At the 48th meeting of the Cultural Advisory Board, the panel of experts discussed the topics of inner city revitalization through culture, measures to safeguard democracy and the future prospects of the kuenstlerhaus43 theater.

Head of Cultural Affairs Dr. Hendrik Schmehl reported on the current status of the spatial options for kuenstlerhaus43. Public procurement law concerns are cited as the reason why it is not possible to continue operating at the old location in Obere Webergasse. The "Alte Destille" location in Sonnenberg proposed by künstlerhaus43 itself is being examined as a possible new venue for the theater. An extension of the rental agreement in the current interim venue in the former Palasthotel beyond 2025 has not yet been reached with GWW, but is being vigorously pursued.

"We see and recognize the efforts of the municipal authorities," says Helmut Müller, Chairman of the Advisory Board. "But there are still no prospects for the theater at the moment and time is running out because the contract for the interim venue in the Palasthotel expires on 31 December 2025. We expect the city to act now. This must be possible, as the landlord is a municipal company." Deputy Chair Dorothée Rhiemeier adds: "There is a broad consensus in the city council that the existence of kuenstlerhaus43 must not be allowed to fail due to a lack of premises in Wiesbaden. We must now exhaust all the options available to the city."

Gerhard Schulz presented the "KULTurCAMPus" project, which could provide an important counterpoint for Wiesbaden's city center, which is bleeding to death. He posed questions such as: What if the Staatstheater ran the Walhalla, the Wartburg went to the independent scene, a European hip-hop museum came to the Galeria Kaufhof property?
"Culture is not a table decoration, but is becoming increasingly important for many areas of our society," adds Dr. Müller. "It actively develops our city if we decide to give it this space. The cultural resources in Wiesbaden are good, as we have seen again today. The revitalization of the city centre can benefit greatly from this. And that requires investment."

In view of the upcoming elections and increasing tendencies towards exclusion and hostility towards cultural institutions, the Advisory Board emphasized the immense importance of cultural institutions for a democratic society. "We can and must support our cultural players in Wiesbaden in all their diversity. They offer scope for new ideas, reflection and discussion. Cultural policy is always also about promoting democracy," said Dorothée Rhiemeier and Dr. Müller added, "Cultural institutions protect our democracy. "It is the task of a democratic society to protect cultural institutions. We therefore need a higher cultural budget to provide security for the sources of our free society."