The 47th meeting of the Cultural Advisory Board on 26 November was dominated by the topic of inner city revitalization and urban development through cultural venues.

The alternative venue for the cultural advisory board meeting, the "kuenstlerhaus43" in the Palasthotel, staged the topic in an exemplary theater atmosphere. Securing the interim solution in the Palasthotel and the conversion of the old location were already discussed at the last meeting.

The city is currently still examining three possible locations: Obere Webergasse 43, a private property and a municipal property. A magistrate's draft is to be prepared for January 2025. The "Theaterwerkstatt EMMA" presented itself to the Cultural Advisory Board with similar problems, in particular with regard to the terminated lease of the current premises, which are used by several actors in Wiesbaden's independent theater scene. Head of the Department of Culture Jörg-Uwe Funk assured both theater initiatives that the projects would continue to be closely monitored and supported with regard to the location issue. The city council had already signaled that it would support a current offer for new premises for the Theaterwerkstatt with the additional costs incurred.

Head of the Department of Culture Dr. Hendrik Schmehl had informed the advisory board in writing that he would continue to support kuenstlerhaus43 with the location issue and confirmed that various options had been examined and would continue to be examined - all in close coordination with kuenstlerhaus43.

Dorothee Rhiemeier, Deputy Chairwoman of the Cultural Advisory Board, states: "The Cultural Advisory Board welcomes the intensive support of Wiesbaden's theater professionals by the
cultural administration's intensive support for Wiesbaden's theater professionals with regard to space problems and location development and cordially invites today's guests to keep the advisory board up to date. Here at kuenstlerhaus43, we are experiencing the special character of such cultural islands that need to be preserved for a vibrant urban society."

The presentation of the Walhalla space program by the commissioned architecture firm "waechter+waechter" and Lord Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende was prominently placed. The drafts are part of a meeting presentation on the project and were recently published yesterday. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion in the Advisory Board about the extent to which the current spatial concept for the development of a third place could be realized. It was a common theme of several contributions from the advisory board that this should not be taken for granted and that open spaces offered by the Walhalla must also be backed up with concepts that work for a broad urban society.

"With the presentation of the spatial programme, a concrete basis is now available; now the discussion about the concretization and implementation begins. The Cultural Advisory Board will continue to provide committed support for the Walhalla as one of the major construction sites in the city's cultural development," assured Board Chairman Dr. Helmut Müller, adding: "Today's presentation makes it clear what homework the city has to do in the area of inner-city revitalization through culture. The Cultural Advisory Board considers the debate on the development of this cultural location to be central and wants to keep it in the public eye." The chairman also announced that he would actively focus on topics that concern the members of the advisory board in the coming meetings, such as the further discussion about the cultural campus, the cultural development plan and the visibility of culture in the city - essential topics for those working in the cultural sector in Wiesbaden.

With this in mind, the Cultural Advisory Board also agreed yesterday to appeal to the City Council and the City Assembly to convene the next meeting of the "Expert Jury for Funding Recommendations in the Field of Culture" as soon as possible in order to determine the appropriate level of funding for the 2026/2027 double budget. As part of the Cultural Advisory Board's support for cultural development planning, the establishment of an expert jury to make funding recommendations was a key requirement. It had to be ensured that the expert opinions could be incorporated into the deliberations of the city councillors in a timely manner, especially in light of the difficult budget situation. The Cultural Advisory Board will meet again regularly on January 21, 2025.