Huge Prussian foundation undergoing structural change

Cultural institution - Huge Prussian foundation undergoing structural change

The museums of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation are a magnet for the public, with around four million visitors recently. Nevertheless, Germany's largest cultural institution is considered too sluggish and its international appeal could be improved. The initially discussed break-up is off the table; a comprehensive reform is to make the SPK more agile.

"The transformation of the SPK is all about the autonomy of all the museums," Foundation President Hermann Parzinger told the German Press Agency in Berlin. "In future, every museum and institute of the National Museums will be on an equal footing with the other institutions of the foundation. The SPK will therefore become a large network of institutions that will operate as autonomously as possible; we want to move away from a centralized structure."

4.7 million objects

In addition to the State Library and several institutes, the foundation, which is funded by the federal and state governments and has around 2,000 employees, also includes the state museums such as the Neue Nationalgalerie, Pergamonmuseum, Hamburger Bahnhof and Gemäldegalerie with 15 collections and 4.7 million objects at 19 locations.

As part of the reform, for example, five museum teams will be formed to take over the tasks of the previous Directorate General. According to Parzinger, every museum would actually need such teams. "But we have to be realistic, this cannot be achieved even with financial growth." The teams are intended to increase the effectiveness and autonomy of the museums.

"What do we want to stand for in the future?"

From January onwards, every museum in the Staatliche Museen will receive a budget, such as the State Library, which is also part of the SPK. "The budgets are of course very small at the moment because there is not so much to distribute in the current budget situation," said Parzinger. There is a distribution formula to do justice to all the museums. "For the first time, museum directors can decide for themselves whether they want to pay for business trips from their budget or invest it in exhibitions or other projects. Of course, no museum can organize large exhibitions on this alone. But it is an important starting point for the management of the museums and institutes, which previously always had to be negotiated with the Director General and among the directors."

The SPK director already sees progress. "Since the museums have been able to act more freely, there has also been more cooperation. We have great people who we want to let act more independently with their potential." There is to be a strategy for the entire network of 25 SPK institutions. "We are naturally concerned with the question of what we want to stand for as an association in the future," says Parzinger. "We have defined areas of activity and want to develop very specific measures from next year."

"Large tanker, agile sailing ships"

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth is confident. "The foundation is a large tanker, from which many different lean and agile sailing ships are now emerging," the Green politician, who also chairs the SPK Foundation Council, told dpa. "A complete break-up would have been a mistake in my view, because then the small but fine institutions would have been really marginalized." Now there is a shared house with individual apartments. "The proximity is created through the autonomy of the facilities and this also frees up creative spaces."

Roth sees a "fascinating creative impulse" and refers to the development, "which then also makes it attractive for the federal states". She wants more impact. "The foundation is a beacon, a flagship for culture, for Germany as a cultural nation. This beacon could be much better known, the SPK could play Champions League at world level and attract even more people."

More funding is expected as a result of the reform. The Foundation's most recent budget was a good 380 million euros. The shares of the federal states have been capped since 1996. All the federal states together contribute around 15 percent of the budget, with Berlin as the host state contributing around 8 percent. The federal government pays around 85 percent.

"So far, the federal states have made an offer to increase this by ten percent," said Roth. "However, as the contribution of the federal states of 30 million is frankly very modest, a ten percent increase of three million is really not enough. What matters now is that this reform process and the reorganization must make the Foundation more attractive, so that every single federal state can benefit from it by the Foundation also being active in the federal states or by setting up programmes that specifically include a perspective from individual federal states."

Greater visibility and visibility

Joe Chialo is responsible as Senator for Culture in Berlin. "The foundation has already achieved a lot and done a great job," the CDU politician told dpa. "Now it's a matter of securing the whole thing financially." He sees major challenges not only in Berlin. "Massive efforts are also being made in the federal government and in other federal states to bring the budget together." Chialo: "It is of course the desire of the federal states to combine this ten percent to a certain extent with greater visibility and visibility." There is a strong focus on Berlin, which is certainly justified. "But I do believe that we need to ensure that all countries feel seen or recognized. We need to adjust accordingly."