Wie geht Kulturpalast? Rückblick – Praxis – Vision

How can a democratic space function that unites diverse cultural offerings under one roof?

Ahead of the opening of the Bolongaro Palace as the cultural center of Frankfurt’s western district in 2027, the Historical Museum Frankfurt will host a two-day symposium. Together with residents of Frankfurt, cultural practitioners, and scholars, the symposium will explore cultural palaces on both local and global levels. Historical examples will be presented alongside contemporary approaches to practice. Cultural palace makers from around the world will discuss the challenges and potentials of such institutions.

The event will take place at two locations: at the Historisches Museum in the city center, where international and scholarly perspectives will be the focus; and in Höchst, around the Bolongaro Palace, where workshop discussions and artistic contributions will delve into the ideas for the future cultural palace. Once built by the wealthiest citizens of Frankfurt, the palace now offers an opportunity to negotiate and further develop democratic processes of shared usage.

The symposium is part of the framework program for the CityLab exhibition "Höchst tells it’s story. About the Museum at Bolongaro Palace" (2026-2027). This exhibition provides a preview of the new location for the Historisches Museum Frankfurt within the future cultural palace, while raising questions about what a city museum in the 21st century can and should achieve.

Participation in the event costs €20, including meals. Registration will be open from spring 2026 – further information will follow shortly. The conference languages are German and English.

The Historisches Museum Frankfurt, as a city museum, serves as a place of knowledge, as well as critical information, reflection, and discussion about the history, present, and future of Frankfurt. As a history museum, it connects urban themes with broader societal history. Together with the Junge Museum Frankfurt and the Porcelain Museum Frankfurt, it forms a family of museums, to which the new museum in the Bolongaro Palace will also belong starting in 2027.

Foto: Benedikt Seemann 2022