Costs Measured in Billions: Germany Has Become Extremely Disorganized

The new Berlin airport? The plans said five years; it was completed in fourteen. The main railway station project in Stuttgart? Still under construction after sixteen years.

Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg? Nine years instead of three. The costs? Ten times higher than promised!

Take the opera house in Cologne as an example. Built in the 1950s as a symbol of modern democracy, it was once a cultural jewel. By 2012, it needed renovation. The plan sounded simple: three years of construction, reopening in 2015.

Now, in 2026, the complex, which includes the opera itself, a theater with two stages, and a children’s opera with its own stage, is still a construction site.

Costs Measured in Billions

Opera singer Emily Hindrichs recalls her optimism when she joined the ensemble in 2015. "Back then, I thought, fine, they’ll sort this out quickly. I was optimistic."

Ten years later, she still hasn’t set foot in the building. Performances are scattered across temporary venues, and frustration is immense.

The original budget of €250 million has ballooned to €850 million. When interest and the cost of temporary facilities are added, the total reaches €1.5 billion. "It makes me sick," says Hindrichs. "It feels like we’re constantly throwing money away."

During the decade of construction, actor Andreas Grezinger has experienced a full range of emotions. "Hope, despair, anger, and increasing cynicism. They kept announcing new opening dates that never came true."

What troubled him most was that no one ever clearly explained why the project failed. "No one knows," he says. "No one can say exactly what went wrong. It’s a huge, confusing web of causes."

What Causes Delays in Germany?

Jürgen Mark Wohlm took over project management in 2024, when it was already nine years behind schedule. He points to enormous complexity: 64,000 square meters, 2,000 rooms, 58 companies representing 72 different trades, plus 22 planning agencies.

"Many things had to be redone because permits were not properly issued, and there were also design and construction flaws," Wohlm told Deutsche Welle.

There is also the rigid public procurement system, which often favors the cheapest bidder. When contractors go bankrupt, work stops, new tenders are issued, and delays accumulate.

"Companies went into insolvency," Wohlm explains. "We had to bring in new ones, and they had to integrate into a project already underway, so everything kept changing."

Essentially, a communication breakdown was the main problem in Cologne. "We are very good at solving technical problems, but not at communication."

Germany has a problem

Huge delays are occurring across the country.

"Germany has a massive problem," says Rainer Holznagel, president of the Taxpayers’ Federation. "Large projects are no longer built quickly, efficiently, and according to needs. That old positive image of Germany no longer applies."

Holznagel points to layers of regulations, from environmental to safety rules, that slow everything down. "Building in Germany is extremely expensive. Not because of materials or wages, but because we have so many regulations. They cost us enormous amounts of time, money, and effort."

Matters become even more complicated when responsibility for these regulations lies across different departments within a complex administrative system.

A Tale of Two Cathedrals

The Cologne Opera is not the first epic project to run late. The famous Cologne Cathedral, Germany’s most visited landmark, took 600 years to build. Construction began in 1248. When the city ran out of money, an abandoned crane atop the unfinished tower became a symbol for centuries.

Only much later, in 1880, was the church finally completed. Its completion became a national mission at a time when Germany was unifying for the first time.

"It took them 600 years," actor Grezinger says with a smile. "I hope we’ll be faster."

The Spirit of Notre-Dame

In central Paris, 500 kilometers southwest of Cologne, stands another famous cathedral: Notre-Dame Cathedral. Completed much earlier, in 1345, it may offer a model for overcoming Germany’s deadline and budget problems.

The roof and spire of Notre-Dame were destroyed in a 2019 fire. Soon after, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the church would be rebuilt within five years. It came on time and within budget.

Jean-Louis Georgelin, a retired general, led the project with military discipline. "He called it the five-year battle," recalls Philippe Jost, who took over after Georgelin’s death and brought the project to completion.

Jost says the shared goal created a "Notre-Dame spirit." "We are working like one big family," he told the heads of all participating companies.

He also told them he was there to help if problems arose. "Money spent solving problems is well spent. It’s like extinguishing a fire before it spreads," Jost says.

He prepared for the worst; nearly a quarter of the budget was reserved for cost increases, unforeseen circumstances, and scheduling risks.

Instead of shifting blame, the French prioritized trust and communication, keeping the team small. Jost led an organization that never had more than 35 people and was created solely for this purpose.

They spent more than a year selecting the right contractors. "We had to choose the best," he says. "The best are not always the cheapest."

The result was a €700 million restoration completed as promised in five years.

Lessons for Germany

It is high time for Germany to learn from the best examples, Holznagel argues. "When I look at the condition of some bridges or roads, not to mention the trains, Germany has a huge problem, and it’s understandable why people are so dissatisfied."

Opera singer Hindrichs says she is surprised by what she sees as a lack of flexibility in Germany. "It’s always this stubborn, rigid attitude: ‘We have a plan, it has to be this way!’ There is no Plan B."

Actor Grezinger adds that for decades, the opera and theater in Cologne were not adequately maintained, which added to the situation. "Germany invested so little in infrastructure that when something finally has to be done, the problems become enormous."

The good news is that the Cologne Opera is expected to reopen this autumn. For Emily, it will be an emotional moment.

"If I sing there, it will feel like coming home. I’ve been waiting for that for years."