Renovations at Berlin's Komische Oper will continue even if the city of Berlin cuts its culture budget by 10%. Director Philip Bröking says the impending funding cuts are a major blow
ADVERTISING
In Germany, the capital Berlin, probably one of the liveliest cities in Europe, if not the world, is home to three opera houses and dozens of other theatrical venues. However, the city plans to cut millions of euros from the culture budget.
Despite the cuts, which among other things raise fears for the suspension of the renovation works, the Komische Oper has decided for now to avoid the explosion in prices.
In 2023, the Komische Oper – which had been in need of renovation for 60 years – closed its doors and temporarily moved to the nearby Schiller Theater.
The opera house's co-director Philip Bröking told Euronews that “the electrical systems were failing, there was no adequate ventilation and the stage technology was bordering on dangerous.” There was an urgent need for restructuring, recognized as early as 1998.”
However, the Schiller Theater has 20% fewer seats and the set warehouse is drastically smaller, meaning the opera is unable to stage many of its ambitious works.
“Berlin will have to face one reduction of subsidies by 130 million euros on a total budget of approximately 1 billion euros. This is a disproportionately high figure. Berlin needs to save – that's clear, and everyone knows it. But when I see that 3 billion euros of total savings are needed for 2025 and that the culture budget represents 2.5% of total state expenditure, logically 75 million euros should be the amount saved from the culture budget. In reality, however, 130 million euros are being cut, a disproportionate figure. For us, this means around 10% of our budget, around 4 million euros. It is very difficult to manage in a single year that is already fully planned,” says Bröking.
Part of the funding for the opera house is earmarked for renovation work.
“If this budget is cut, we suffer a double blow: fewer grants and less funds to cover the additional costs. This makes us very skeptical about the future of our institution,” adds Bröking.
Berlin is considered extremely progressive and unique due to its generous art funding, but also though the renovation of the Komische Oper, which is expected to last six yearshe continues, budget cuts affect Germany's image.
“If the renovation works last longer than expected, for example 10 years instead of six, the costs will increase by 40 million euros per year due to construction cost inflation. The cheapest option is to finish the renovation work as soon as possible. We can temporarily operate the Schiller Theater, but we need to return to Behrenstrasse to ensure our financial sustainability,” says Bröking.
However, according to German media, the possibility of freezing the restructuring is out of the question.
Culture is expensive, but part of what makes Berlin so unique is the subsidization of the arts. Bröking says that 80% of tourists who visit Berlin per year seek out the city's cultural offerings, so the return is notable.
Berlin has already had to deal with international criticism for its airport, completed 10 years late and three times over budget. The Berlin State Opera also went over budget by 40 million euros and was delayed by four years.
But “how much is culture worth to Berlin?” asks Bröking.
“German history is a very difficult and complex history. And that of Berlin is even more so. But what unites us is this immense cultural heritage, of which we can rightly be proud. Here we have many places – theatres, theaters opera – where the conditions of human existence can be explored. They are spaces where people gather, dialogue and communicate with each other. Especially in times when democracy is threatened by extreme fringes, it is incredibly important to reaffirm who we are and where we come from. And this is what we can do”, concludes Bröking.
But it won't just be culture that will be affected by the cuts. The German economy, which continues to struggle, could use some boost from arts and culture, which brings in tens of millions of euros in revenue a year.
The Komische Oper has come up with creative ways to take advantage of renovations to its venue, including a multicultural tourist bus.
Related News :