High culture has lost its monopoly

Tenors sing in football stadiums, pop concerts take place in churches. Traditional high culture has lost its monopoly and its elitist character. "Culture has many faces and also includes popular entertainment such as cinema, musicals, and rock and pop concerts," say 69 percent of Germans. This is the finding of a representative study by the B•A•T Leisure Research Institute, which Hamburg's Senator for Culture, Dr. Dana Horáková, presented in Hamburg together with the institute's scientific director, Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski. One thousand people aged 14 and over were asked about their understanding of culture.
„Culture today encompasses diversity and versatility, classical and modern, serious and entertaining. Culture can be entertaining and enriching; it doesn't have to be solely serious and demanding,“ says Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski. „The educational aspect is complemented by entertainment value.“ Singer-songwriters, street performers, cabaret artists, pop singers, and film stars can all offer food for thought. Only the older generation, those over 65, insists on recognizing only traditional offerings such as opera, concerts, theater, ballet, or museum exhibitions as culture (48%): „Culture can't just be a medium of entertainment and mass amusement.“ The general population has relatively little regard for this narrow understanding of culture (29%).
The nation of poets and thinkers is largely turning its back on the traditional cultural order that valued high culture more than mass culture. Elite and masses are no longer opposites in today's cultural landscape, because both have now taken on a market and mass character. Opaschowski: "High culture is being taken down from its pedestal, but not overthrown; it lives on as culture for all."„

E + U = I.
A new culture of integration replaces the contrast between high and low culture.

The German understanding of culture has fundamentally changed since highbrow cultural events have become so prevalent and increasingly take on an event-like character, while at the same time pop and open-air concerts are staged with artistic flair and mere entertainment. Where does artistic ambition end and mere entertainment begin? "The common German distinction between high culture and low culture is outdated. The new formula is more like: High + Low = High. High culture and low culture are merging into a new, integrated culture in which reflection and emotion, education and entertainment belong together," says Professor Opaschowski.
The public's opinion is clear: culture today also includes popular entertainment options such as cinemas, musicals, and rock and pop concerts, which offer distraction, experiences, and simply bring joy. Over three-quarters of the younger generation up to the age of 34 (78%) want culture to be understood in this sense as a broad culture with an integrative effect. This new understanding of culture resembles a successful symbiosis of seriousness and entertainment, art and commerce. In this process of blending, culture acquires a new quality.

Berlin. Munich. Hamburg. Dresden.
The four leading cultural metropolises in Germany

Culture as a location factor, considering its economic benefits and urban appeal, has become the main driving force behind cultural policy in the 21st century. Therefore, many cities are creating their own "cultural season," a kind of fifth season offering culture around the clock to all city tourists and residents: festivals and open-air concerts, art exhibitions, and creative weeks. In the competition for the greatest cultural appeal, four German cities are leading the way: Berlin (71%), Munich (46%), Hamburg (41%), and Dresden (40%). According to the population, they are among the "leading cultural metropolises in Germany."„
Leipzig (20%), Cologne (18%), Weimar (17%), Stuttgart (15%), Frankfurt (15%) and Hanover (6%) follow at a considerable distance in terms of their cultural appeal. This is according to the new representative survey by the BAT Leisure Research Institute.
„Besides wages and housing value, a city’s cultural value is becoming the most important location factor,“ says Professor Opaschowski. „Managers and executives, in particular, base their decisions regarding professional relocation on the quality of the local cultural offerings. A diverse cultural landscape must be within easy reach.“ Added to this is the growing importance of city tourism. Short trips and city breaks are among the travel forms with the greatest future potential: city tourists want to experience as much as possible in just a few days. For cultural policy, increasing tourist appeal is a top priority. The impression is emerging that one simply „must“ have visited cultural metropolises.