100 Years of Leica:
The Event in Wetzlar
We celebrated a historic event in honour of the legendary Leica I in its hometown from 25 to 28 June 2025.The event offered a cavalcade of highlights, bringing our passion for photography to life. Together, with prominent figures from the world of photography, as well as with our employees on Family Day, we celebrated the milestone anniversary of the Leica I with an event that will itself go down in history.
Pre-Opening Ceremony at Wetzlar Cathedral
Similar to Wetzlar Cathedral, the Leica I is also an icon of its age – a symbol of change, endurance and innovative courage, which has written history. The town’s landmark provided a fitting location for our opening ceremonies. Seven hundred and fifty invited guests from over 40 countries came together to mark the start of these unforgettable celebrations. After the greetings by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, the audience was treated to a spellbinding concert by the ensemble Bella Musica from Salzburg, the Leica Choir, trumpet virtuoso and photographer Till Brönner and violinist and photographer George Yammine. The evening was rounded off in style with a flying buffet in the charming ambience of the Cathedral Gardens.
Official Opening Ceremony
We celebrated our history together with our guests on 26 June 2025, bridging past and present through powerful experiences. The event was opened with ceremonial speeches by Dr Andreas Kaufmann (Chairman of the Supervisory Board), Matthias Harsch (CEO), Karin Rehn-Kaufmann (Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International), Stefan Daniel (Vice President of Photo & Design) and Dr Oliver Nass (Chairman of the Ernst Leitz Foundation). The presentations of exclusive special editions were followed by inspiring interviews with Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and Ralph Gibson, Joel Meyerowitz, and Reiner Holzemer on his documentary film “Leica - A Century of Vision”.
The opening of prestigious shows by Joel Meyerowitz, Édouard Elias, and Jamie Cullum bore witness to the exclusive nature of this momentous occasion, – and celebrated photography in all its facets.
M11-D 100 YEARS OF LEICA
A standout moment in the celebrations was the unveiling of the Leica M11-D anniversary set –, limited to 101 sets, of which 100 are being sold, with two historically significant lenses: the reinterpreted Leitz Anastigmat-M 50 f/3.5 and the excellent Leica Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 ASPH. A further distinction: the first camera ever produced in this edition is also the millionth M-Camera, representing yet another milestone in our company’s history. It carries the serial number 6000000 and is being displayed alongside the first series-produced Leica camera, the Leica I #126 from 1925. Both cameras can be found in the Ernst Leitz Museum at the Leica Welt.
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100 YEARS OF LEICA Anniversary Editions
Go to the special editionsIn honour of the revolutionary Leica I, we introduced further exclusive special editions under the title “100 YEARS OF LEICA”. These include the Leica D-Lux 8, the Leica SOFORT 2 and 10x40 binoculars from the Trinovid series. With clear forms, nickel-coloured accents and details true to the centenary design, they are evocative of the iconic camera from the year 1925.
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M11 “WETZLAR GERMANY” Anniversary Edition
Following Dubai, Milan and New York, the local anniversary edition M11 100 YEARS OF LEICA “WETZLAR GERMANY” was presented during the celebrations in Wetzlar. As with the others, this edition is limited to 100 cameras and is only available in Germany. Its distinctive design features make it a prized collector’s item, which can be distinguished from the five special editions from other countries by the “WETZLAR GERMANY” engraving.
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The Book 100 Leica Stories
Learn more about the bookWe paid tribute to the Leica I not only with deeds but also with words by launching the book 100 LEICA STORIES at the centenary event in Wetzlar. In 100 stories, the book chronicles personal moments, iconic images and technical achievements, looking back at our legacy and offers behind the scenes snapshots of our brand. A book of 100 stories spanning a century – a treasure chest of memories waiting to be unlocked.
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Exclusive Gift for the Kaufmann Family
As a further highlight, Matthias Harsch presented the Kaufmann family one of the 101 limited editions M11-D 100 YEARS OF LEICA sets as a token of gratitude and in appreciation of the longstanding commitment of the family, members of which have been the company’s majority shareholders for over 20 years. The set bears the serial number 6000100.
