Mr. Hartinger, the reopening of the “Coffe Baum” has been completed. What does this place mean for Leipzig and for you personally?

The museum was closed for several years due to construction work, and there was great demand for it to reopen. For us, it is a welcome addition to our portfolio. Here, the Leipzig way of life and coffee house culture can be presented, as well as the integration of the coffee trade into colonial structures – topics that are closely linked to the city's history and regional mentality. In addition, the historic building itself is a tourist attraction, which we present in a modern and loving way on two museum floors.

Was it a given that the museum would remain part of the City History Museum?

Yes, that was already decided in the 1990s. We are the obvious choice when it comes to converting historic buildings in the city such as the Old Town Hall, the Old Stock Exchange, the Schiller House, or the Monument to the Battle of the Nations [Völkerschlachtdenkmal] into museums and keeping them in good shape conceptually. With the experience of our team and the collections, we are well positioned for this. The restaurant in the Arabischer Coffe Baum is in the hands of a dedicated tenant.

Now that work on the coffee museum has been completed, what major projects are coming up next?

After an intensive construction cycle, we are happy to be able to focus more on exhibitions and collection development again. We currently have a Sandman exhibition for children and families [Sandman – a traditional fictional figure of German public television that brings a short story to the kids before bed time]. Next year, we will be focusing on the theme of “Summer in the City” – from swimming pools to dealing with heat and climate change. At the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, we are planning major construction work and an expansion of the museum's offerings. At the same time, in times of tight budgets, we have to assert our relevance and find creative solutions.

That brings us to the general situation—what challenges do you see for the museum landscape in general?

The tight public budget situation affects us all. We have to develop cost-effective solutions, exploit synergies, and implement many things ourselves. And we have to address social polarization—museums want to be and remain a unifying place. At the same time, we are not afraid to address issues that concern everyone and on which there are highly divergent opinions in society. These can be issues such as the housing shortage, mobility, or education. There will be heated discussions – and battles over distribution – in the coming years, and we as museums will assert our place in this debate. After all, answering the question of where divisions in society come from and what solutions are needed to overcome them is a competence that we, as history museums, have in particular.

You already hinted at this – what role do collaborations with other institutions play, for example in the Leipzig Museums Working Group?

Cooperation is more important than ever. Joint projects often arise in which resources are pooled, and I notice that I am now being approached more frequently within the museum scene with the question: “Hey, don't you want to do something together?”

In addition, the durations are being extended with a view to the necessary resource efficiency. We no longer offer up to three major themes per year, as it was perhaps the case 10 or 15 years ago. Today, we consider what advantage we have, which then has to be all the more effective. We are also focusing more on outreach: museums don't just have to take place in their own buildings, they can also be present in urban spaces, where people are.

Which technological developments do you consider particularly forward-looking in the museum world?

Visitors expect more than objects and text panels – they want films, audio stations, or apps. It's not just about providing information, but also about dialogue. Digital solutions can enable interaction, for example through augmented reality or AI. What we need to pay more attention to – keyword: tight budgets – is the affordability of the technologies and their robustness and sustainability. Once I invest in a product, it must still be functional and in demand in five years' time. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is a massive challenge for society as a whole. I would like the texts that circulate somewhere to ultimately be written by humans, even if digital solutions certainly and greatly enhance the possibilities for research.

For me, the key point remains that museums are places created by people for people, with authentic objects and scientific expertise, and in this age of fake news and self-produced news, we have a very important role to play. Because the question is, who can you still trust, who can you believe? How do I actually create a truthful dialogue? It can be exciting, but it still has to be evidence-based in some way. Museums enjoy a high level of credibility. We should not lose that in the age of digital communication.

Now you have to catch up with this technological progress and invest in it – at the same time, we have just talked about decreasing resources. How do you intend to achieve that?

The most important resource, which must always be a priority, is, of course, having good staff. That's why filling vacancies is so important, because only with good people, including younger people who share the viewing and perception habits of younger generations, can we find solutions that work. Of course, it is perfectly clear that we need to make more effort to obtain funding, raise more money, and encourage civic engagement. To this end, public administrations should also become more open and adopt a different approach.

Otherwise, we will continue to do what museum professionals have always done: improvise. Simply build things ourselves sometimes; ingenuity beats perfection. In this respect, we will have to continue working to become as good as we perhaps never will be, but to be more flexible and contemporary than some people give us credit for.

There is some experience of suffering speaking out of you right now?

An experience of suffering, yes, but also an experience of finding solutions.

What do you expect from a platform like MUTEC, also in terms of support provided by such a trade fair in these times?

MUTEC is a stroke of luck for us: a well-attended industry gathering where you can see trends and solutions right there on site and develop ideas through personal exchange. The combination with monument preservation is particularly suitable for us, as we look after many historic buildings. MUTEC provides us with inspiration and ways to implement our ideas – sometimes we take the small solution with us and sometimes the really big visions.

What are your hopes for the future of MUTEC?

The connection between digital and analog work remains important. Many museums are struggling with how to turn databases into attractive interfaces. How can we also provide digital support for educational offerings that focus on encounters? Sustainable solutions for lighting, cooling, and air conditioning also remain key issues. MUTEC should continue to address precisely these practical and forward-looking questions.