School on Bullenhuser Damm: careful renovation and revitalization

The former school on Bullenhuser Damm will become the long-term home of a place to meet, learn and work for the common good. The largely vacant building will be carefully renovated and revitalized in harmony with the Bullenhuser Damm memorial. The Hallo: Verein zur Förderung raumöffnender Kultur e. V., Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and the Hamburg-Mitte district authority intend to enter into a cooperation agreement in the near future. This will be made possible by funding from the federal National Urban Development Projects program.

Hallo: has been realizing diverse projects in the east of Hamburg in collaborative processes since 2015. The overarching focus of the non-profit association is on urban space and cultural productions for the common good. With the aim of securing long-term use and affordable rents, the 'WERK: Haus Neuer Arbeit' concept was developed in 2018 with the aim of taking over part of the former Bille power station in Hammerbrook as a cooperative. The project was funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) as part of the "National Urban Development Projects" program in cooperation with the Hamburg-Mitte district office. The implementation of the project failed after the new owners of the Bille power plant withdrew from the original cooperation project.

Now the funding is to be transferred to the former school on Bullenhuser Damm . BBEG is the owner of the site with the listed school building. The HafenCity Hamburg GmbH Group company has been commissioned with the redevelopment of the urban space on the Billebecken around Bullenhuser Damm . The main objectives include the creation of urban production and commercial locations, the qualification of open spaces, for example through the public development of the shoreline zones, as well as better linking of pathways within the urban space.

The cooperation agreement provides for the rooms to be leased to Hallo: on a long-term basis. A period of 30 years is envisaged during which projects and structures can develop independently in the building. All rooms that are already being used by the Bullenhuser Damm memorial or that are intended for extended use are excluded from the lease. The Hamburg Foundation of Memorials and Places of Learning in Memory of the Victims of Nazi Crimes, Hallo: and the association Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm e.V. are currently drawing up guidelines for the cooperation. Once these have been completed, the cooperation agreement between Hallo:, the BBEG and the Hamburg-Mitte district authority can come into force.

The Hallo: concept envisages a cautious and historically aware conversion and, as a model project of cooperative planning between public administration, urban Entwicklungsgesellschaft and civil society, is intended to provide space for urban society and historical policy issues. Through a comprehensive participation process, the concept for the site is to be successively developed together with the urban community and potential users. The common goal of BBEG and Hallo: is to provide affordable rents for creative, productive, research-based and socio-cultural users.

The Bullenhuser Damm memorial commemorates 20 Jewish children and at least 28 adults who were murdered by SS men in the basement of the building as prisoners of the Neuengamme concentration camp on April 20, 1945. Miguel Ferraz

All parties involved are aware that the use of the site entails a special responsibility. Together with the Hamburg Foundation of Memorials and Places of Learning in Memory of the Victims of Nazi Crimes, a place of active remembrance work is to be created under one roof. The memorial commemorates 20 Jewish children and at least 28 adults who were murdered by SS men in the basement of the building on April 20, 1945 as prisoners of the Neuengamme concentration camp. Before they were murdered, the children were abused for pseudo-medical experiments. The memorial was initiated by the association Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm e.V. and opened in 1980. A rose garden was laid out in 1983. In 1999, the memorial was taken over by the Hamburg Foundation of Memorials and Places of Learning in Memory of the Victims of Nazi Crimes.