Our History

Today, the Kultur Palast is a key pillar of cultural integration in eastern Hamburg and far beyond. Yet even the Kultur Palast had humble beginnings. Culture by and for the people – that was the founding principle of the neighbourhood initiative in the late 1970s.

Sociocultural movement

In the late 1970s, initiatives and associations were set up across Germany to demand ‘culture by all – culture for all’ in self-managed cultural centres. In Billstedt in 1980, a group of committed individuals launched the ‘Initiative for the Establishment and Continuation of a Neighbourhood Cultural Centre’ and set up an association. Their aim: to offer music, culture and a sense of community to 110,000 people in Billstedt and Horn. An association without a ‘permanent home’.

Why we’re called Kultur Palast

In a sensational campaign in 1982, the members peacefully occupied the former Police Station 93 in Billstedt. Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi promised: “Billstedt will soon have its neighbourhood cultural centre.” Following unsuccessful negotiations, the association took the initiative in 1986 and rented a small shop at Schiffbeker Weg 8. A space with no heating or toilets. Yet the founders took it in their stride and christened the shop “Kultur Palast”. The frog searching for a palace for culture in Billstedt and Horn became a symbolic image of the struggle for a cultural home. 

The Foundation Today

The Kultur Palast Foundation – now a non-profit organisation – has become an important part of a diverse urban community that has recognised the integrative power of various cultural offerings and uses them to promote values such as respect, tolerance and non-violence. Fostering cultural identity and a sense of belonging, as well as mutual respect in everyday interactions, are just as much a part of its day-to-day work as creating a sense of home and promoting integration.