Cultural war in Berlin: How Vienna rises to the new cultural power!

Cultural war in Berlin: How Vienna rises to the new cultural power!

The Berlin cultural senate plans drastic cuts in the cultural budget of 130 million euros for the coming year, which could lead to an unexpected cultural decline in the German capital. This decision was criticized by Monika Grütters, the former Minister of Culture, as "heartless and spiritless" and represents an alarming development. In a call to politics, the castle actress Caroline Peters Berlin describes as a city on the way to a "Prussian military training area without any appeal". These cellar tones strengthen the concern for the future of culture in Berlin, in contrast to Vienna, where the promotion of art flourishes. In Vienna, 23 percent more were provided for culture in the 2024/25 double budget, including special programs and new venues that bring a breath of fresh air.

The Berlin austerity measures not only cause resistance, but also led to a public funeral rally, in which people with grave candles went through the city to mourn the “death” of Berlin culture. The main responsible for this supposed cultural murder are the governing mayor Kai Wegner and his cultural senator Joe Chialo from the CDU, who have to justify the budget cuts, while the red-red-green predecessor coalition is attacked for their financial problems. In view of the fact that Berlin still maintains a cultural budget of almost one billion euros, the question remains: How will this crisis affect the city's cultural diversity?
In Vienna, on the other hand, the new State Opera recently opened and the construction of a new musical theater at the Prater, which is considered one of the most important venues in Austria, is planned. Over € 137 million flow into the theater, and residents of the city are regularly offered opportunities to visit the cultural institutions free of charge, which revives cultural life. As Welt , the strategies in Vienna, with public and private funding, seem to be more promising than the current Berlin efforts, culture to shrink and To request personal responsibility.
T-Online emphasizes that by national projects and funding is largely supported, while local cuts have the potential to restrict the cultural experience of the city in the long run. Numerous theaters are currently exposing in Berlin, and the reviews could become less numerous, which should significantly impair the visibility of the art scene.