Hansa, do you remember?

What is the significance of libraries as public spaces where knowledge, education and togetherness are freely accessible to all citizens for the future of our democratic society? The BDA Gallery, together with the Hansa Library and the "Open for Culture" program, are dedicating their next exhibition HANSA, DO YOU REMEMBER? to this question and what we can learn from the Hansa Library.

Architecture and physical space influence our perception of a place. They form the space of possibility for all conceivable events. In this sense, the library in the Hansaviertel, built in 1957 according to plans by the architect Werner Düttmann, is special in many respects. Today, the Hansa Library is one of the libraries in Berlin that is open 7 days a week.

The exhibition looks back on the fascinating variety of events in the Hansa Library, which the symbiosis of architecture, culture and community has produced. As an open stage, the building is a place for readings, exhibitions, lectures, workshops, concerts, sports and games, music, film and theatre, living rooms and a meeting place for the surrounding district, in addition to being a place where books can be borrowed. It thus forms an inseparable part of the individual and collective memory of its users and all residents.

A panel discussion as part of the finissage on Thursday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m. will pose the question of the future of libraries. Guests are Volker Heller, Director of the Central and State Library Berlin (ZLB), Olaf Eigenbrodt, Deputy Director of the State and University Library Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky and Dominique Coulon, architect from Strasbourg. (Moderation: Dr. Jens Brinkmann, architect, UNITED Architektur, Berlin, curator of the exhibition)