“A donation by the Kühne Foundation has opened up a unique opportunity to build an outstanding new opera house that will meet international standards thanks to its location and architecture and will be accessible to everyone," said Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media. The Kühne Foundation has set up a company to plan and build the new opera house, in which the city and the Staatsoper Hamburg will be minority shareholders. After preliminary planning and cost estimates, the foundation will then decide on the further procedure. The city will then have the site at Baakenhöft prepared for the new building. Additional site-specific costs such as foundations and flood protection would be covered and capped at €147.5 million.
New state opera house to be built in HafenCity
Plans for a new State Opera House to be built on Baakenhöft in HafenCity were announced during a press conference on Friday (February 7, 2025). The building is to be financed by the Kühne Foundation and will be owned by the City of Hamburg on completion. The new building will house the Hamburg State Opera, the Hamburg Ballet and the Philharmonic State Orchestra. The existing Hamburg State Opera building in the city centre will be used for other cultural purposes.
Opera house of "international standing"
Kühne planning "special place for residents"
"My foundation is keen to create a special place in HafenCity for all residents of Hamburg where the Elbe and its harbour, the city and its culture can be experienced in equal measure," said Klaus-Michael Kühne, President of the Board of Trustees of the Kühne Foundation. The Hamburg State Parliament has yet to approve the contract. If the new building does not go ahead, the opera house on Dammtorstrasse will have to be renovated and upgraded.
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