Democracy Day on 7 June at the Island Festival: Who does the black, red and gold belong to?
Press release from 05/21/2026
Organisations from across Germany will be showcasing their work on UNESCO World Heritage Day on Berlin’s Museum Island – a performance by Gabriele Stötzer – young people debating conscription and cultural subsidies – an interactive exhibition on the history of democracy – Julia Ruhs, Paul Nolte and Crawford Matthews in discussion at the James Simon Gallery
At the 2026 Museum Island Festival, Sunday will be dedicated to democracy. This is in keeping with this year’s UNESCO World Heritage Day theme, ‘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 Hambacher Schloss Foundation, the Stiftung Orte der deutschen Demokratiegeschichte, the Berlin Wall Foundation, the Schwule Museum, the Bertelsmann Foundation, the HertieFoundation, visitBerlin and the Berliner Festspiele with the Gropius Bau.
The James Simon Gallery is the centre of Democracy Day. The program begins on 7 June at 11 am in the auditorium of the James Simon Gallery with a discussion featuring eyewitnesses to the Berlin Wall, who will talk about their childhood in the divided city. The event has been organised by the Berlin Wall Foundation.
An hour later (at 12 noon), “Jugend debattiert” will meet at the same venue to discuss 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. A second demonstration debate at 2.30 pm will then focus on whether a solidarity levy should be introduced in Germany to finance public cultural life.
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’ at 1 pm, which is expected to be attended by the Iranian dissident Neda Soltani, the Belarusian representative of RAZAM e.V., Sophija Savtchouk, and Frank Ebert, Berlin’s Commissioner for Coming to Terms with the SED Dictatorship.
Is the black, red and gold flag 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 and promises a controversial panel discussion. Guests include the journalist Julia Ruhs, the historian and head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History at the Free University of Berlin, Prof. Dr Paul Nolte, and the curator of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig, the British historian Dr Crawford Matthews.
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 project onto the screen in the auditorium (2.00 pm and 3.30 pm).
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 German democratic history, discover historical sites and test their own knowledge in a playful way.
Further events on Democracy Day will take place in the Kolonnadenhof: from 2 pm to 5 pm, the Berlin Wall Foundation will hold an open art workshop exploring 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, guests at Democracy Day can design a canvas several metres long.
A highlight of Democracy Day is likely to be the appearance of the artist Gabriele Stötzer, who is receiving the Goslar Kaiserring this year and will be featured at the Gropius Bau from 19 June with a major retrospective entitled “Be there and don’t remain silent”. During the era of the GDR dictatorship, the Ensemble für Intuitive Musik Weimar (EFIM) and Gabriele Stötzer, as director of an underground gallery, met to perform in secret works by the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who had been defamed as late-bourgeois and decadent. With her associative text “Freedom” and the music reflecting upon it, a framework of words and sound will emerge in the Kolonnadenhof from 4 pm, guiding guests at the Museum Island Festival into the realms of their hidden visions.
To round off the day, from 5 pm on the large open-air stage, the partners of Democracy Day will answer questions from presenter Nadine Heidenreich – 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.
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) may bring one additional person into the museums free of charge.
The full programme for the two-day Island Festival (6 and 7 June 2026), including Democracy Day, can be found at: www.mi200.de
Quotes
“Democracy Day on Museum Island will not be a day of empty rhetoric, but will demonstrate that our fundamental values must be preserved and defended. And that democracy is hard work. I am delighted that we have gained so many partners across the country who wish to join us in sending a strong signal for freedom and social cohesion on UNESCO World Heritage Day. This is particularly true of Museum Island, which, as a ‘sanctuary for art and science’, stands for cosmopolitanism, tolerance and the conviction that the world’s cultures build upon one another.” – Prof. Dr Marion Ackermann, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation/SPK
“Democracy Day raises awareness of democracy and invites people to discover its history, traditions and defining locations. As the Foundation for Places of German Democratic History, we bring these roots to life on Museum Island in a playful, accessible way through direct interaction – thereby making an important contribution to democracy education.” –
Dr Kai-Michael Sprenger, Director of the Foundation for Places of German Democratic History
“Democracy thrives on fair, respectful exchange, the negotiation of values and the resulting political projects. Democracy is thus also a culture that people live. That is why, with ‘Jugend debattiert’, we are bringing an example of a successful culture of conflict and constructive debate to Museum Island for Democracy Day. Debating has its origins in Aristotelian rhetoric in ancient Greece. We are bridging this gap between the museums and their wonderful exhibitions and the present day with young people who enjoy fair debate. As the Hertie Foundation, we are thus strengthening the culture of debate and democracy in everyday life.” – Dr Jan-Jonathan Bock, Head of Jugend debattiert and of the Berlin office of the non-profit Hertie Foundation
“We live in challenging times and we must find ways to preserve what defines us as a democratic society. This means focusing on the common good, valuing diversity, and defending the fundamental rights of all people. Democracy is not static; it is actively created and emerges when a wide variety of people are present, visible and willing – but also able – to stand up for these values. This requires, among other things, democracy education, such as that provided at Democracy Day. The Gay Museum demonstrates there just how diverse our society is, and also how wonderful, friendly, important and worth defending this diversity is for everyone.” – Dr Birga Meyer, Director of the Schwules Museum
“No symbol stands for the history of German democracy quite like black, red and gold – and yet hardly any symbol is the subject of such controversy. This is precisely why Democracy Day on Museum Island provides a space for open discussion about what patriotism can look like in a democratic society and what significance the national symbol of black, red and gold holds – even beyond the upcoming World Cup.” – Dr Kristian Buchna, Academic Director of the Hambacher Schloss Foundation
“When people think of democracy, many think first of elections. But democracy begins much earlier: with listening, challenging and finding compromises.” – Paulina Fröhlich, Senior Expert “Democracy and Cohesion”, Bertelsmann Stiftung
“With our exhibition, we want to invite people not to view democracy in abstract terms, but to make a connection and experience it personally.” – Dr Angela Jain, Senior Project Manager for “Democracy and Cohesion”, Bertelsmann Foundation
“The Peaceful Revolution of 1989 shows that change is possible when people courageously stand up for democracy. No other city is therefore better suited than Berlin to celebrate freedom and provide a platform for committed voices from all over the world who stand up for freedom and human rights. This is precisely what Democracy Day on Museum Island creates space for.” – Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of visitBerlin and co-initiator of Berlin Freedom Week
“Democracy needs remembrance: anyone who wants to understand why it is worth protecting must know what it means to lose it. Sixty-five years after the Berlin Wall was built, we want not only to remember the past, but also to bring the value of democracy to life through dialogue, including a discussion with eyewitnesses. For democracy thrives on our standing up for it together, especially today.” – Prof. Dr Axel Klausmeier, Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation
“On Democracy Day, the Berliner Festspiele and Gropius Bau are presenting a work by the visionary artist Gabriele Stötzer, whose artistic practice is inextricably linked to her social and political commitment. Democracy is not treated as an abstract concept here, but is experienced as an immediate, shared experience – as a creative space for thought and negotiation, and as a living place for dissent, exchange, freedom and participation.” – Matthias Pees, Artistic Director of the Berliner Festspiele