Press Release of the Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg: An Outstanding Opera House for Hamburg (February 2025)

A new world-class opera house is set to be built at Baakenhöft in HafenCity. The plan envisions an architecturally outstanding building that will provide the best possible conditions for the Hamburg State Opera while making this special location on the Elbe accessible to everyone. According to the agreement, the city will provide and develop the site, while the Kühne Foundation will finance the construction of the opera house. Once completed, ownership of the building will be transferred to the city, and the Hamburg State Opera will move into the new venue. The historic and listed opera building on Dammtorstraße will then be repurposed for other cultural uses.

The Hamburg State Opera has a history spanning centuries. The new opera house in HafenCity aims to continue this tradition, offering the State Opera, Hamburg Ballet, and the Philharmonic State Orchestra a new home of outstanding quality and international appeal. At the same time, the Baakenhöft area will be developed into an open space accessible to all.

 

At the initiative of arts patron Klaus-Michael Kühne, the Senate, the Hamburg State Opera, and the Kühne Foundation have been in close discussions for several months regarding the construction of a new opera house. The goal is to create an architecturally outstanding building that will benefit the entire city at this prime location. The Senate has selected Baakenhöft as the new site, with the intention of making it a welcoming space for all.

To plan and construct the opera house, the foundation has established a project company in which the city and the State Opera will hold minority stakes. Based on an initial theatrical planning phase, an architectural qualification process will first be conducted. After completion of the preliminary planning and cost estimation, the Kühne Foundation will make the final decision on whether to proceed with the opera house’s construction. The city is committed to providing and preparing the Baakenhöft site for the new building and will cover location-specific additional costs, such as foundation work and flood protection, capped at €147.5 million. Once completed and approved, the opera house will be donated to the city. The operation of the Hamburg State Opera will remain the responsibility of the city.

The listed opera house on Dammtorstraße will be preserved in any case and continue to be used for cultural purposes. If the new opera house is not built, the existing building will require extensive renovation and modernization to ensure that it can continue to host contemporary opera performances in the future.

 

Dr. Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of Hamburg:
“Music and culture in Hamburg have always been closely linked to civic engagement and patronage. These foundations were laid 350 years ago with the establishment of the Hamburg State Opera, which is now one of the most popular and renowned opera houses in Germany. A world-class opera house on the Elbe will provide the State Opera, Hamburg Ballet, and Philharmonic State Orchestra with a new venue that offers the best conditions for artists. At the same time, a new opera house will enhance the Baakenhöft area with its prime waterfront location and open it up for all Hamburg residents. Together with the Kühne Foundation, we want to seize this opportunity to strengthen Hamburg’s cultural scene and its international reputation. I sincerely thank Klaus-Michael Kühne and his foundation for this extraordinary commitment.”

 

Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media:
“Opera has a long tradition in Hamburg and is one of the city’s cultural pillars. The Kühne Foundation’s donation presents a unique opportunity to create an outstanding new opera house that meets the highest international standards while also serving as a cultural space for all, thanks to its location and architecture. We want to seize this opportunity to further solidify Hamburg’s place on the international cultural map. This will be a place for exceptional art that welcomes everyone! We now have the chance to continue the tradition of the civic opera and write the next chapter in Hamburg’s operatic history. This also includes ensuring that the historic site on Dammtorstraße remains a cultural venue.”

 

Klaus-Michael Kühne, President of the Kühne Foundation Board of Trustees:
“Hamburg, as an open, international, and culturally leading city, would be incomplete without an opera house of the highest international standing. I am therefore delighted to be able to realize such an ambitious project together with the City of Hamburg. Through my Kühne Foundation, I want to create a special place in HafenCity for all Hamburg residents, where the Elbe and its harbor, the city, and its culture can be experienced in equal measure.”

 

Dr. Jörg Dräger, Managing Director of the Kühne Foundation Board of Trustees:
“Building a new opera house is an extremely ambitious project. After intensive negotiations with the city, we are excited to move forward. The new venue will not only be a place for tens of thousands of opera and ballet enthusiasts but also invite residents and visitors alike to enjoy a spacious waterfront park.”

The Hamburg Parliament still needs to approve the agreement between the city and the Kühne Foundation. The contract will be published shortly on the Transparency Portal. Further information is available at www.hamburg.de/oper.

 

Media Inquiries

Ministry of Culture and Media
Enno Isermann | Press Spokesperson
Phone: +49 40 42824 207
Email: enno.isermann@bkm.hamburg.de
Website: www.hamburg.de/bkm
Instagram: @bkm_hh

 

Kühne Foundation
Dominique Nadelhofer | Press Spokesperson
Phone: +41 79 128 03 27
Email: dominique.nadelhofer@kuehne-foundation.org
Website: www.kuehne-stiftung.org

(Translated with DeepL.com)