Karlsruhe in crisis: Protest against draconian cultural cuts!

Karlsruhe in crisis: Protest against draconian cultural cuts!

Things are simmering in Karlsruhe: the city administration and cultural workers have been at odds since the announcement of a massive austerity package. From 2026 onwards, at least 80 million euros will be saved annually, which will shake up the independent cultural scene in this country. The current austerity plans specifically affect cultural associations, film festivals and independent theaters, which leads to concern for the city's cultural diversity. This reports SWR.

Last Saturday, around 400 people demonstrated on Stephanplatz against the drastic cuts that could endanger essential facilities such as the renowned Sandkorn Theater. Speakers at the demo made it clear that culture is currently being neglected and that this could have serious consequences for the offerings in Karlsruhe. The artistic director of the Sandkorn Theater, Erik Rastetter, particularly complains about the situation, as the theater has not received an increase in funding for 20 years and had to cope with a cut of 1.3 percent in 2025.

The impact of the cuts

The savings package of 160 million euros is expected to be approved by the local council in December. Including a cut in funding for the independent cultural scene by 8.7 percent, which corresponds to around 760,000 euros, many companies and projects are on the brink. According to that ka-news Larger cultural institutions such as the Baden State Theater will also be affected by these cuts. To make up for the losses, the State Theater plans to increase ticket prices, potentially limiting accessibility for many art lovers.

The effects of the austerity measures could be far-reaching: institutions such as the Alte Hackerei and KOHI face extinction if the cultural fund is fleeced. Members of the Kulturring Karlsruhe e.V. warned that eight of 21 cultural institutions fear for their existence. It remains to be seen what the population is willing to do to preserve the city's cultural diversity.

Show solidarity

Experimental initiatives and creative minds prove that the cohesion in the cultural scene is strong. The online petition #gehtsnochkarlsruhe has already collected over 10,000 signatures to draw the city administration's attention to the precarious situation. An open letter in August also warned of an impending cultural emergency and called for decisive support for the threatened scene.

In a broader context, however, the austerity measures in Karlsruhe are not isolated. Massive cuts are also planned at the federal level Deutschlandfunk culture reported. Here, the funding for the federal cultural funds is almost halved, which weakens all those projects that already depend heavily on financial support. It seems as if culture across the country is under pressure - a warning sign for the creative diversity in Germany.

During this time, local cultural institutions not only need financial support, but also the solidarity of the population. It will be exciting to see whether the initiatives of citizens and cultural workers bear fruit and what decisions will be made by the local council.