City government under fire: Operetta fire in Dresden!

City government under fire: Operetta fire in Dresden!

last night, on June 11, 2025, the Italmode building, better known as the old operetta in Leuben, experienced a devastating fire that completely destroyed the historical building. This is not only a sad day for the city of Dresden, but also a bitter loss for the cultural landscape, which is urgently dependent on revival. The Dresden city administration is now faced with sharp criticism after being suspended allegations from the city council.

critics accuse the city administration of ignoring the problems with vandalism on the area of ​​the building that has been unused since 2016. The citizens' initiative, which is already committed to reviving the location in 2023, warned of the threats that have arisen from inadequate security measures. Rainer Kempe, a member of the initiative, reported increasing vandalism, which has led to a worrying state in recent months, including torn cables and coceals.

city administration defends itself against allegations

The head of the office for building construction and real estate management, Katrin Tauber, rejected the allegations. According to the investigation, all inputs of the former operetta building were closed and secured with wooden panels. In addition, the enclosure of the site was maintained regularly. Media such as electricity and water have been disconnected, and the security measures, according to Tauber, emphasized were regularly checked and renewed. Nevertheless, vandalism remained an unsolved problem because unauthorized people continued to find access to the building.

The citizens' initiative and the consequences

The citizens' initiative had worked intensively for cultural events at the location, which are now no longer feasible due to the loss of the building. "It is frustrating to see how our warnings were ignored while the destruction has progressed," said Kempe, emphasizing that the district council had already called for protective measures for the site in February 2025. However, this initiative came too late.

The fire not only destroyed the old operetta, but also hit a significant part of the Dresden identity. Historical buildings shape the cityscape and are often not mere buildings, but also carriers of history and culture. The challenge of old town development requires constant attention and respect for the past.

The urgency to preserve both the cultural and historical substance in Dresden is more emphasized by this incident. The city administration is now obliged to learn from the mistakes of the past and then finally initiate effective measures to ensure and revive this cultural heritage. Especially at a time when old cities lose their importance as shopping and cultural locations, it is essential to actively shape this change and at the same time preserve the character and history of the city.

How the city will react to the challenges remains to be seen. The next steps must be carefully considered to prevent a repetition of this sad event.