Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HAMBURGER BAHNHOF
The arts
When Berlin was a divided city, the West German government poured arts
subsidies into their half to the value of more than fifty percent of the federal
budget for culture for the entire United States. Then unification left Berlin
with a “doubling” of facilities, three magnificent opera houses and one of the
liveliest arts scenes in Europe. However, in the mood of glum post-unification
realism, things changed: almost all subsidies disappeared and many
companies folded. Even so, Berlin's scene remained buoyant: the city
maintained its appetite for culture and creative types gravitate here in
ever-greater numbers. Today, high-quality dance and theatre groups
perform everything from classic to avant-garde experimental works;
mainstream and art-house cinemas thrive; the gallery scene is particularly
vibrant; and the city still has one of the world's finest symphony orchestras.
