Culture St. Pölten 2024: A year full of diversity and successes

Culture St. Pölten 2024: A year full of diversity and successes

In 2024, the state capital St. Pölten experienced a remarkable cultural year, which according to those responsible is considered the most diverse and comprehensive in the history of the city. An impressive balance was drawn with a visitor volume of around 300,000 people for the events of “Kultur St. Pölten 2024”. This number comprises 216,000 visitors in existing institutions, 56,000 in the city event series "Tangente" and 28,000, which took part in offers from the new children's art laboratory and the former synagogue.

At a press conference, at which Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and Mayor Matthias Stadler were also present, Mikl-Leitner emphasized the outstanding role of this cultural program for urban development and called it the "largest regional development project Ever". This underlines the importance of culture as a lever for economic and social progress.

cultural impulses and value creation

The governor referred to a added value of 75 million euros, which has created both direct economic effects and gave social-cultural impulses. Particularly noteworthy are initiatives such as the children's art laboratory, which was designed as a long -term project to sensitize younger generations of art and culture. The former synagogue was also established as an important location for a lively culture of remembrance.

Mayor Matthias Stadler expressed optimistic about the progress that were achieved with the events and projects. He emphasized the successful networking between culture, tourism and the free cultural scene, which gave the city a new profile within the international cultural landscape. In addition to numerous cultural offers, Stadler also sees concrete improvements in urban space, such as the new cathedral square and the renovation of cemeteries.

economic effects and future projects

Paul Gessl, the managing director of the Lower Austria cultural economy, praised the newly created “culture of cooperation”, which formed the basis for the success of the cultural year. He pointed out that in addition to the quantity number of visitors, the quality of the events is also important. The press conference also offered a platform for various artistic managers who reported on their specific projects in 2024.

A detailed economic analysis by Christian Helmenstein, an economist from the Economica Institute for Economic Research, showed that investments of more than 70 million euros and expenditure of 46 million euros were made by the participating cultural institutions as part of "Culture St. Pölten 2024". According to Helmenstein, these activities generated an additional added value of around 115 million euros, which is considered significant for the economic stability of the region.

Future projects include the conversion of the children's art laboratory, the redesign of the Altoona Park and the renovation of the synagogue. The city library and the city museum also learn a redesign in order to further expand the cultural offers and make them more accessible to the public. The cathedral square, which was completed in 2023, will be a central event location for concerts and events in the future.

For further developments and information about the cultural year, citizens can be excited to see what the coming years will have for St. Pölten. If you want to learn more about the event and its effects, you can take a look at the comprehensive reporting at www.meinbezirk.at throw.