Hamburg gets new opera

Hamburg gets a new opera in HafenCity. The city and the Kühne Foundation agreed on the construction of a new opera on the Baakenhöft, the Senate press office said. At noon, the contract for planning and implementation is to be presented in the Hamburg town hall.

The billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne, 87, had announced that it would make up to 330 million euros available for the new building. The city places the property and also takes care of the infrastructure. SPD culture senator Carsten Brosda described the bold offer in the dpa interview as “great patronage gesture”, “which we would also like to accept”.

In the spring of 2022, Kühne, to which a logistics company heard, announced the first time that he would like to give his hometown of Hamburg an opera house. After initial skepticism, the representatives of the city were increasingly able to make friends with the proposal and the negotiations on the construction steps behind closed doors were further forward. On Monday, however, an emergency date with a bold was canceled at short notice.

The taxpayers’ association warns of enormous risks

Thereupon there had been criticism of the secret negotiations and the project as a whole. The Hamburg taxpayers’ association warned of enormous risks. Large projects in this city are notoriously susceptible to cost explosions and delays. “Kühne must guarantee that he will not only pay the construction, but also all additional costs,” said state chairman Sascha Mummenhoff.

The left faction in the Hamburg citizens also reported concerns. “You also have to look into the mouth of a gown! The 330 million euros promised by Kühne will not even set the costs of a new opera, ”said Norbert Hackbusch. It is also unclear what happens to the old opera on Dammtorstraße, corner of Große Theaterstraße.

A new use must now be found for the existing state opera. The building from 1955, which is a listed building, urgently needs to be renovated. Brosda had already announced that there were already ideas for another use.