Saving the 'hood

The name Gaengeviertel literally means the neighborhood of passageways. And that's exactly what the Gaengeviertel in Hamburg once was, a dense district of narrow alleys.

There's very little left of the old Gaengeviertel now. But just west of the showy Jungfernstieg waterfront boulevard, shoulder to shoulder with modern office and apartment buildings is a remnant of the neighborhood a bit like it once was.

This group of twelve run-down buildings has stood mostly empty for years and the city was delighted when an investor willing to foot the bill for the development of the project was found.

Dutch investment company Hanzevast drew up plans to tear down some of the original buildings, restore the facades of others, and develop a complex of high-end offices and apartment buildings.

But what the city and Hanzevast had not realized is that new life had sprouted in the historic neighborhood.

Protest movement

Late in August a group of artists moved into the Gaengeviertel to protest the sale and Hanzevast's development plans. In the dim and musty rooms, they've set up ateliers, an information center and gallery space. Visitors wander in off the street to take a look at the art hanging on the walls.

"It's like an oasis here," said Andi Barelas, an artist who stencils images onto oil drums that then let the light from a fire inside shine through. "We're sitting here between glass and concrete. But this is a bit of the old city center, which is also very important for Hamburg's history."

The police never arrived to kick the artists out of the Gaengeviertel. Instead the artists' efforts have won them the sympathy of city officials.

"Very soon after the artists occupied part of the property, the Hamburg Senate got in contact with the artists and the current investor to see if there was a way to meet in part the demands of the artists," Enno Isermann of the city's office for urban development and the environment told Deutsche Welle.

He says the city is currently renegotiating the redevelopment deal with Hanzevast, looking for a way to preserve more of the original buildings while giving space to the artists to work. Possible solutions include the city buying the property back or Hanzevast substantially changing their redevelopment plan.

Hanzevast has taken the city to court to force the artists to leave, but rulings thus far have not required the city to do so until the property is officially handed over to the investor in February 2010.

Hanzevast declined to comment for this article.

Bringing life back downtown

According to Isermann, the city's main goals are to preserve part of the historic area while making room for the artists. While the calls by artists to create a more diversified downtown area may have struck a chord with Hamburg residents, he said those in charge of city planning heard them as well.

"The goal of a big city like Hamburg is to make life in the city as colorful and multifaceted as possible," he said. "That's certainly another reason why we are trying to take up the artists' initiatives, because we're convinced that a lively city like Hamburg must make space for such ideas."

Despite the city's assertions that it wants to bring a new energy downtown, Gaengeviertel spokeswoman Christine Ebeling is wary.

According to her, the only ideas the city has presented about reviving the city center after shops close for the day are fair rides or food and beer that you have to pay for. She says the artists' free exhibitions bring something to the downtown area that it lacks.

Money is a big issue for the artists. They are frustrated that the city only values things that will be profitable. While artists can make money selling their work, both Ebeling and fellow artist Carl Hoffmann argue that the contribution made by the art shown in the Gaengeviertel is more cultural than commercial.

"This is not for marketing," Hoffmann said as he took down a show to make room for a classical music concert later that night. "It's for experiments and workshops, and getting together with other artists from other cities and maybe other countries."

The price of creativity

But the land the buildings occupy is valuable and could be profitable for investors and developers. Hamburg's daily Abendblatt newspaper reported that renovation costs could run as high as 20 million euros ($30.1 million) and that the city might have to pay two million euros ($3 million) just to get the property back.

But numbers like these don't worry Ebeling.

"If a company or an investor were to do this, I think they would have to pay a lot of money," she said.

But the artists have access to a team of volunteers and experience seeking donated materials. She points out the progress that has already been made on the buildings - a new roof on one, repainted walls on another.

"Most of us are good workers," she says. "We have an architect, we have city planners and we've got a lot of craftsmen and craftswomen. So everyone knows what needs to be done and how to do it."

Author: Holly Fox
Editor: Kyle James