Culture under pressure: Senate lowers a billion dollar status by 130 million euros!

Culture under pressure: Senate lowers a billion dollar status by 130 million euros!

The black and red coalition in Berlin has presented a controversial savings list of a total of 130 million euros for the cultural sector, which beats large waves and leads to concern in the cultural scene. These cuts correspond to about 12 percent of the total cultural budget, which is set for around 1.12 billion euros for 2025. As rbb24 in particular should be spared children's and youth theater by original savings. The savings requirements for the Grips Theater and the Theater an der Parkaue are eliminated, while the German theater only has to save 1.588 million euros from planned 3 million euros. The Schaubühne is also less stressed and is to only shorten one million euros instead of 1.8 million euros. This brings a certain relief for great theater, but cultural policy is still tense.

The radical reduction not only is aimed at big theater, but also includes smaller cultural projects and institutions. More than 95 individual items were listed in the cultural area, some of which are more drastic. For example, the Künstlerhaus Bethanien has a reduction of 148,900 euros. "We are horrified that the cuts in culture should now be even higher at around 12 percent than initially feared," said Oliver Reese, director of the Berlin Ensembles, according to . The Friedrichstadt-Palast also has to say goodbye to 1.6 million euros and sees itself severely restricted in the scope for maneuver. While cultural senator Joe Chialo is looking for "alternative forms of financing", the fear remains in the scene of job losses and bankruptcy.