Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg

What Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg does

Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg is a publicly mandated community and cultural center operated as the Stiftung Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg (foundation) under the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, with a wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Servicegesellschaft Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg mbH. The 4,500 sqm venue at Mengestraße 20 in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg serves the diverse Elbinseln (Elbe islands) population across generations and cultural backgrounds, delivering cultural programming (concerts, theater, circus, film, dance), lifelong-learning courses (line dancing, Zumba Gold, Rückenfit), youth programs (Zirkus Willibande, Netz Macht Politik, Fediverse workshops), and signature festivals including HASTAM (international art of resistance festival) and 48h Wilhelmsburg. Following an €9.8 million renovation completed in 2025, the facility reopened in June 2026 with modernized accessibility infrastructure (Braille, tactile guiding, hearing loops, AI-driven digital accessibility profiles).

The organization is funded through a mix of recurring institutional support from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, time-limited project grants from federal ministries (Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen; BKM) and foundations (Hollweg Stiftung, NUE, Adalbert Zajadacz Stiftung, Initiative Musik, KED Nordkirche), corporate sponsorship (Haspa €10,000), donations, room rental income, festival ticketing (€18–26 day, €35 festival pass), and a new catering operation (häppy) launched August 2026. Its technology footprint is a WordPress website with third-party integrations (Clever Reach newsletter, Leoticket ticketing, Borlabs Cookie consent, YouTube/Vimeo, Google Maps, Font Awesome, Mastodon/Fediverse social), with no proprietary technology products. Distribution is primarily physical: walk-in venue attendance, room rental inquiries, and festival ticket sales via leoticket.de.

The team comprises approximately 20 staff led by CEO Katja Scheer (Vorständin), with program directors across music, intercultural affairs, lifelong learning, education & participation, plus dedicated project leads for Zirkus Willibande, 48h Wilhelmsburg, and SonntagsPlatz/Konfetti Plus, supported by room management, accounting, social media, digital/sustainability project management, reception, and facilities roles. Recognition includes the 2024 HELGA Festival Award for HASTAM and pending Green-Events-Siegel certification.

Name

Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg

Legal name

Stiftung Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg

Website

https://buewi.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg is a publicly mandated nonprofit community foundation and 4,500 sqm cultural venue in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg serving the diverse Elbinseln population with intergenerational programs, festivals, lifelong learning, youth workshops, and room rentals, funded primarily by the city of Hamburg and project grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: The foundation receives ongoing institutional funding from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg) as part of its public mandate to provide cultural and community services. Additionally, the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building contributed €3 million for the 2025 renovation.
2. Project / Programme Funding: Time-limited project funding from various public and private sources (federal ministries, state cultural authorities, foundations such as Hollweg Stiftung, NUE, BINGO! Umweltlotterie, Adalbert Zajadacz Stiftung, Initiative Musik, KED Nordkirche) for specific programs and events such as HASTAM festival, 48h Wilhelmsburg, Alt genug für Neues, and Netz Macht Politik.
3. Space / Room Rental: The venue generates revenue by renting its rooms and facilities to external organizers for events, workshops, sports courses, conferences, and meetings. Rental agreements are confirmed in writing with a cost estimate based on current price lists. Cancellation fees apply.
4. Catering Revenue: Starting August 25, 2026, catering services are provided by the external partner 'häppy' (Ben, Claudius, and Jost), who operate the catering within the Bürgerhaus. This creates a revenue stream from food and beverage sales at events.
5. Donations and Sponsorship: The Bürgerhaus accepts donations via PayPal and bank transfer. Sponsors such as Haspa provide targeted funding for specific improvements (e.g., €10,000 for new foyer furniture in cooperation with betahaus). Sponsorship agreements include compliance clauses ensuring no influence on programmatic decisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg is a community cultural center and foundation in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, Germany, that delivers cultural programming (music, theater, circus, festivals), lifelong-learning and educational workshops, and event-venue rental services. It functions as the district's neighborhood hub, hosting flagship events such as the HASTAM Festival, 48h Wilhelmsburg, SonntagsPlatz children's theater, and the Zirkus Willibande, and rents its rooms to external organizers for private and corporate events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HASTAM – Just Because I AM: International cultural festival initiated by Iranian composer Atena Eshtiaghi, focused on art of resistance. The 2026 edition focuses on Iran and Afghanistan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% lower electricity consumption and 75% lower water consumption than estimated at the reopening celebration (801 kg CO₂ total for 175 attendees, 4.58 kg per person)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Initiative MusikcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2026Initiative Musik is a co-funder of the HASTAM 2026 festival. As a key institutional supporter of contemporary music projects in Germany, their backing helps fund artist fees, production, and international artist participation at the festival.
• KED – Kirchlicher Entwicklungsdienst der NordkircheminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2026The Church Development Service of the North Church (KED) partners with the HASTAM 2026 festival, supporting its themes of freedom, resistance, and cross-cultural artistic exchange relevant to development and global justice contexts.
• häppy (Catering)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 August 2026Starting August 25, 2026, the catering team 'häppy' (Ben, Claudius, and Jost — three local Wilhelmsburg friends with combined hospitality experience across Hamburg restaurants) takes over catering operations at the Bürgerhaus. They offer fine-dining formats, street food, and classic catering, aligning with the venue's community-oriented approach.
• betahaus HamburgminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 June 2026Betahaus Hamburg collaborated with the Bürgerhaus to design and build new foyer furniture — modular, stackable wooden elements following the 'Hartz-IV-Möbel' principle. Betahaus provided in-kind contribution (construction of the furniture) as part of the Haspa-funded foyer project.
• Netzwerk Green EventsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Netzwerk Green Events provided guidance and is evaluating the Bürgerhaus for the Green-Events-Siegel (sustainable events certification), based on documented sustainability performance at the reopening celebration. The partnership supports the center's environmental sustainability goals.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Stadtteilkultur Hamburg (Dachverband): Umbrella association for Hamburg's neighborhood cultural centers, including multiple Bürgerhäuser and soziokulturelle Zentren. Directly comparable as the sector-wide coordinating body of which Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg is a flagship member; provides context on peer funding and policy environment.
• Hamburger Kulturstiftung: Hamburg-based cultural foundation funding arts and community projects across the city. Comparable as a foundation-style cultural operator in Hamburg, though a granting entity rather than a venue, providing context on the local institutional funding ecosystem the center depends on.

