The Role of Cultural Promotion as an Integral Component of Leipzig’s Urban Development

Abstract

According to the Grundgesetz (Basic Law) the German federal system makes culture a local action field, Art, and culture are the responsibilities of the Länder (States). Even if there is a Ministry of Culture and Media in Berlin, the vast majority of the initiatives are taken in each state. The Bund (federal state) is only responsible for major policies like the financing of large institutions and preservation of cultural heritage. In Saxony, cultural policy has been characterized by the creation of eight Kulturräume (cultural areas) after the Kulturraumgesetz (law on cultural areas), was voted in 1994. This law grants a definite budget to each cultural space (€86.7 million since 2005) and allows each individual region to organize its own distinct cultural profile. In each cultural area, a body of experts and policymakers develops projects and distributes the funds provided by the state. This decentralization has allowed the state of Saxony to develop a dense cultural activity with a sustainable organizational structure (Amsterdam Institute for Social Science 2010).