Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 07: Kulturarbeit im Dienst des Nationalsozialismus | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 07: Cultural activities in the service of National Socialism

The main task of the Hamburg Office of Cultural Affairs was to ensure that cultural activities served the goals of National Socialism. With targeted funding, the staging of Nazi Party events, and various publications, it sought to shape the cultural sector to its own ends. Particular emphasis was placed on promoting culture in the Low German language and on spreading the Nazi race theory by emphasising early Germanic history. The office’s largest project, the founding of a museum of prehistory and early history, failed during the war. A special archive of theater-related materials was established in 1940, and in 1941 the office instituted the tradition of Sunday 'morning celebrations'. Many of the initiatives implemented by the Office of Cultural Affairs found little resonance and remained largely ineffective