ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

German Government Repurchases Hamburger Bahnhof Museum in Berlin

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-27

The Hamburger Bahnhof museum spaces have been repurchased by the German federal government from CA Immo for €66 million, while Berlin has secured the Rieckhallen for around €100 million along with a land exchange. This action overturns a 2003 choice to forfeit preemption rights when the properties were sold to CA Immo. Established in 1996, the museum features important contemporary art, including 1,500 long-term loans from the Friedrich Christian Flick collection. The Rieckhallen hosted temporary exhibitions until its planned demolition was revealed in 2020. Hermann Parzinger described the acquisition as a "great moment of cultural policy." The museum has been renamed Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary Art, with a fresh exhibition program launching in 2023 and 2024.

Key facts

  • German federal government offered €66 million to CA Immo for Hamburger Bahnhof spaces
  • State of Berlin purchased adjacent Rieckhallen for about €100 million plus land swap
  • Museum renamed Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary
  • Hermann Parzinger called acquisition a 'great moment of cultural policy'
  • Collection includes 1,500 long-term loans from Friedrich Christian Flick collection
  • Rieckhallen was threatened with demolition for office and residential development
  • Till Fellrath is director of Hamburger Bahnhof
  • Upcoming exhibitions include Zineb Sedira, Liam Gillick, and Christina Quarles

Entities

Artists

  • Friedrich Christian Flick
  • Nauman
  • Duchamp
  • Otto Mueller
  • Agnieszka Polska
  • Katharina Grosse
  • Zineb Sedira
  • Liam Gillick
  • Christina Quarles
  • Till Fellrath
  • Hermann Parzinger
  • Niccolò Lucarelli

Institutions

  • CA Immo
  • Hamburger Bahnhof
  • Rieckhallen
  • Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
  • Berlin State Museums
  • National Gallery of Contemporary
  • French Pavilion
  • Venice Biennale
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Hamburg
  • Venice
  • Italy
  • Los Angeles
  • New York

Sources