Prestigious Exhibitions at the Leitz Park
The cultural highlights featured during the celebrations included the opening of three prestigious exhibitions, which spotlights selected work from 29 June to 21 September. The Ernst Leitz Museum pays tribute to Joel Meyerowitz’s oeuvre with a comprehensive retrospective titled The Pleasure of Seeing. The pioneer of street and colour photography selected 100 images himself for the exhibition, which encompasses more than half a century of his work.
At the Leica Gallery Wetzlar, you will find select work from the photojournalist Édouard Elias’s three most important series. Under the title Witness, he documents both sorrow and strength amidst social and humanitarian crises worldwide. Also at the Leica Gallery, the exhibition These Are the Days showcases a very personal selection of images by the musician and Leica photographer Jamie Cullum.
Exhibitions in Wetzlar
In honour of the region and our hometown, these exhibitions invite you to experience the many faces of Leica photography in Wetzlar’s historic town centre. At the New Town Hall until 31 July 2025, you can delve into 100 years of production history, from our beginnings to the Leitz- Park of today. The Lottehof is exhibiting a curated selection of poignant images from around the world held by the LFI Gallery until 19 October 2025. The Galerie am Dom is presenting an exhibit featuring the works of four exceptional female photographers until 6 July 2025. Their creations will captivate you with profound documentations, imaginative artistry and poetic power.
Gala Event
The second half of the day kicked off with a flurry of camera flashes on the red carpet of the Buderus Arena, fully adorned in Leica branding. With around 750 guests from over 40 countries, Wetzlar played host to the world. Numerous journalists, prominent figures, stars and a who’s who from the field of photography came together to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. After the welcoming address by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Matthias Harsch and a virtual speech by Minister President Boris Rhein, memories came alive and a shared love for photography was tangible during the spectacular atmosphere of the gala dinner.
With a sneak preview of the 90-minute documentary Leica – A Century of Vision by Reiner Holzemer and an electrifying concert by Jamie Cullum, our guests enjoyed two further entertaining highlights over the course of this glamourous evening.
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Inspiring Panel Discussions
The exciting programme continued on 27 June at the Leica Welt, with panel discussions entitled “Seeing Clearly: Photographic Truth in Times of Change”. With Dominic Nahr moderating the panel, the leading photographers Steve McCurry, Joel Meyerowitz, Jane Evelyn Atwood and Sarah M. Lee shared their visions, experiences and stories. A lively dialogue about photography ensued that was both inspiring and moving.
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Inspiring Encounters
Inspiration, and above all, profound Leica knowledge was shared during talks by and discussions with photography experts such as Stefan Daniel, Peter Karbe and Ralph Gibson. A further exciting item on the programme was the discussion with the producer of the documentary film Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other, which tells the story of the stirring relationship between Joel Meyerowitz and his wife Maggie Barrett with a great deal of sensitivity. A story of love, ageing, and the daily balancing act between closeness, freedom and creativity.
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Many Tours and Workshops
With more than 100 tours and workshops led by international trainers from the Leica Akademie over the three days of events, our guests were spoilt for choice. In addition to Leica classical photography tours through Wetzlar’s oldtown, the Leitz Park and the Ernst Leitz Museum, there were also exclusive experiences on offer – for example, a visit to the Friedwart House, the former residence of the Leitz family, which has played host to famous photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Alfred Eisenstaedt.
46th Leitz Photographica Auction
Leica history became palpable at the 46th Leitz Photographica Auction held as part of the centennial celebrations. More than 440 items went under the hammer. These included veritable treasures and coveted collector’s items, such as the Leica 0-Series No. 112 the legendary M3 No. 700000 and a Leica I Mod. A Anastigmat. Also noteworthy was the auction’s charity lot, which attracted considerable interest: a Leica MP engraved by British designer King Nerd. All proceeds from this lot went to the “Licht ins Dunkel” initiative for social cohesion.
Impressions from the Event
A Special Day for Our Leica Family
No one has contributed more to the success of our company than our employees. In honour of them, we hosted a Family Day on 28 June where a wide-ranging programme delighted young and old alike. While smiling children donning glitter tattoos conquered the bouncy castles, other guests enjoyed a diverse musical, photographic, culinary and, above all, inspiring offering. With live music, exhibitions, workshops and discussions with the well-known director Reiner Holzemer, there was something for everyone to make this special day a memorable one.
