Bayer Culture under pressure: CDU criticizes new strategy for promotion!

Bayer Culture under pressure: CDU criticizes new strategy for promotion!

Cultural policy in Leverkusen is under pressure after the CDU has heavily criticized the city of Bavarian Culture. The accusation: An too strong marketing -oriented way of thinking endangers the local cultural scene. As a result of a strategic realignment, Bayer Kultur has given numerous clubs that bear “Bayer” in its name, withdrawn trademark rights and sometimes also terminated financial support. This was considered inadequate by the CDU as inadequate for the needs of the city's culturally committed citizens, as ksta.de reported.

Thomas Helfrich, the new head of Bayer Kultur, takes a position to the allegations and explains the new strategic direction of his department in the “Leverkusener Anzeiger”. He announced that the focus in the future should be on so -called lighthouse projects and no longer on the "watering can principle", where funding was evenly distributed. Helfrich also wants a closer cooperation with the city, but sees a certain distrust of Bayer Kultur.

changes in cultural funding

The entry of Helfrich to Bayer Culture comes at a critical time when he Dr. Volker Mattern follows, who has held the management of the cultural department since 2008 and resigned at the end of 2022 for personal reasons. Bayer Kultur was then three months without a leader, which raised questions about the further organizational structure. Helfrich, who previously worked in the group communication, gained experience in various cultural contexts in his professional career, including as a journalist and moderator with well -known media such as Deutsche Welle TV and Bloomberg TV.

In his new role, Helfrich becomes the management of the cultural department Manteren, while he remains responsible for social media communication in the group. However, his cultural activities are not limited to his professional career; Among other things, he worked as a supervisor of the “My Song” project for the 150th anniversary of Bayer and produced a video in which he sings a jazz version of the traditional birthday song.

The future of culture in Leverkusen

In the middle of the controversy about cultural policy, there are also positive approaches. Christoph Böhmke from Bayer Kultur emphasizes that it is important to distinguish between promoting and financing. The restructuring process and the review of your own strategy could also offer new opportunities. Helfrich and the organizer of the Jazz Days, Fabian Stiens, agree that better programmatic cooperation with the city is necessary.

While some rumors have appeared about a possible withdrawal from Bayer from urban cultural promotion, both Helfrich and Böhmke contradict this speculation. Bayer Kultur's strategy was also influenced by the current economic situation of the group. In addition, both parties have discussions about the takeover of the recreational house, which could be a further step to strengthen the cultural presence in Leverkusen.