After 14 years of extensive renovation and expansion, the city of Cologne celebrated the reopening of the opera house and the theater on Thursday. "For 14 years, these venues have been sorely missed," said Cologne's Mayor Torsten Burmester (SPD). "The waiting is now over."

Opening ceremony of the Cologne stages,
Mayor Torsten Burmeister

The listed building complex housing the opera and theater has been undergoing renovation and technical modernization since 2012. It has also been expanded to include two new performance venues – a children's opera and a smaller theater. The work was originally scheduled to take only three years. However, delays increased construction costs from an initial estimate of €253 million to approximately €800 million. Additional expenses included the operation of temporary venues and interest payments.

In his keynote address, Carsten Brosda, President of the German Stage Association, emphasized the importance of cultural buildings for democracy. "Theaters reliably provide us with visions and stories of the future. Here we can learn to empathize with others; here we experience the world as something that can be changed." Like energy or water, the arts are also vital resources and infrastructures that are crucial for the well-being of a democratic society.

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