Where does it play? Germany's temples of culture
January 10, 2017
Over 80 permanent operatic companies exist in Germany, nearly as many as in the rest of the world. There are also more symphony orchestras at home on German soil than in the rest of Europe combined.
According to the German Office of Statistics, there were 329 performances daily in the country's theaters in the 2013-14 season. In 2013, total national, state and local expenditures on cultural activities totaled 9.5 billion euros ($10 billion).
Another number: In 2014, German households spent an average of 248 euros ($261) monthly on leisurtime activities, entertainment and culture. Spending on "classical" culture is not the lion's share of that, of course, but is still considerable in Germany.
So where does it all happen? It's nearly impossible to select the most important venues, but we've given it a go nonetheless. Some are simply unique; others can stand for many more of their kind.
Certainly anyone could make a different selection based on his or her own interests. So there's only one thing left to do: Tell us your favorites - also those in other countries - and why. Send us an email to [email protected] or tweet us at @dw_culture.