Cultural politics in Hesse

Cultural economy

With its approcimately 120.000 employees the cultural economy in Hesse is as important to the job market as the automobile-, and chemical industries. The annual turnover is about 19 Billion Euros, equivalent to nearly 5% of the complete Hesse turnovers. The multiple initiatives of cultural and economic supports, for example, as by the film-sponsoring (FilmFinanzierungsFonds Hessen) – these activities are not only ensuring employment, but are creating new jobs. Therefore the intention of Hesse´s cultural politics is to strengthen these specifics of the cultural »landscape«.

The public estimate of state-run cultural politics is scaled on the results of big financial investments. With a financial investment of 200 Million Euros the recreation of the »Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel« will be one of biggest cultural projects in Germany. Kassel is the third biggest location of museums after the cities of Berlin and Dresden.

Cultural investment plan

The provincial government´s cultural investment plan, finishing in 2008 with a volume of approximately 260 Million Euros, has made possible such projects as the renovation of the state theatres in Kassel, Wiesbaden and Darmstadt, the nearly finished reconstruction of the Museum Wiesbaden, and the reconditioning of the Landesmuseum Darmstadt. The great traditional cultural institutions present themselves today in a new glamour, after decades of accumulation – with remarkable superlatives: the stage mechanics of the Darmstadt State Theatre are classified as the most modern in Europe!

Cultural treasures

The decision of the Hesse government to built a Celts museum at the »Glauberg«, place of discovery of a 2500 years old Celts-statue, has been of a huge response. The UNESCO-world cultural heritage »Grube Messel« (Messel cavern) will get a new visitor´s centre in the near future, which will show the natural habitat of 48 million years ago. On the list of the world heritage of UNESCO in Paris appear also the Lorsch cloister, which has been one of the most important in the Middle Ages, - the Germanic-Raetic »Limes« (Roman wall), and the Middle Rhine-valley as cultural treasures of international standing.

Besides the continuous cultural suppport since years – as the four recent »Hessischer Kultursommer« (Hesse cultural summer) – a few new cultural projects have been realised. The initiative »Schauspielbiennale« with »new plays from Europe« at the Hesse State Theatre in Wiesbaden is an international festival of high range which is going to take place every second year in the regional capital of Hesse. The »Leseland Hessen« (Reading Country Hesse) meanwhile has placed hundreds of authors of the Frankfurt International Book Fair to reading festivals in Hesse. Numerous historic places in Hesse have been developed for the public by the initiative of »Literaturland Hessen«, which are important for the literary life.
The foundation of the »Forsythe-Ballet-Company« has commited one of the world famous dance theatres further on to Hesse.

The conflation of cultural and economic film sponsorships as well as the implementation of the »FilmFinanzierungsFonds Hessen« is offering new interesting prospects of the film branch in this country. The backing of the »Hesse Film Award« to the Frankfurt International Book Fair received international significance of this event. All in all the Hesse state was sponsoring the film branch with eight million Euros in 2006 approximately. The building of a new film house in Wiesbaden in 2008 will stress out the issue »film« additionally.

The acquisition of the Schloss Erbach-collection has not been indisputable (read more about this discussion on the web-site of »Hessischer Rundfunk«). But this cultural policy decision of the state government has saved a unique jewel of the German museums history. The over twohundered years old stocks threatened to be sold abroad. Now they are kept for the Odenwald-region as cultural-historic, and touristical attractions.
The challenges of Hesse cultural politics are always touching the emotions of the citizens, as the present discussion about a suitable financing of the big range of cultural offerings in the Rhine-Main-area is pointing out. It is still unsettled how the benefitting local authorities should take part in the costs. On the initiative of the Hesse prime minister a mediaton committee has been looking for solutions. First results – as the voluntary participation of the congested urban aereas at the costs, and the establishment of a cultural funds for financing expensive projects – will be implemented shortly.