Mannheim (dpa/lsw) - The city has now received federal and state funding totaling up to 120 million euros for the 287 million euro general renovation of the Nationaltheater Mannheim. "This is the highest amount of funding that the city of Mannheim has ever received for a single construction project," said Mayor Peter Kurz (SPD) on Thursday.
The Nationaltheater Mannheim is the oldest municipal repertory theater in Germany and the largest four-section theater. The theater building on Goetheplatz from 1957 and most of the technical systems have been in continuous operation for more than 60 years. The refurbishment is intended to remedy defects and ensure functionality for the coming decades.
"The Mannheim National Theater is a cultural monument of national importance, a monument for the theatre, for theater culture and for theater architecture," said the Federal Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth (Greens), according to a statement on Wednesday evening when the grant decision was handed over. "This monument must be protected, preserved and used in a contemporary way." The Baden-Württemberg Minister of Art, Petra Olschowski (Greens), acknowledged that the catchment area and the artistic radiance of the house extended far beyond Mannheim and the Electoral Palatinate.
