Weserburg sues Bremen: fight for subsidies and the future of the museum!

Weserburg sues Bremen: fight for subsidies and the future of the museum!

In the heart of Bremen, a legal dispute over the Weserburg is causing a stir. The renowned museum for modern art has filed a lawsuit against the city of Bremen to demand more financial support. Loud buten and within The aim is to clarify whether there is a right to increased financial support. With rising personnel and operating costs, the Weserburg is forced to act because the current subsidies of 1.7 million euros do not even cover the minimum for an appropriate exhibition program.

Although the museum sees the city as having a duty as a donor, it responds that the donations are sufficient and points to the difficult budget situation. Museum director Janneke De Vries calls the Weserburg’s precarious situation “dying in installments.” In fact, the museum is demanding an additional million euros per year to close the financial gaps and reach the required 2.9 million euros per year Weser courier reported.

The long road to litigation

The lawsuit, which was filed at the end of May, is the result of a long and unsatisfactory negotiation process with the cultural authority. This has been informed about the structural underfinancing for decades, but has not taken any action. A department head of the Senator for Culture clearly states that an increase in subsidies is currently not possible. This is in direct contradiction to the opinions of the Bremen CDU, which critically questions the administration's priorities and considers an increase to be realistic.

Ten years ago, the management and the museum were forced to sell parts of their collection to pay off debts, which is not a sustainable solution for long-term financing. In 2021, reserves from these sales were depleted, resulting in a reliance on a construction fund to cover ongoing costs. This solution also has its limits, as discussions about a pre-financing agreement were broken off after the city withdrew more than two million euros from the building fund without providing any feedback.

The future of the Weserburg

The aspects of financial support for museums are not only important locally. Various funding programs for cultural institutions are offered at the federal level, such as the “Museum Makes You Strong” program, which supports educational projects for young people and has an annual budget of 50 million euros, as stated on the website German Museum Association is to be read. These programs could also potentially help Weserburg receive much-needed support.

The lawsuit could bring clarity to both Weserburg and the city of Bremen about their financial obligations and rights. So it remains to be seen how the judiciary will comment on this central point of cultural funding in Bremen. The court date has not yet been set, but both parties hope that the trial will lead to a rethinking of the financial matters that are so crucial to the survival of the Weserburg.