Wie geht Kulturpalast? Rückblick – Praxis – Vision

The Bolongaro Palace in Höchst is set to open in 2027 as the new cultural centre for Frankfurt’s western district. A year beforehand, the Frankfurt Historical Museum is hosting a symposium to discuss the design, use and significance of the palace as a democratic cultural venue.

How can a democratic venue that brings together a diverse range of cultural offerings under one roof function effectively?

Ahead of the opening of the Bolongaro Palace as the cultural centre for Frankfurt’s western district, the Frankfurt Historical Museum is organising a two-day symposium. Together with Frankfurt residents, cultural practitioners and academics, cultural centres – both large and small – will be examined at local and global levels. The event will showcase historical examples as well as current practical approaches. Cultural centre developers from various parts of the world will discuss the challenges and potential. Together, they will draft a manifesto for the future use of the Bolongaro Palace in Höchst.

The event will take place at two venues: at the Historical Museum in the city centre, the focus will be on international and academic perspectives, as well as workshop discussions. In Höchst, around the Bolongaro Palace, insights into the building site and creative contributions will help to develop ideas for the future Palace of Culture. The Palace, once built by Frankfurt’s wealthiest residents, now offers an opportunity to negotiate and further develop democratic processes for shared use.

The symposium forms part of the supporting programme for the Stadtlabor exhibition ‘Höchst erzählt! Über das Museum im Bolongaro Palace’ (2026–2027). This exhibition offers a glimpse of the Historical Museum’s new location in the future Kulturpalast and explores what a 21st-century city museum can and should achieve.

The symposium will be held in English.

Programm

Thursday, September 17 

13:00 – 13:30 Arrival and Registration at the entrance foyer, Historical Museum Frankfurt, Saalhof 1, Frankfurt City Centre 

13:30 – 14:00 Welcome by Dr. Doreen Mölders (Director of the Historical Museum Frankfurt) 

14:00 – 14:15 Welcome by Mike Josef (Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main) 

14:15 – 15:00 Keynote by Heloisa Pisani (International Affairs at SESC São Paulo, Brazil) 

15:30 – 17:00 Panel 1: Theory and History of Cultural Palaces with Mari-Tere Álvarez, Hye-in Park, Lukas Vejnik and Carina Sacher 

17:00 – 18:30 Transfer to Höchst 

18:30 – 19:15 Guided Tours of the Bolongaro Palace 

19:30 – 21:00 Evening reception at the Bolongaro Palace with Markus Grossbach, Corinna de la Ossa, student band of Musikschule Frankfurt, Office for Artistic Surveying 

Friday, September 18 

09:00 – 09:30 Arrival at Historical Museum Frankfurt, Leopold Sonnemann Hall 

09:30 – 10:45 Panel 2: Cultural Palaces Around the World with Juliette Pinard, Ana Druwe 

11:00 – 12:30 Panel 3: Cultural Palaces and Discourses in Germany with Kathrin Dröppelmann, Tülây Güneș, Andrea Wieloch 

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 

13:30 – 14:30 Workshop Discussions / Round Tables 

14:30 – 15:15 Visions for the Bolongaro Palace in a plenary session 

15:15 - 15:30 Closing Remarks and Conclusion

Participation

• Participation in the event costs €25 / concessions €15, including refreshments.
• The evening event on Thu, 17 September at 18:30 is free of charge.
• Registration is handled via the Visitor Service.

Venues

Historisches Museum Frankfurt
Saalhof 1
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Bolongaropalast
Bolongarostraße 109
65929 Frankfurt am Main

An event organised by the Frankfurt Historical Museum as part of WDC 2026. WDC 2026 is funded by the State of Hesse, the City of Frankfurt am Main and the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain.

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.