Lübeck and I. We share a rather late, but all the more intense, love! I was born and raised in Lübeck. As wonderful as my childhood and youth were here, one thing was always certain: after graduating from high school, I'd leave. And fast!
Move back to Lübeck someday? Not for me! But after almost two decades away, a change of heart gradually set in: Why not, actually? Sure, the city is manageable, but do you really need a big city to experience high-quality art and culture? Definitely not!
Lübeck has so much going on culturally that it's almost overwhelming: Should I go to the theater or a concert this weekend, visit the street festival, or perhaps the Museum Night? Because you can't do everything at once. Lübeck's cultural offerings are diverse and vibrant, exciting and bold, innovative and surprising. I take full advantage of it; for example, I often go to the Theater Combinale . It's a small, privately run theater on the Old Town island, operated with great passion and dedication.
If I'm looking for something a bit bigger, I head to the Theater Lübeck , our beautiful city theater. If I'm in the mood for music (and it happens to be summer right now), I attend the concerts of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival . And my craving for jazz is also satisfied here: in June, JazzBaltica , the maritime jazz festival on the Baltic Sea, takes place. And during the other eleven months of the year, I get my fill of top-notch jazz concerts at the YMCA . And what about museums? Of course, there are plenty of those here too!
The Günter Grass House, for example, is always worth a visit. And I even take my children there. They love it because there's a large wooden ship for young visitors, from which – with a little imagination – you can set sail.
So much, so good! But what about people who lack the financial means to participate in Lübeck's diverse cultural life?
The cultural board creates cultural participation.
Recipients of basic income support or social assistance can't simply spend 30 euros or more on a theater or concert ticket. It was precisely for these people that I founded the " KulturTafel Lübeck " (Lübeck Culture Table) a few years ago: Unsold tickets are distributed – similar to the principle of a food bank – to people with limited budgets who cannot afford to attend cultural events. This enables them to participate in cultural and social life. What does this achieve? An incredible amount!
Over 2,000 Lübeck residents use the service and regularly report enthusiastically about their cultural visits:
"The play was a unique experience! It resonated in my soul for days afterwards. Simply balm for the soul!"
"I really enjoyed the concert. Experiencing something like that live is completely different from just hearing the music on the radio. I'm so happy to be able to enjoy cultural events again, because I always felt so bad when others talked about things I couldn't afford. I feel like I can finally participate in life again and belong!"
The KulturTafel Lübeck's offering is therefore far more than simply the provision of donated tickets: it extends an invitation to the social life of our city, so that participation is not a theoretical right, but a lived reality in Lübeck.
"I am so happy to live here in Lübeck: a city where solidarity is highly valued and where even those of us with limited financial means are given the opportunity to participate. It gives such a good feeling about life!"
That's how one user summed it up.
And I don't want to live anywhere else.