Cologne calls for beauty: Memories at the Waidmarkt made alive!

Cologne calls for beauty: Memories at the Waidmarkt made alive!

Waidmarkt, Köln, Deutschland - After the art campaign "Panorama Waidmarkt" has recently been successfully completed after 56 days, the Cologne names are looking forward to the effects of this remarkable initiative. Organized by the Dutch artist group Observatory, the campaign on Waidmarkt took place and invited the residents to share their memories and wishes to the former collapse. These creative contributions are more than just documents; They are handed over to the historical archive of the city of Cologne and are recorded there as part of the "Logbook of the 2009-2025". This collection, one hopes, will create an inviting place on the Waidmarkt, which stimulates dialogue and reflection, so reports Antenne NRW .

The artistic intervention was launched on May 4, 2025 with the ceremonial opening of the panorama pavilion. Mayor Henriette Reker had already commissioned a concept for culture and commemoration at the Waidmarkt in January 2023, which now bears the first fruits in the form of this project. The pavilion and the associated campaign offer a platform for citizens' talks; Many Cologne names showed a strong need to talk about urban challenges and individual experiences. These voices are truly expression of a lived city memory, as represents the city of Cologne

variety of perspectives

A central player of the art campaign, the artist Andre Dekker, learned considerably from the population during his stay in the happy city. "Cologne has an impressive variety of architectures and ideas," he noted. However, he also noticed that the Rhine metropolis lags behind sustainability, traffic reduction and living space. In conversations, many citizens also expressed that they felt poorly governed and demand more say in urban development. These challenges are not only locally, but also reflect larger social currents that can be observed in many cities. "Small projects are not sufficient attention," said Dekker - a fact that he would like to solve through an integrated approach of urban planning, landscape architecture and art.

In addition, creative urban design is about promoting cultural identity awareness and social cohesion of the community through public art. As The learning city , interactive installations and creative initiatives can transform neglected districts into living rooms and arouse civil engineering.

beauty in the city

The concern of the "Panorama Waidmarkt" campaign is clear - more beauty for Cologne! The collected artistic contributions show that the Cologne residents are willing to actively shape their city. A city that takes the voices and visions of its residents seriously has the potential to promote sustainable change and social interaction.

The artistic interventions will not only act as a reminder, but also as an impulse provider for a realignment of urban politics. It is time for Cologne to hear the voices of its citizens and invest in creative solutions that improve the living environment. In this way, the challenges of urban life in Cologne could be tackled together in the future, so that the “empty space” on the Waidmarkt becomes a pulsating center of the city.