Dear Mr. Mende,

In the basement of the former horse stable with riding school in Saalgasse, the Tattersall, an important socio-cultural center has grown over the past 20 years on the initiative of the association "Kultur im Palast e.V.". The association has taken on a relevant role in the district through targeted youth work and a cultural offering that is unique in the neighborhood.

The Cultural Advisory Board suggested involving these users in the renovation process back in 2022 at the start of the fire protection renovation in the basement after the association described the situation at a meeting. The association is now approaching the Cultural Advisory Board again, as it is unable to fulfill its tasks in the context of (cultural) events in the building under the current conditions and can only insufficiently fulfill its open youth work. The cultural advisory board was asked to form its own opinion and, if possible, to support the association in communicating how the space situation could be improved.

A site visit took place on 3 July 2025, which was also attended by the head of your office, Mr. Volk-Borowski. During this visit, one could not help but get the impression that the concerns of the Kulturpalast must have been of little or no importance during the renovation of the building.

Without wanting to go into the list of deficiencies in detail here, the main problems seem to be the sound transport into the neighborhood after the installation of the ventilation system and the fact that reasonably reasonable hospitality is no longer possible after the renovation.

At this point, the Cultural Advisory Board is specifically concerned with supporting the cultural initiative in improving the current status quo so that the planned operation and the important youth work can be carried out appropriately again. As you are probably familiar with the list of shortcomings from which the association has already quoted in a public meeting of the Cultural Advisory Board, I would just like to highlight a few key points:

1. The Tattersall's ventilation system takes up the entire ceiling of the event space for the Kulturpalast. Sound is transmitted - presumably through this system - to residents in Lehrstraße. No events can be held in the Kulturpalast without the neighborhood listening in. The system also prevents the necessary hanging of event technology, such as lighting and sound, from the ceiling.
2. For youth work and cultural events, it is necessary to set up a kitchen suitable for catering. This is not possible at the present time as there is neither an exhaust air mechanism nor a connection option for a stove. The installed smoke alarm systems are not designed for the operation of a kitchen.
3. The installation of a gastronomic counter for the sale of drinks is essential, as this accounts for a significant proportion of the financing of the cultural business. This is not possible at the moment because there are neither sufficient electricity connections nor the possibility of connecting hot water or waste water.
4. At the moment, the association only has a storage room at its disposal. This is not sufficient for the two different types of operation, youth work and cultural activities. Storage facilities need to be created for equipment, drinks and youth work materials.
5. In an obvious planning error, the stage of the Kulturpalast has not been properly integrated into the significantly altered event space. The power connections were installed at the location actually intended by the association for the stage, while the stage was not moved there, so that it is now only possible to set up the stage safely for events with complicated cabling and the stage is not aligned with the room.

The Kulturpalast not only does indispensable work for the district. It would be a travesty if the association had to permanently cease its work after refurbishment - but this would be the likely consequence of the current situation.

In view of the importance and successful work of the association, it would be highly desirable if a solution could be found for the Kulturpalast in the short term.

I would be very grateful to you, Mr. Mayor, if you and the offices involved could offer the Kulturpalast a solution soon. Otherwise, one of our last socio-cultural centers in the city center is in danger of disappearing. This would not only be a bitter and irretrievable loss for the city, but also not a good sign in terms of voluntary commitment and personal initiative.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Helmut Müller

Chairman of the Cultural Advisory Board