March 23, 2023 · Cultural Policy
The Lord Mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen (CDU), wants to have the allocation of the planned German Photo Institute to Düsseldorf legally reviewed by a constitutional lawyer. Essen and Düsseldorf had applied for the location in North Rhine-Westphalia. A commission of experts led by former Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters (CDU) had favored Essen, where the Zollverein World Heritage Site would have been a possible location. However, the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag voted for Düsseldorf. There, the Ehrenhof in the immediate vicinity of the Kunstpalast and the Hofgarten is under discussion, but this is controversial in parts of Düsseldorf’s citizenry. Some time ago, the “Westdeutsche Zeitung” gave Wolfgang Rolshoven, Baas of the local history association “Düsseldorfer Jonges” a chance to speak: “A photo museum would be welcome for the state capital. But you have to take into account the monument protection in the Hofgarten”. Essen complains that the meeting of a founding commission is dragging on in Düsseldorf and that no final location decision has yet been made there. An initial legal assessment should be available in Essen after Easter 2023.