INSM extends its Bureaucracy Museum due to high demand – FDP Presidium Meeting in Museum Premises
The Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) has made the decision to keep the world’s first and only Bureaucracy Museum in Berlin open for an extended period due to overwhelming demand. Originally scheduled to close on June 25th, the museum will now remain open until July 4th, 2024.
On Monday, June 24th, the FDP party presidium, led by Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, will hold a meeting in the museum’s premises to discuss and approve a list of demands for reducing bureaucracy. Additionally, Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, is set to participate in a guided tour of the museum on July 1st.
The decision to extend the museum’s operating hours was justified by INSM’s Managing Director and Museum Curator, Thorsten Alsleben, citing a significant increase in visitor interest over the past few weeks. The museum has attracted a diverse audience, including government agencies, businesses, and politicians, all eager to learn about Germany’s bureaucratic intricacies, engage in discussions on its elimination, and be amused by its quirks.
Notably, foreign journalists have also shown great interest in the museum, with coverage from prominent international media outlets such as NPR, Spanish television, Polish radio, and the South Korea Times. To date, approximately 2,200 visitors, including Berlin residents, tourists, and groups from various government bodies, have explored the museum’s exhibits.
The Bureaucracy Museum located at Georgenstraße 22 near the Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station offers a unique insight into the phenomenon of bureaucracy through tangible and interactive exhibits. Visitors can witness visually striking representations of bureaucracy and its challenges, from the burdensome filing processes to the complexity of legal provisions that govern daily life in Germany. The museum is open on weekdays from 10 am to 5 pm, with free admission upon prior online registration.
Featuring engaging installations like the „Behörden-Mühle“ (Authorities Mill) and a playful depiction of bureaucratic obstacles, the museum aims to shed light on the impact of bureaucracy on citizens and businesses. Through humorous elements like a bureaucratic language course and satirical sculptures, such as the Faxer by Rodin, visitors are encouraged to reflect on the implications of excessive regulations in society.
Background information reveals that Germany currently operates under nearly 5,000 federal laws and regulations, comprising around 100,000 individual norms that shape everyday life. The prevalence of bureaucracy has triggered negative emotional responses among citizens, with 43% expressing anger and a quarter feeling powerless or abandoned. Furthermore, a growing number of businesses are contemplating relocation due to bureaucratic constraints, with 58% indicating a reluctance to invest in Germany due to excessive red tape.
Thjnk serves as the creative agency behind the museum, with Spreeproduktion handling the implementation. Journalists interested in attending the press conference scheduled for June 24th, following the FDP presidium meeting, can register by contacting michael.lindner@fdp.de.