With founding of the iron foundry Carlshütte in Büdelsdorf near Rendsburg from 1827 the first industrial settlement of the duchies Schleswig and Holstein took place. Until the closure of the industrial plant in 1997, the Carlshütte was temporariliy one of the largest employers in the region. In the 1960s, around 3,000 people worked for the owner family Ahlmann.

After the closure of the foundry, the area with its huge halls and the historic residential and commercial buildings became the “Kunstwerk Carlshütte”, with various play and presentation venues for exhibitions, concerts, readings, theater and film screenings.

Above all, the international exhibition project NordArt has been attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the Carlshütte every summer since 1999. The NordArt is one of the largest annual exhibitions of contemporary art in Europe. More than 200 selected artists from all over the world show their pictures, photographs, videos, sculptures and installations against the unique setting of the Carlshütte and in the historical Sculpture Park.