According to the head of culture, Ina Hartwig, it's about protecting the cultural infrastructure of our city. And that requires sacrifices. And so there will soon be changes to opening hours at the city's museums and the Institute of City History, which will even lead to an additional closing day at some houses. "From April 1, 2022, the municipal museums and the Institute for Urban History will each reduce their opening hours by up to nine hours per week. This is a very painful step, but one that I feel compelled to take," Hartwig announced, continuing, "It is important for me to emphasize: This is a temporary measure that can be withdrawn at any time. As much as the decision is difficult for me, it is unfortunately necessary in the current situation. It is no secret that the city has to save money and that culture also has to do its part. The pandemic has torn a big hole in the city's budget, with costs rising at the same time. This is particularly frustrating for culture, as the directors, as well as all other cultural workers, managed well during the pandemic and responded to the crisis with creative concepts. Now the main thing is to act prudently and with foresight and to protect the cultural infrastructure of our city," the department head continues. Together with the traditional Museum Monday, this means that all the museums will be closed two days a week. Annually, costs of 750,000 euros can be saved.
Kulturdezernentin Hartwig continues: "Neither the programmatic work of our houses nor the cultural infrastructure of our city must be affected. The measure is a contribution of culture to save costs and help to consolidate the budget."
The additional closing times are determined individually by the management of the houses and are based on the respective organizational processes on site. Considerations to establish a common closing day for the municipal museums and the Institute for Urban History were discarded. Individual closing times offer the advantage of not closing all the houses on one day, but rather maintaining the museums' offerings throughout the week and adapting them to existing visitor flows. "The directors of the houses are in the best position to judge where hours can be saved without significantly limiting their programming. I thank the directors for going along with this step and making their contribution in light of the city's overall financial situation," the department head adds. Where the appropriate conditions are met, school classes will continue to have the opportunity to visit the houses under the supervision of teachers during the closing times.
Overview of the new opening hours of the municipal museums (from 1. April)
Archeological Museum: Wednesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays until 8 p.m. (KiTa groups and school classes - can come by appointment and accompanied by teaching staff - also on Tuesdays for guided tours or workshops at the Archaeological Museum)
Caricatura Museum: Wednesday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
German Museum of Architecture at DAM Ostend: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12 pm to 6 pm, Wednesday 12 pm to 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
Historisches Museum and Junges Museum: Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (School classes - with registration and accompanied by teaching staff - can come to the Historical Museum and Young Museum from 9 a.m. Tuesday to Friday)
Porcelain Museum: Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
Institute of Urban History, Reading Room: Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm
Institute of Urban History, Exhibitions: Monday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
Jewish Museum: Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
Museum Judengasse: Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (School classes - with registration and accompanied by teaching staff - can come to the Jewish Museum and Museum Judengasse from 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday)
Museum of Applied Art: Tuesday through Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays until 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Icon Museum: Wednesday 12 pm to 8 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
MUSEUM MMK FOR MODERN ART with the TOWER and the CUSTOMS: Tuesday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm, Wednesdays until 7 pm
World Cultures Museum: Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays until 8 p.m.
