The Berlin cultural scene with its volume, variety, liveliness and attractiveness contributes significantly to the unmistakable profile of the city. The seventeen state museums of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Foundation) form the largest museum complex of the whole continent. Berlin is Germany’s most important theatrical city. Berlin currently has three opera houses, over 150 theatres and stage companies, 800 choirs, about 170 museums and collections, about 300 communal and private galleries, over 250 public libraries, 130 cinemas and numerous other cultural institutions.

Every year, over six million people visit the museums and temporary exhibitions. In each season, the concerthalls and theatres attract almost three million visitors. Statistics can hardly record the innumerable independent groups, small galleries and scene theatres which perform in old courtyards, basements, shops or closed-down factories. For years, festivals such as the Bach Festival or the events organised within the framework of the Berlin Festivals – e.g. the International Film Festival, the Berlin Festival Weeks and the Jazz Festival – have occupied a firm place in the cultural calendar of the city. And happenings such as the Love Parade, the first and largest event of its kind in the world which has attracted Techno fans to Berlin since 1992, help to gain Berlin an international reputation as a city of culture. The Berlin theatrical festival has brought noteworthy performances from German-speaking countries to the city since 1963. And since 1980 its more recent equivalent, the youth theatrical festival, has brought school and youth theatre performances from all over the Federal Republic to Berlin for short guest appearances.