Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - In the dispute over the billion-euro renovation of the Stuttgart Opera, Mayor Frank Nopper (CDU) wants to go into concrete planning. "The variants have been analyzed very seriously since 2013, right up to a new building," he told the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" (Saturday). "I don't see any catching up to do. We can't and don't want to go back!" he said. "We are getting closer to the question of what costs actually arise through the design and approval planning. For this reason, we should carry them out now," says Nopper. "I like to repeat myself - also with a view to some statements from the state parliament: All crucial questions have been thoroughly declined and conjugated."
The CDU parliamentary group in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament, on the other hand, insists on examining cheaper alternatives. According to its own statements, it wants to support the establishment of a project company for the renovation of the more than 100-year-old building in the castle garden, but sets conditions such as calculating cheaper conversion options.
The president of the employers' association Gesamtmetall, Stefan Wolf, told the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" (Saturday) that investments should be made in culture even in difficult times for the economy. "We are a strong economic nation. But we are also a strong cultural nation." The Stuttgart State Opera has often been Opera of the Year, and the Stuttgart Ballet has a global reputation. "Both deserve a contemporary venue. It's a long-term decision," said Wolf. "Without the Stuttgart Opera, the German, but above all the Baden-Württemberg culture would be much poorer."
