Hamburg's parliament has approved plans for a new opera house in HafenCity with a clear majority. The city will provide the land and invest about 250 million euros in preparation. The Kühne Foundation is set to fund the construction with at least 300 million euros.
This week, Hamburg's parliament, the Bürgerschaft, voted with a clear majority to advance plans for a new opera house in HafenCity. Lawmakers agreed that the city will provide the land and spend around 250 million euros on preparing and designing the site. The Kühne Foundation will cover the actual construction costs, with discussions centering on at least 300 million euros.
Despite the majority decision, there was strong opposition, particularly from Left party members. They presented a protest letter in the session, reportedly signed by about 100,000 people. Just before the vote, a group of scientists called for a moratorium to pause the plans.
The debate on pros and cons is explored in the latest episode of ZEIT's Hamburg podcast 'Elbvertiefung.' Florian Zinnecker, head of ZEIT's Hamburg section, discusses critics' arguments with moderator Oskar Piegsa. Readers can send praise, criticism, or suggestions to hamburg@zeit.de.
The approval represents a key step for cultural development in HafenCity, though questions about costs and environmental impacts remain unresolved.