Detail page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

A large number of current projects led by various organisations will significantly change the current situation at the Kulturforum over the next few years. These dynamics, with their challenges and opportunities, were discussed in detail at a workshop on 26 January 2024 with the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing, the State Monument Office, the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Environment and Climate Protection, the Office for Urban Planning and the Road and Green Space Office of the Mitte district and Grün Berlin GmbH. Key future trends and therefore key sustainability issues for the Kulturforum are mobility, climate and urban nature, public spaces, participation and the common good, art, culture and education, as well as digitalisation.

Andrea Zietzschmann, Artistic Director of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gero Dimter, Vice President of the SPK, and Hannes Langbein, Director of the St. Matthäus Foundation, who invited the participants to the round table, said: "We are very pleased that the Green Cultural Forum workshop will enable us to engage in dialogue with all those involved in the field in addition to the stakeholder round table. We want the Kulturforum to have a higher quality of life with more greenery, better transport links and a rethink of the streets, which should not so much separate the locations as connect them."

SPK's construction projects address these issues and provide significant impetus for the entire area. The foundation stone for the new "berlin modern" museum building will be laid on 9 February. The focus on sustainability issues for the new building has also developed a strong dynamic for the entire Kulturforum thanks to the commitment of Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie.

In the plans for the general refurbishment of the State Library on Potsdamer Strasse, one important goal is to create a connection from Marlene-Dietrich-Platz through the State Library and across Potsdamer Strasse to Scharounplatz.

The upcoming refurbishment of the Museum of Decorative Arts and the State Institute for Music Research will also focus on sustainability goals. The same applies to the redesign of the Piazzetta, which plays a central role for all SPK museums on the Kulturforum in terms of visibility, accessibility and attractive offers for visitors and the urban community.

Thanks to the close cooperation and various initiatives of the three neighbouring partners SPK, the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation and the St. Matthew's Foundation, the Kulturforum has been increasingly used for events in public spaces in recent years. The "Day in the Green" as part of the Kultursommer Berlin in 2022 and 2023 and the art project "Baumschule Kulturforum" show the potential, but also the need to link this historically, urbanistically and architecturally significant location more closely with the city and urban society. A cultural management position funded by the state of Berlin will further promote the development and realisation of such formats.

The Kulturforum is also on the agenda of the district and senate administrations as a mandate from the House of Representatives. Grün Berlin GmbH is currently preparing the next construction phase of the masterplan for the open spaces in the Mitte district. From the residents' point of view, the multiple consultations in the Senate Environment Administration's Design Advisory Council for Public Spaces and the placement in the (special) hundredth meeting of the Senate Building Administration's Building Committee dovetail perfectly with their initiatives. They recently wrote a joint letter to the transport senator in favour of the planned extension of the tram line to the Kulturforum. The location of the stop and the pedestrian crossings across Potsdamer Strasse are important factors for better accessibility to the Kulturforum.