Museum Association Warns of Cuts: Cultural Heritage in Danger

The Saxon Museum Association (SMB) believes that the Free State’s cultural heritage is in danger. This is due to cuts in the government’s draft two-year budget for 2027 and 2028. In a position paper, the SMB expresses concern that several proposed cuts will particularly affect non-state museums in rural areas, thereby posing an acute threat to the preservation of cultural heritage in structurally weak regions.

Specifically, the SMB is calling for improvements regarding the cultural regions, the State Office for Museums, and the Free State’s Cultural Foundation. The direction set by the government’s draft raises the question of what role culture—and museums in particular—will be assigned in the future. Museums in rural areas are important venues for social discourse and thus contribute significantly to strengthening democratic society.

First museum closures

The critical financial situation of local municipalities is already jeopardizing the preservation of cultural heritage and has led to the first irreparable losses with the closure of the Zuse Computer Museum in Hoyerswerda and the liquidation of the Schlesisch-Oberlausitzer Museumsverbund gGmbH, the Museum Association explained.

“The severe proposed cuts to the cultural regions and the Cultural Foundation, as well as the massive decline in funding from the state offices for museums beginning in 2025, are gradually depriving Saxony’s museum landscape of support from the Free State,” the statement said. A course correction is needed in three areas.

Demand: Maintain funding for cultural regions at current levels

According to the SMB, funding for the cultural regions is the central instrument for preserving museums. The sum of 108.7 million euros for 2026 included in the current budget must be maintained to prevent “further erosion of museum infrastructure.” The complete elimination of investment funds is incomprehensible. This also deprives the institutions of the opportunity to secure funding for Saxony through the federal budget or foundations—since such funding requires a matching contribution.

“The SMB views with great concern the halving of funding from the Saxon State Office to less than 500,000 euros. Nowhere else in the state or federal funding pool are projects such as the publication of a museum’s own holdings, the preservation and professional restoration of collections, or measures promoting inclusion supported,” the statement continued. Advice from the State Office is a key resource for museums. In the draft budget, the funds are not explicitly itemized but are instead part of the budget of the Dresden State Art Collections. 

According to the Museum Association, the Cultural Foundation’s funding budget must not be reduced

Finally, the Museum Association assessed that the drastic cut to the Cultural Foundation’s funding budget would jeopardize the public visibility of museums and hinder the opportunity for social discourse. The proposed course of action would severely exacerbate the financial situation of non-state museums and pave the way for further museum closures. “It would be naive to believe that cities and municipalities, which are already strapped for cash, can shoulder the burden of preserving cultural heritage and the diverse museum landscape on their own.” 

On behalf of the approximately 400 museums in Bavaria, the SMB therefore calls for adequate funding for the three central pillars of day-to-day museum operations, so that museums can continue to fulfill their social role in the future.