2016 - Event - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

At the 2026 Island Festival, Sunday (7 June) will be dedicated to democracy. This is in keeping with this year’s theme for UNESCO World Heritage Day: ‘Together for Peace and Understanding’. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation has therefore invited partner institutions from across Germany to Berlin’s Museum Island to discuss the legacy and future of democracy, as well as values such as freedom, openness to the world and social cohesion. Participants include the Hambach Castle Foundation, the Foundation for Sites of German Democratic History, the Berlin Wall Foundation, the Gay Museum, the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Hertie Foundation, visitBerlin and the Berliner Festspiele with the Gropius Bau. 

The James Simon Gallery is the centrepiece of Democracy Day

Programme

• 11 am, James Simon Gallery Auditorium: A discussion with eyewitnesses of the Berlin Wall, who will talk about their childhood in the divided city. Hosted by the Berlin Wall Foundation.
   
• 12 noon, James Simon Gallery Auditorium: “Jugend debattiert” debates whether the suspension of compulsory military service should be reversed. In this programme run by the Hertie Foundation, secondary school pupils learn to debate fairly, constructively and within the rules.
   
• 1 pm, James Simon Gallery Auditorium: The struggle for freedom and democracy from 1989 to the present day is the focus of a panel organised by visitBerlin and other initiators of “Berlin Freedom Week”, featuring Iranian dissident Neda Soltani, Sophija Savtchouk, a representative of RAZAM e.V. from Belarus, and Frank Ebert, Berlin’s Commissioner for Coming to Terms with the SED Dictatorship. 
   
• 2.00 pm and 3.30 pm, James Simon Gallery Auditorium: Artist gabi garland is interested in whether and how Museum Island can also be interpreted through a queer lens. On behalf of the Gay Museum, she will be searching for queer individuals, codes and symbols on Democracy Day to bring them to the stage screen
   
• 2.00–5.00 pm, Kolonnadenhof: In an open art workshop, the Berlin Wall Foundation explores the question of what has become of the East Side Gallery’s visions of the future and what a democratic future looks like today. Together with the artist Shay Tova Govhary, Democracy Day guests can design a canvas several metres long.
   
• 2.30 pm, Auditorium of the James Simon Gallery: Is black, red and gold viewed with nationalistic disdain or is it an expression of proud patriotism? Who is allowed or should be permitted to use this national symbol? The Hambacher Schloss Foundation will be addressing these and other questions from 2.30 pm, promising a controversial panel discussion. Guests include journalist Julia Ruhs, historian and Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History at Freie Universität Berlin, Prof. Dr Paul Nolte, and the curator of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig, British historian Dr Crawford Matthews.
   
• 2.30 pm, Auditorium of the James Simon Gallery: “Jugend debattiert” will debate whether a solidarity levy should be introduced in Germany to finance public cultural life. 
   
• 4 pm, Colonnade Courtyard: With the associative text “Freedom” by artist Gabriele Stötzer and the music reflecting upon it, a framework of words and sound emerges in the Colonnade Courtyard, guiding guests of the Museum Island Festival into the realms of their hidden visions.
   
• 5 pm, Open-Air Stage: Closing discussion with SPK Vice-President Gero Dimter, the Artistic Director of the Berliner Festspiele, Matthias Pees, the Managing Director of the Gay Museum, Birga Meyer, the Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, Axel Klausmeier, the Director of the Foundation for Places of German Democratic History, Kai-Michael Sprenger, and the Scientific Director of the Hambach Castle Foundation, Kristian Buchna. Moderator: Nadine Heidenreich 
   

In the Löwenfoyer of the James Simon Gallery, visitors can also take part in hands-on activities to learn about key locations and developments in the history of German democracy, discover historical sites and test their knowledge in a fun way. 

In addition to the Democracy Day events, there will be an extensive programme for all age groups on Berlin’s Museum Island throughout the weekend. Many activities are free of charge – including more than 100 guided tours and numerous drop-in workshops. Refreshments are available in the food court in front of the James Simon Gallery. With the Museum Island Festival day ticket at a special price of 16 euros (concessions: 8 euros), visitors can access all the museums on the island as well as the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche and PETRI Berlin; as always, admission is free for children and young people up to the age of 18. Holders of an annual pass (available on site) can bring one additional person into the museums free of charge. 

Further links:

Programme for the two-day Island Festival (6 and 7 June 2026) including Democracy Day