Do Germans go to concerts in winter without taking off their clothes? Should I wear a hat and gloves to visit the museum? Will the audience freeze in an unheated theater room? Or maybe cultural institutions are closed all winter? The German Council for Cultural Affairs (Deutsche Kulturrat), which is the main association of all cultural unions in the country, warns against such scenarios. However, even if you don’t succumb to dark moods, the question remains relevant. What are the implications for the culture of reduced Russian gas supplies? Who will bear the financial burden due to a possible energy crisis? Who will pay for the rise in gas and electricity prices?

Olaf Zimmermann, head of the German Cultural Council, says this is the most pressing issue for German culture at the moment. Olaf Zimmerman has been warning about potential threats for some time now. Now it’s time to sound the alarm: while Russia reduces gas supplies to Germany due to the war in Ukraine, museums, theaters, concert halls, archives, libraries are threatened, believes the head of the German Cultural Affairs Council.

Saving energy has become a national challenge

A renaissance is noticeable across the country: many cultural institutions are already actively working on energy saving issues. If the small German town of Troisdorf has just thought about this issue, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz) is already developing an action plan within the framework of the Taskforce strategic group created to solve energy saving problems.

The call for energy conservation was also made by Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and Media of Germany. It demanded that the cultural sector make a significant contribution to reducing energy consumption. In early August, the German minister, after consultations at the government level, stated that energy should be saved whenever possible, without compromising the performance of cultural institutions. Remember that in June a national energy saving campaign was launched in Germany. It was officially proclaimed on 10 June by the German Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection (BMWK).

Who and how much gas receives in Germany is determined by the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur, BNetzA), which is a government agency. According to their current estimate, gas consumption will have to be reduced by 20 percent to get through the winter, says Helmut Dedy, head of the Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag). “This is a volume that will require a lot of effort from us,” he told DW.

Measures are already being taken: air conditioners are not turned on at full capacity, hot water consumption is reduced, the backlight is turned off. Speyer Cathedral – the largest Romanesque church in Europe – decided to ditch night lighting. Cologne Cathedral followed suit: to save energy, this temple does not turn on its lights at night. The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, which has one of the largest collections of medieval paintings in the world, as well as the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, has already launched the first energy-saving package.”

Can the lights go out?

Despite all the measures taken, this is unlikely to be enough. “In a situation of great stress, we are now not only trying to save money, but also updating our contingency plans,” says Gero Dimter, vice president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Based in Berlin, this foundation manages the museums, libraries, archives and research institutes of the state of Berlin. A specially created group (Taskforce), which included engineers, technicians, energy conservation specialists, is now working on optimizing energy consumption, discussing actions in the event of a crisis. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation wants to achieve energy savings of 20%.

Museums need air conditioning systems. After all, to preserve works of art, you need so-called technical conditioning, which takes into account many nuances. Is it possible to reduce the amount of energy consumption when such complex systems are required? “The general trend is to make the climate curve more aligned with the seasons,” says Gero Dimter. This means that in summer it is necessary to cool the room less, and in winter the air temperature in the rooms should be cooler. Short-term shifts and jumps must be abandoned.

Gero Dimmer

Every degree saved is already a real savings, experts are sure. But how will art objects, exhibited paintings, archival documents, old canvases behave when the air temperature in the rooms changes? “This issue should be studied in more detail,” says Gero Dimter, vice president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. “But now we must react quickly, try to take some risks.” So, despite the rush, the German Foundation, which oversees museums, archives and libraries, still counts on the help of scientists to develop the appropriate measures.

People are also thinking about how to save energy at the local level. Rainer Land, head of the cultural department of the municipality of Troisdorf, is currently working to ensure energy savings for music schools, a concert hall and other cultural institutions. Rainer Land knows that energy costs will rise significantly this winter. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation also focuses on this scenario. An increase in energy prices by 20 percent is also expected in Berlin.

Gero Dimter, vice president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, says: “This will be a big burden on families, in addition to inflation.” The head of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, warns: “In many small cultural institutions in the provinces, the lights can go out quickly – literally.” The energy saving initiative by Claudia Roth, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and Media, was well received, but the question of who and how will financially support cultural institutions during the energy crisis remains open. “It’s not enough to save energy,” Olaf Zimmerman told DW, “we need an emergency fund.”