Amsterdam bans creation of new hotels
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The old train station and former gallery is the last surviving late 19th-century railway terminal in the city
On 15 November, Berlin authorities were able to buy back the Hamburger Bahnhof and the Rieckhallen – two century-old buildings that are supposed to become a permanent part of the city’s cultural scene. Berlin’s Mayor Franziska Giffey attended the signing and went on to describe the event as a good day for culture and a historic moment.
The purchase cost the German Federal Government and Berlin’s local administration around 170 million euros. This is because the Hamburger Bahnhof was purchased at 66 million, while the Rieckhallen was acquired through a very lucrative land swap valued at 100 million euros.
As the DPA reported, Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth, emphasised the importance of culture during times of crisis, highlighting the government’s role in the deal.
With the new development, authorities claim that now there is a clear path for the preservation of the complex, despite its tumultuous history. The station only worked for 38 years after it was originally inaugurated in the 19th century, permanently closing down in 1884.
In the early 20th century it housed the Transport and Building Museum. During the Second World War, the building was badly damaged and remained unused until 1984. In 1996 it started functioning as a Museum of Contemporary Art for the National Gallery, however, in 2007, it was acquired by the real estate company CA Immo Deutschland.
At the same time, Rieckhallen was supposed to be demolished, prompting many private collectors to withdraw amid mounting uncertainty for both spaces.
The city has great plans to integrate the new site into the local museum infrastructure, as a National Gallery of the Present. Hamburger Bahnhof was the railway station for the Hamburg-Berlin connection and was constructed in the mid-19th century – currently the only surviving station building from that period in the city.
The new curators of the space Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath explained that they plan the Hamburger Bahnhof and the Rieckhallen as a space well integrated into the art scene, a sort of never-ending exhibition, contributing one commissioned piece per year, expanding the art installation on and around the buildings.
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
The previous mayor was forced out of office following a no-confidence vote in the city council
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
Modern traffic lights do more than regulate the flow of vehicles at crossroads, they also collect enormous amounts of data
The German Aerospace Center in Cologne is looking for volunteers for its next bed rest study
Muksubussi is nature-friendly, too, so they provide 2-in-1 benefit
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
The intervention has affected the mountainous districts of the Catalan capital
Even an Eternal City had to start from somewhere
On this day 200 years ago, the great poet lost his life in the Balkan country where he had gone to fight for its liberty
Muksubussi is nature-friendly, too, so they provide 2-in-1 benefit
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team