Transparent Factory

The Transparent Factory (Gläserne Manufaktur) is a Volkswagen visitor attraction and vehicle-delivery centre at Straßburger Platz, at the edge of the Großer Garten.

What it is

It is run by Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH. It stands where the city's exhibition palace and the Kugelhaus once stood.

The building

The building has a glass tower of almost 40 metres. The architect firm was HENN of Berlin; the building was designed by Gunther Henn. The façade is made of 27,500 square metres of glass.

History

Volkswagen built the Phaeton there (and, for a time, the Bentley Flying Spur) until March 2016, the e-Golf from 2017 to December 2020, and the ID.3 from January 2021.

Seeing it

Checked 11 October 2026 Volkswagen ended car production at the Gläserne Manufaktur in December 2025.

Checked 11 October 2026 Volkswagen, the state of Saxony and TU Dresden signed a letter of intent in 2025 to build an innovation campus in the building. TU Dresden calls it the TUD InnoX Campus; the research fields named are artificial intelligence, robotics and microelectronics. In the plan Volkswagen published on 4 December 2025, regular operation begins in 2027 and TU Dresden is to use almost half of the floor space.

Checked 11 October 2026 Visitors can take guided tours, collect a new Volkswagen, take test drives, eat at the restaurant SPEISEWERK and hire rooms for events. Check the operator's own page before you go.

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