Carnival in Cologne: Uniwiese remains a controversial alternative area!

Carnival in Cologne: Uniwiese remains a controversial alternative area!

In Cologne, the university meadow will again be used as an alternative area in the coming carnival seasons. On Monday evening, the Nature Conservation Advisory Board of the Lower Nature Conservation Authority gave the green light to the plans, which were developed from the perspective of hazard prevention. According to ksta.de, the city has already announced that it will use the area in a reduced form on November 11, 2025 and in the 2026 street carnival.

The university meadow, which is located in the “Inner Green Belt” landscape protection area, was exempt from the Federal Nature Conservation Act. The lawn on the used parts is protected by special cover plates to avoid long-term damage. It is clearly appealed to those celebrating that there are no plans to linger or celebrate on the meadow, and there will also be no serving of alcohol or music.

A search without success

Despite the city's intensive efforts to find alternatives to the university meadow, the search has so far been unsuccessful. According to information from stadt-koeln.de, in view of the reduced crowds in the Zülpicher district, it was decided to significantly reduce the area. The administration sees partial use as the safest and most practical solution to avoid intrusion into the landscape protection area.

The environmental association BUND reacted critically to the decision. Conservationists are particularly annoyed by the risk of damage to the protected landscape area. After last year's carnival activities, permanent damage to the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Park and the Aachener Weiher was documented, as bund-koeln.de reports. The BUND demands a legally flawless procedure for approving the events and announces possible legal action if the city continues to use the university meadow for carnival events.

A strong word from politics

At a council meeting on July 3rd, a number of council members asked the administration to once again look for alternatives to the university meadow. Mayor Henriette Reker, on the other hand, emphasized that an intensive search for suitable areas had been carried out in recent years, but none had been found. This means that the university meadow remains a central point for planning the carnival celebrations, even if the conditions have become significantly stricter in view of the nature conservation requirements.

The topic remains exciting because BUND is monitoring developments closely and would like to relieve the Zülpicher district through alternative venues. Until that happens, it remains to be seen how urban communication will be designed in the next few days and whether there will actually be a rethink in the use of the area.