There are 13 municipal offices for cultural issues in the 13 towns and villages of the Oberberg district to foster the cultural and artistic life in the region. The central office, i.e. the principal office for cultural issues of the Oberberg district is located at the Museum of the Oberbergische Kreis in Homburg castle and is responsible for the cultural facilities of the Oberberg district:

The Oberberg district maintains its own Museum for Historic Culture at Homburg castle together with the external facility Haus Dahl. The task of the museum is to collect documents of the regional history as well as of the cultural and artistic developments, to present them to the public in an appropriate environment, to give information on them in a pedagogical way and, last but not least, to preserve them for the generations to come with the help of means of conservation. The district authorities collect important certificates, files, and documents to store them in its district archive. Everything is done to make sure the material is filed in accordance with appropriate categories and is made accessible to the public. The district library is run in co-operation with the municipality of Gummersbach and assumes the tasks of a principal district library. In addition, it grants support to the individual municipal libraries as required. The district photographs archive keeps historic photographs of the region as well as present-date photographs filed in a photograph archive open to the public now. Moreover, the district authorities maintain a symphonic orchestra to give young musicians the opportunity of playing their instruments jointly with others and of performing in public.

Additionally, the district authorities support the artistic and cultural life at the Oberbergische Land with the help of the following initiatives:

Oberberg art collection
Since the end of the eighties of the past century, the district has been supporting the broad range of artistic life in the Oberberg district by effecting purchasing activities. A mayor part of the collection of contemporary art which is still in the process of growth can be seen in a permanent exhibition in the “Kreishaus” at Gummersbach.

Cultural promotion prize of the Oberberg district
From 2001 on, the Oberberg district has been awarding an annual cultural promotion prize worth 500 € to a maximum of three prize-winners. The prize applies to all persons active in the artistic or cultural life of the region, it is not focused on any particular type of art and it is supposed to particularly promote artists who have not been established yet.

Cultural foundation Oberberg of the Kreissparkasse Köln
The cultural foundation Oberberg promotes and supports culture-related projects in the region. For example, the cultural foundation has already granted considerable financial help for the redesigning of the museum at Homburg castle, for the setting-up of the Oberberg art collection, for music and theatre festivals, maintenance activities with monuments and for historic projects related to the region.

Quite a number of art clubs, cultural initiatives, museums, music schools, theatres and individual persons producing art or cultural events on a free-lance basis enlarge the broad range of art and culture at the Oberberg district. Please enter www.kulturserver-bergischesland.de to receive information and dates on art and cultural events.