and will continue to contribute her many years of experience to the development of this internationally significant architectural site.

With this move, the Friends of the Weissenhof Estate (Freunde der Weissenhofsiedlung e.V.) are ushering in a generational change. Verena Lebherz has been serving as deputy director of the Weissenhof Museum and the Weissenhof.Forum planning team since September 2024. The art historian and cultural manager is already thoroughly familiar with the organisation’s structures, projects and partners, and will continue the successful work alongside the existing team.

“We are delighted that Verena Lebherz has become such an important part of the Weissenhof family in such a short space of time. At the same time, we are grateful to Anja Krämer for her many years of exceptional dedication and admire her courage in now actively shaping this transition,”
explains Suse Kletzin, Chair of the Friends of the Weissenhofsiedlung association.

Anja Krämer has played a decisive role in shaping the development of the Weissenhof for more than two decades. Since the early 2000s, the architect and art historian has organised the association’s guided tours. She prepared for the opening of the Weissenhof Museum in the Le Corbusier House and has directed the museum since its foundation in 2006. In addition, she was in charge of the Weissenhof Workshop in the Mies van der Rohe House, curated and organised numerous exhibitions, and initiated events such as the Summer Festival Killesberg. She established important networks with other World Heritage sites, Bauhaus locations, Werkbund estates and Le Corbusier sites.

The Friends of the Weissenhof Estate regard this change of leadership as an important step for the future of the site. For almost 50 years, the association has been committed to the preservation, promotion and further development of the Weissenhof Estate. It runs the Weissenhof Museum, organises guided tours and exhibitions, and plays a key role in bringing the ideas of ‘New Building’ to life for an international audience.

The handover of management comes at a crucial stage in the further development. The City of Stuttgart is currently constructing the new Weissenhof.Forum at the entrance to the Weissenhofsiedlung, which will serve as a central visitor and information centre in future. It is one of the key projects of the 2027 International Building Exhibition StadtRegion Stuttgart (IBA’27) and will be run by the Friends of the Weissenhofsiedlung in collaboration with the Weissenhof Museum. At the same time, preparations for the anniversary year 2027 are already in full swing. The Weissenhofsiedlung will then celebrate its 100th anniversary. With the opening of the Weissenhof.Forum and a major anniversary celebration on 24 and 25 July 2027, the estate’s international significance as an icon of modernism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is set to be highlighted even more clearly.

This will lay the foundations for continuing the history of the Weissenhof – with new impetus, yet whilst remaining closely connected to the people and ideas that have shaped the site over the decades.