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Falkensee in cultural crisis: urgent need for renovation in four facilities!
Cultural institutions in Falkensee are facing massive renovation problems. There is a lack of funding and urgently needed improvements are pending.
Falkensee in cultural crisis: urgent need for renovation in four facilities!
What’s new in Falkensee? This week, the tense situation and the need for renovation of the four cultural institutions in the city caused a stir. The city library, the “Haus am Anger”, the museum and the cultural center J.R. Cups face major challenges. The problems are manifold: a lack of space, a lack of staff, structural defects and poor accessibility are putting a heavy burden on the institutions. The city council's culture committee has been dealing with this issue for months in order to shed light on the matter. The head of the department, Luise Janssen (SPD) and the chairwoman of the support associations were also involved in a meeting that was unable to provide a clear outlook on short-term solutions.
Heinz Cornel, chairman of the “Haus am Anger” support association, also complains about the renovation backlog, while Torsten Bathmann, chairman of the museum support association, reports, according to maz-online.de, that the facilities are maintained at a level of 2000. Another pressing issue is the lack of take-up of funding. Janssen admitted that there is no special office in the administration for funding, which further complicates the situation.
Acute challenges and perspectives
The past capricious weather has also hit the “Haus am Anger” hard: a storm in 2024 left damage to the roof. Since then, only diffuse conditions have existed, with no binding commitments for improvements. The decision made in 2022 for a new location for the library is now obsolete and is to be replaced by planning costs for a feasibility study in the 2026 budget.
The cultural institutions have specific wishes in order to maintain and develop operations. The “Haus am Anger” requires fire protection renovation, repairs and a renewal of the electrical system. Additional space is required for the museum and gallery, while the cultural center J.R. Cup is in need of modernization. The library also urgently needs to be expanded and modernized. Mayor Heiko Richter emphasized the high importance of cultural offerings, even if financial constraints severely limit the city's ability to act. Cultural tasks have priority, but resources are at stake.
Accessibility as a central concern
Great progress still needs to be made, particularly in the area of accessibility. According to the [Federal Agency for Accessibility, the creation of accessibility is a basic requirement for cultural participation. This participation is not only a right, but also an essential requirement so that all citizens can actively participate in cultural life. The removal of access barriers is therefore urgently needed if it is to ensure that everyone can enjoy cultural offerings.
In order to sustainably improve the conditions for cultural work, an overall cultural concept is required from the institutions and their support associations. In this context, cross-sectional topics were also mentioned: the expansion of human resources, targeted marketing activities and central coordination are essential for a successful cultural life in Falkensee.
The cultural offerings in Falkensee are an indispensable part of the community. Now it's time to make the best of the situation and find solutions together. Support could be provided by the initiative for Museums in Restart Culture, which provides special funding for cultural institutions. So we remain curious to see how the situation develops and whether those responsible can soon set the course for positive change.