Digital infrastructure for municipal culture. Sustainable, procurement-compliant, in your hands.

No new dependencies. No platform that ends when the project does.

Eine Menge Personen sitzen in einer Tischrunde, vor sich Namensschilder, Schreibblocks und Getränke

Whether you're building a shared digital foundation for your cultural institutions for the first time, replacing an existing solution, or anchoring a funded project sustainably – OpenCulturas has been developed as an open-source platform solution for exactly such requirements.

Does this sound familiar?

  • "We have funded five cultural institutions – and five different systems."

  • "The digitization project was a success. But the funding is running out, and nobody knows what happens next."

  • "We want to introduce something new – but the procurement process is complex, and we can't take on any risk."

  • "The last software worked well for our needs. Until the vendor changed the terms."

What OpenCulturas does for cities and municipalities

Full control, no dependency

OpenCulturas can be operated on municipal servers or with a service provider of your choice. No vendor unilaterally changing prices or terms. No data loss when a contract ends. The platform belongs to your municipality – not to us.

Procurement-compliant from the start

As open-source software, OpenCulturas meets the requirements of public tendering. No proprietary licenses, no lock-in risks, no awkward questions about why you've committed to a single vendor.

Sustainable beyond the end of funding

Funded projects end – digital infrastructure shouldn't. OpenCulturas is explicitly designed for continued operation after a project concludes: with clear models for municipal ownership, follow-up financing, and further development.

One foundation for all your institutions

Whether city library, museum, cultural center, or independent venue – OpenCulturas connects different institutions on one shared platform without eliminating their independence. Central overview, decentralized maintenance.

Your perspective in municipal administration

  • Cultural affairs officers and deputy mayors

    You're responsible for the strategic direction of municipal cultural work. OpenCulturas gives you digital infrastructure that's politically defensible – because it operates openly, sustainably, and without dependency on a manufacturer.

  • Staff in the cultural affairs office

    You coordinate daily operations between institutions, funding bodies, and administration. OpenCulturas creates a shared data foundation that reduces duplicate work and simplifies reporting.

  • Mayors of smaller municipalities

    You're responsible for several institutions with limited resources. OpenCulturas is scalable – even a small municipality can start with one institution and expand the system as needed.

Frequently asked questions from a municipal perspective

  • It depends on your starting situation. For a realistic overview, we're happy to talk with you – with no sales pitch, just concrete assessments. For orientation: High degree of practice-oriented...

    Quick info

    It depends on your starting situation. For a realistic overview, we're happy to talk with you – with no sales pitch, just concrete assessments. For orientation: High degree of practice-oriented...

  • Yes. OpenCulturas can be operated entirely on your own servers in Germany. There is no dependency on US cloud services or the like. Users also have control over the storage of their personal data...

    Quick info

    Yes. OpenCulturas can be operated entirely on your own servers in Germany. There is no dependency on US cloud services or the like. Users also have control over the storage of their personal data...

  • You can handle this yourselves, through an IT service provider of your choice, or by having a member of the OpenCulturas network take it on. There is no obligation to get hosting or maintenance...

    Quick info

    You can handle this yourselves, through an IT service provider of your choice, or by having a member of the OpenCulturas network take it on. There is no obligation to get hosting or maintenance...

  • Several interfaces for OpenCulturas have already been built, including importers for Open Data Germany, Eventim, and Reservix. The technical foundation exists, but since requirements always differ and...

    Quick info

    Several interfaces for OpenCulturas have already been built, including importers for Open Data Germany, Eventim, and Reservix. The technical foundation exists, but since requirements always differ and...

  • Yes, various interfaces have already been developed. However, there's no "Swiss Army knife" in this area; we need to look at each case individually — which data needs to move between which platforms...

    Quick info

    Yes, various interfaces have already been developed. However, there's no "Swiss Army knife" in this area; we need to look at each case individually — which data needs to move between which platforms...

Next steps

Visit one of our open information sessions or contact us for a personal consultation.

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Silhouette eines Kung-Fu-Sprungs vor Merblick

The software's virtual roadshow

Demonstration of OpenCulturas: how everything is interconnected, how to add content. Live demo on our demo system. Bring your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.

Quick info

Demonstration of OpenCulturas: how everything is interconnected, how to add content. Live demo on our demo system. Bring your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.