Refurbishment of the Komische Oper Berlin: construction stop and financing chaos!

Refurbishment of the Komische Oper Berlin: construction stop and financing chaos!

The Komische Oper in Berlin faces enormous challenges: Co-director Susanne Moser has announced as an alarming news that the Berlin government endangers the renovation of the renowned house. A planned freeze of construction and savings of 10 million euros could lead to a loss of 250 million euros and result in a delay of up to four years. Moser was concerned about the fact that she found out about these drastic changes by the press, even though there were previously assurances of governing mayor Kai Wegner and cultural senator Joe Chialo, the insured persons that the renovation work continued on schedule. This development caused a sensation because there were already intensive discussions about ensuring the funds. According to the RBB24, up to 20 million euros could be provided by a loan from the opera foundation by 2026, although this sum has not yet been secured.

Delay of return

The renovation costs of the comic opera amount to 448 million euros. However, Moser expects that the reopening of the renovated building can only take place between 2030 and 2033. The performances are currently moved to the Schillertheater in Charlottenburg, where the capacity is around 250 places lower than at the original location. Moser criticized the political decisions and questioned the economic competence of the CDU, which in this case makes short -sighted savings compared to long -term investments. As BackstageClassical reports, Moser intends to continue to conduct negotiations despite the disappointment to prevent the construction stop and to secure the necessary funds for culture.

The effects of the financial cuts are not only limited to the comic opera, since other cultural sites in Berlin are also affected. Wegner and Chialo, who strive for close cooperation with the articles of other houses, emphasized that the Komische Oper was secured by the new investment planning. However, the plans and financial uncertainty throw a shadow on the cultural landscape of the capital, as the entire discussion about the budgets shows.

rbb24