Göttingen Literature Autumn: Loss of venues jeopardizes success!

Göttingen Literature Autumn: Loss of venues jeopardizes success!

This autumn will be particularly exciting for the Göttingen Literary Autumn. After an impressive visitor record of over 25,000 guests in 2023, one wonders where the popular festival in the university city is headed. Managing director Johannes-Peter Herberhold is optimistic, but sees major challenges ahead.

Key festival venues such as the Lokhalle and the Deutsches Theater will no longer be available this year. The loss of these cultural epicenters casts a shadow over the preparations. Loud Göttingen Tageblatt Herberhold regrets this very much. The Lokhalle in particular, which costs around 25,000 euros per event, was a popular location.

A festival with tradition

The Göttingen Literature Autumn looks back on more than 30 years of history and has developed into a unique event since its first edition in 1992. Famous authors such as Bodo Kirchhoff and Doris Dörrie contributed to its fame in the past. Every autumn, the festival brings together numerous interesting personalities who enrich the region with their readings. How literaturherbst.com reports, the events take place at historical locations and the formats vary from classical readings to musical performances.

But the technical and organizational effort has increased significantly in recent years. The rental price of the Deutsches Theater rose from 2,000 to 2,300 euros, which led to disputes with Herberhold, who did not pay some bills due to non-transparent positions. The theater's director, Erich Sidler, stated that the price increase was a direct result of repeated problems with the literary autumn. A far-reaching rift between the two institutions is emerging, which is putting a strain on cooperation. In the last event of the last literary autumn, the start had to be set at 8 p.m. due to overdrafts in order to ensure a smooth implementation.

Culture on the rise

Despite these difficulties, the cultural scene in Germany, including in Göttingen, is on the rise. A new publication on culture shows that the number of visitors to cultural institutions is increasing again after the dry spell caused by the pandemic. Statistics Bavaria reports an increase in theater attendance and the popularity of concerts.

The demand for cultural offerings is justifiably high, and those responsible for the literary autumn are trying to remain creative. Herberhold plans to use the shed roof hall in the Sartorius district as a new event location and expand the festival offering to the district. A good hand and innovative spirit are required to master this challenge.

The future of the Göttingen Literary Autumn remains bright despite the current setbacks. With a dedicated team of organizers who are always looking for new ideas, a unique experience for literature lovers will once again be created this year. There is great anticipation for the upcoming events, and there will certainly be numerous exciting readings to discover again this year.