When the city of Nuremberg rents the Richard-Wagner-Saal in the “Le Meridien Grand Hotel” for a jury meeting (six chandeliers, Felix Krull ambience), one can guess that the troubles of the level are not going to be the issue there. In fact, a recommendation was issued in June that will have a place in Bavaria’s cultural history. The city council had already decided in December 2021 that the opera would move to the former Nazi party rally grounds for around ten years in 2025 – to the congress hall. But exactly where to go was wisely left open.
What may seem like a question of detail contained explosive power. The city is governed by a black-red majority, but they were cross on this issue. The SPD had made it clear that – like historians from the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the association “History for All” – it does not consider a building in the inner courtyard of the Nazi horseshoe to be desirable, not least for reasons of monument protection. The CSU, on the other hand, saw things very differently and, if necessary, could have organized a city council majority beyond their cooperation partner SPD with the Greens (also sympathetic to the inner courtyard).
But the big clash never happened. Instead, it was agreed to recognize the vote of a panel of experts. In the Wagner Hall, they agreed “to locate the additional building – which includes the stage area, orchestra pit, auditorium and side room – on the north-western inside of the congress hall torso”. According to the panel, this square has the potential to “perceive the historically contaminated place” and “use it in a democratic artistic sense”. After the SPD accepted this jury proposal, the debate has calmed down a bit. The city had apparently factored in the dispute anyway. The former NS site needs “permanent dispute”, explained construction consultant Daniel Ulrich in the SZ interview: “If everyone agreed, then something went wrong.”