Opera and theater - Clear the way for Frankfurt's "cultural mile"
The city of Frankfurt is hoping that the state and federal government will contribute to the costs of the new municipal theaters. The construction costs are estimated at 1.3 billion euros. In addition, there are costs for the land of at least 35 million euros.
The city councillors approved a proposal from the city council late on Thursday evening. According to the proposal, the opera house is to be rebuilt at its current location, while the theater is to be rebuilt a few hundred meters away in the banking district. The city council was instructed to negotiate a lease agreement for the site.
Many visitors from the surrounding area
All parties agreed that the state and federal government must help with the financing, as according to the Department of Culture, a large proportion of the audience comes from the surrounding area. The city councillors saw it as a positive sign that the new Hessian state government of CDU and SPD is open to talks, according to the draft coalition agreement.
It states: "Together with other (production) theatres, Frankfurt's municipal theatres make a significant contribution to Hesse's cultural scene with an impact far beyond the city limits. We are therefore open to holding talks with the city of Frankfurt about the structural future of the municipal stages as soon as the city has made a final decision on the location."
A long history
Frankfurt has been discussing the future of the municipal stages for at least 15 years. The glass double structure on Willy-Brandt-Platz is dilapidated and cannot be saved - this has been clearly demonstrated by various studies since 2017. In 2020, the city councillors decided to demolish it. Opera and theater are to have separate buildings in the future - but the question was where these new buildings should be located.
The number of options - initially there were five - was reduced over the years. A new building at Osthafen was soon rejected and the stages were to remain in the city center. Various sites were mentioned as options, such as the open space on Willy-Brandt-Platz, where the Euro sign stands, or a site opposite the Alte Oper.
City wants to lease land
Details are now to be negotiated with the landowners - the Hessische Landesbank and the Sparkasse. According to a preliminary agreement, the city can lease the approximately 5500 square meter site for 199 years and will pay a one-off fee of 35 million euros plus just under two million annually.
But this is only a fraction of the costs: at the beginning of the year, a commission of experts had already estimated the costs for the two new buildings at between 1.27 and 1.3 billion euros - 350 million euros more than at the time when the debate about the variants began. The land costs would then be added to this.
Start of construction in four years at the earliest
Construction is not expected to start quickly. The bank building cannot be demolished until 2027 at the earliest. Once the sites have been secured, an architectural competition must first be held.
During the construction work, the theater and opera will need interim solutions. The current schedule envisages that the new theater will be built first. After completion, this will serve as an interim venue for the opera until the new building is finished. The master plan also envisages that the stages will have a new storage and logistics center.
Financing is open
The magistrate's bill received a broad majority, not only from the ruling coalition, but also from the opposition CDU as well as the AfD and the Left Party. Only the BFF and Ökolinx spoke out against it. The SPD praised the "forward-looking decision", while the Greens spoke of "a really good solution". The CDU reminded the few opponents of the plan: "The renovation option is dead."
However, a final decision has yet to be made. It should be made in 2024, when the leasehold agreement is in place. The approval of the city councillors is also linked to further work orders: The city council must concretize the plans in order to prepare the architectural competition - and it must present a financing concept.
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- The city of Frankfurt, located in Hesse, is hoping that both the state and federal government will contribute to the estimated 1.3 billion euros in construction costs for the new municipal theaters, as many visitors from the surrounding area attend performances.
- In alignment with the draft coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD in Hesse's new state government, they are open to negotiations about the structural future of Frankfurt's municipal stages once the city decides on the location for the new buildings.
- The new opera house will be rebuilt at its current location, while the theater will be constructed a few hundred meters away in Frankfurt's banking district, and the city council has been instructed to negotiate a lease agreement for the site in the Frankfurt district.
- Frankfurt has been discussing the future of its municipal stages for at least 15 years, with the dilapidated glass double structure on Willy-Brandt-Platz no longer suitable for operation, as demonstrated by several studies since 2017.
- The Hessische Landesbank and Sparkasse are the landowners for the approximately 5500 square meter site that the city wants to lease for 199 years at a one-time fee of 35 million euros and an annual payment of slightly under two million euros.
- The construction of the new theater is expected to be completed first and serve as an interim venue for the opera until the new building is finished, as per the current master plan, which also includes a new storage and logistics center for the stages in Wiesbaden's Municipalities.
Source: www.stern.de
