Bremen is fighting for 4.1 million euros for state archive expansion!

Bremen is fighting for 4.1 million euros for state archive expansion!

Bremen, Deutschland - The future of the bremen State Archives is on the brink. On June 26, 2025, the federal government approved a grant of 4.1 million euros. This money is part of the necessary financing for the urgently needed expansion of the State Archives, whose total project costs of 13 million euros have to be used. But the Bremen Senate has so far not provided its own financial resources. "Time is getting scarce," warned Konrad Elmshäuser in the recent meeting of the cultural deputation.

The funding comes from the Federal Ministry of Building and are specially intended for the “Extension / magazine new building” project. According to the ministry, the total amount for mineral construction is estimated at 8 million euros, but currently the necessary funds from the Berlin Senate for Culture are still missing. In order to be able to implement the project, the financing plans have not yet been fully implemented. According to the Council of Culture Carmen Emigholz (SPD), the topic will be discussed in the Senate after the summer break.

A look at the financing

The disturbing situation of the Bremen State Archives makes it clear how important the association of the federal and state governments is for the cultural landscape. A total of 500,000 euros come from private donors, which means that support from the population is also remarkable. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how the remaining funds should be applied. Konrad Elmshäuser warned that there is no plan B if the financing of the cultivation should not work.

These funding and financial support are not only important for the Bremen State Archives. They tear a larger picture on how the federal government promotes smaller but nationally important archives and libraries. The German National Library and the Federal Archives, both of which are closely linked to the cultural heritage of Germany, also receive financial backing from the budgetary budget of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. All of this is done in the context of a comprehensive strategy to preserve and make the cultural heritage of Germany accessible.

cultural heritage

The preservation of historical archives and the securing of the written cultural asset are also the focus of the coordination office for the preservation of written cultural assets (KEK). This provides funding programs to focus on the sustainability of projects. The KEK is therefore an important partner for archives that strive to preserve their stocks.

The Buten un inland reports that the city of Bremen is in a critical phase of financing, while the initiative is already supporting the Bremen citizens. I hope that the Senate will quickly deal with the topic, because the expansion of the State Archives is not just a question of space, but of the cultural heritage on which Bremen stands.

More details on the subsidy from Berlin and the background also offers Transparency Bremen. There it becomes clear how important the collaboration of different institutions is. After all, it is in the interest of everyone to further maintain and make the rich cultural heritage, as part of the community and the historical memory.

If you want to learn more about the great initiatives to promote archives and libraries in Germany, the page of the [Ministry of Culture State] (https://kulturstaatsminister.de/kunst-und-kulturfoerung/kulture- und-Archive), on which the federal government is particularly emphasized.