Direct peers

• Zentrum für Aktuelle Kunst (ZAK) / Kampnagel: Hamburg's major independent performing-arts center offering festivals, theater, music and intercultural programming with public funding. Comparable as a Hamburg venue combining artistic festival programming (like HASTAM) with rental and community access, though larger in scale and more arts-curated.
• S.O.B.I. / Stadtteilzentrum Bunte Rampe: Comparable neighborhood community center (Stadtteilzentrum) operating in a Hamburg district, offering programs for families, youth, seniors, room rental, and intercultural work. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and operating model to Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg.
• Bürgerhaus Stollwerck (Köln): Large German community/cultural center in Cologne with multi-floor venue, room rental, festivals, and educational programs. Comparable to Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg in scope, programming mix, and foundation-like operational structure, though at significantly larger scale.
• Kulturhaus Süderelbe: Hamburg community/cultural venue in the Harburg/Süderelbe district, operating as a comparable soziokulturelles Zentrum with room rental, cultural programming, and public-funding base. Closest direct geographic peer to Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg, with overlapping audience demographics and funding dependencies.
• Bürgerhaus Barmbek: Another Hamburg Bürgerhaus operating community programs, room rental, and cultural events under similar institutional framework. Direct peer in the same city, comparable mission, programming breadth, and public-funding structure.

Regional players

• Kulturzentrum Pumpen (Lübeck): Regional community/cultural center in Lübeck offering concerts, theater, workshops, and room rental in a soziokulturelles Zentrum model. Comparable as a peer-format venue in northern Germany with similar funding mix and program diversity, though serving a different city.
• Soziokulturelles Zentrum Dresden e.V. (Klotzsche / Projekttheater): Network of soziokulturelle Zentren in Dresden operating community programs, festivals, and room rental under public funding. Comparable operational model and funding mix, but in a different German region with different demographic context.

Others

• betahaus Hamburg: Co-working and event-space operator in Hamburg that already partners with Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg (foyer furniture design). Adjacent operator of community-oriented event space in the same city; not a direct programming peer but an example of hybrid work/event venue model and a current implementation partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xmastodon.social/@buergerhauswilhelmsburg
• Instagraminstagram.com/hastam.festival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b%C3%BCrgerhaus-wilhelmsburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bürgerhaus Wilhelmsburg