We stay awake: The Long Night of Museums is back in Hamburg

With the Long Night of Museums on 22 April, another institution of Hamburg's cultural landscape returns from the Corona break. It is already a well-established ritual: several thousand people use the shuttle buses for a lively museum hop from Bergedorf to Klein Flottbek, asking curators questions, operating historical equipment, gaining insights into archives, listening to music in unusual places, eating, drinking and chatting. This is the 20th time this gathering has taken place and there is great anticipation for a reunion after the pandemic.

German colonial history, species extinction, feminism and fundamental rights are just some of the highly topical issues that Hamburg's exhibition centres are focusing on this year. Ukrainian-language programmes also catch the eye. The programme gives an idea of how major cultural events are currently being influenced once again by the political crises and social debates of the time. The Long Night of Museums is no exception - fortunately!

A celebration of participation and democracy

Museums today no longer have to prove that they are not "repositories for low-radiation things". Yes, museums preserve. But they also conduct research, they explain and categorise, they create new things and establish connections, they are a sounding board for social and political events. Particularly in times of crisis, they can play a key role, as they are the scene of debates. Museums have always been places of debate - often unintentionally. However, exhibition centres are increasingly recognising this as their central mission. They want to be places of dialogue and debate. They make it clear: this is where democracy is lived.

Helmut Schmidt also appreciated open debate and a good exchange of blows. What's more, for him, debate was the fundamental basis of a functioning democracy. In our exhibition "Schmidt! Living Democracy", our visitors are repeatedly asked to take a stand and vote: Lowering the voting age? Nuclear phase-out? Compulsory social year? Museums are not just a place for quiet strolls.

Museums have long since become a political forum. It is not without reason that the climate activists of the Last Generation repeatedly choose exhibition centres as the venue for their protests. Whether you approve of the protesters' methods is something you have to decide for yourself. However, being perceived as so relevant by the younger generation that political engagement and demonstrations are worthwhile here can also be seen as a great honour for museums: Citizens see the museum as "their" place, as a forum and stage.

For this to succeed, museums must be open. Relevant topics alone are not enough if the public does not dare to cross the threshold. The museum must not be a temple. Many museums have undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Thanks to digital offerings during the pandemic, they have expanded and diversified their audiences many times over. They are now working hard to transfer this development to the analogue space. Events such as the Long Night of Museums are important drivers here. They bring people and museums together. They show what can be possible when visitors become creators. Events like the Long Night of Museums are therefore also celebrations of participation and democracy.

The Long Night of Museums at the Helmut Schmidt Forum

The willingness of Hamburg's museums to participate in this process is high, they are and remain awake - not only during a long night. The Helmut Schmidt Forum has also been an open place for debate since its opening. With the highly topical themes of energy and the environment, peace and security, Europe and the associated controversial issues, the exhibition creates many opportunities to form an opinion, review long-held views and enter into dialogue with one another. During the Long Night of Museums, we want to get people talking to each other and open up different perspectives on the past and the future:

Our musical exhibition tours are not just an exciting format that is simply fun: they show that the history of democracy is not just about politicians and institutions. Civil society also sets the tone!

In addition, education activist Gloria Boateng reads from her autobiography "My Stony Road to Success". She moved from Ghana to Hamburg when she was ten years old. She talks about the important role that learning and schooling played in her life and how they became her "anchor and survival motor" in difficult times.

Those who prefer to get active themselves can print basic rights in our screen printing workshop and carry them home as a strong message on a jute bag, Grundgesetz2go!

On this evening, there will also be our popular walks in the footsteps of Helmut Schmidt through the city centre and various inclusive offers: a curator's tour with objects to touch, a music tour in German sign language and a telephone tour through our exhibition.

We are giving away tickets

We cordially invite you to these events on 22 April from 18:00. With your ticket for the Long Night of Museums, you can visit all events of the 50 participating museums. You can find an overview of all events and tickets at langenachtdermuseen-hamburg.de.

We are giving away five pairs of tickets for the Long Night of Museums 2023. To win, write an email by Wednesday, 19 April, 11:30 a.m. to with the subject "Long Night of Museums 2023" and tell us your favourite event from our programme. We will notify the winners by 20 April. Only subscribers to our Schmidtletter can take part. Click here for the full terms and conditions.

The tickets can be collected on 22 April at 18:00 at the exhibition reception in the Helmut Schmidt Forum.

Our offer during the Long Night of Museums