The Rieckhallen at Hamburger Bahnhof Rescued as an Exhibition Venue for Contemporary Art

23.09.2021
Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

The federal state of Berlin intends to acquire the Rieckhallen (Rieck Halls) at Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum der Gegenwart – Berlin. This is stipulated in a memorandum of understanding, which the state of Berlin has signed with the real estate owner CA Immo. For its part, CA Immo intends to make the acquisition possible through a land swap of equal value. The existing rental agreement between the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and CA Immo is initially extended for one year, which means that a threat of impending demolition is no longer at risk.

A Terrific Outlook for a “Museum des 21. Jahrhunderts”

The head of Hamburger Bahnhof, Gabriele Knapstein, views the rescue of the Rieckhallen as a means of securing the further development of the site into a Museum des 21. Jahrhunderts (Museum of the 21st Century), a branch of the Nationalgalerie:

“The structural ensemble – made up of the historic main building and the Rieckhallen, which are exceedingly well suited for large-scale works of contemporary art – is an internationally esteemed, one-of-a-kind exhibition venue for contemporary art in central Berlin. In recent years, the Rieckhallen have proven ideal for presenting both large thematic and monographic exhibitions. They offer artists spacious, flexible viewing areas in which to install new works. The securing of the Rieckhallen ensures a terrific outlook for Hamburger Bahnhof in the coming decades. It sustainably reinforces the museum’s chosen agenda to collect and preserve the art of the present for the future. I want to thank everyone who fought to save the Rieckhallen from the bottom of my heart.”