24.06.2020
The open spaces surrounding the buildings on the Museumsinsel Berlin are part of the public landscape of the city, and freely accessible right around the clock. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, the areas directly in front of the museums have been used for political events that go against the values of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preussischer Kulturbesitz.
In such cases, the fundamental democratic rights of freedom of opinion and assembly have been given priority over the museums’ rights as property owners to grant or deny access to their property. The basis for this is the so-called “Fraport decision” of the German Federal Constitutional Court (ruling of 22 February 2011 1 BvR 699/06), which holds that blanket bans on demonstrations are not covered by the rights of property owners. Restrictions on freedom of assembly are permissible only with regard to safety and functional capacity.
The safety of visitors and their access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Museumsinsel Berlin has so far been maintained at all times; meaning these political events have had to be tolerated.
The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preussischer Kulturbesitz believes in cosmopolitanism and democratic values. We do not want to give any space to racism, anti-Semitism, nationalism and hate speech.