Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Degradation, Newsletter 155
WOHNEN WAGEN! on 17.9. at the “Day of the Good Life” in Nippes
On September 17, the Day of Good Living 2023 will take place in Cologne-Nippes.
WOHNEN WAGEN! will be there.
Creative against housing shortage – Mauenheimer Straße 3
Solidary approaches for affordable housing for all – whether homeless or refugees.
With the interactive rent trail, Recht auf Stadt, the BI Bezahlbares Wohnen in Nippes, Wohnen Wagen! and the Aktionsbündnis gegen Wohnungsnot und Stadtzerstörung offer a highlight on the Day of the Good Life.
https://tagdesgutenlebens.koeln/
Where to with Kurt?
With his new documentary film “Wohin mit Kurt?”, Cologne-based author Christoph Gottwald sets the scene for life on the outer fringes of our society. The film is set in one of the last “wild settlements” in the north of Cologne. Since his childhood, Kurt Brock (58) has been living there on a messy site where improvised little houses, shacks and living installations stand. In which people live without a chance of finding a home. Originally, they were emergency shelters after World War 2. When winter comes, Kurt lets the homeless couple Jacqueline and Andy move in with him. But the eviction notice from the property owner, delivered by the bailiff, threatens to destroy the outsider’s oasis. They are threatened with homelessness …
The film music was composed by Friso Lücht and Arno Steffen.
The film could be realized by the organizational and financial support of the Cologne musician and artist initiative “Arsch Huh” and the financial support of the Arche für Obdachlose e.V..
The film premiere took place on 09.09.2023 in the context of the OpenAir Festival “Let’s Dok” (https://letsdok.de/) in the Ebertplatz Passage. The far over 100 Zuschauer:innen were inspired.
The film will also be shown at the Film Festival Cologne 2023 on 10/25/2023: https://filmfestival.cologne/ffcgn
The film will soon be available on our Ark homepage. Until then, the film can be accessed temporarily via this link.
https://vimeo.com/859836023/f52e2029c2?share=copy
Kind regards
Ark for the Homeless e.V.
Managing Director – Board
Jörg Frank
Barmer Viertel and the World Cultural Heritage Cologne Cathedral
Dear people from the Action Alliance against Housing Shortage and Urban Destruction,
you surely remember the wonderful cooperative building in Cologne-Deutz on the Barmer Platz between the KölnMesse and the Deutz train station, the Barmer Viertel with 381 apartments, which was demolished on 1.6.2006 for a fallow land that had existed for years and is now a built-up area with insurance, hotels and office buildings.
Before that it was occupied for 3 months.
SSM, SSK, a large group of punkers (they became the “working punks”), a few former residents, squatters and many others got passionately involved in preserving the historic cooperative building.
Kalle showed pictures of the houses and the demolition in his apt music video “Wir bleiben!” (We stay!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0U924E5bH4
There was a brochure about the demolition
http://barmerviertel.ina-koeln.org/broschuere/broschuere-01.htm
Recently I biked past the area and was horrified. At the place where the restaurant v. Rosi u. Günther Rüdiger “Zur Post” of the Barmer Viertel stood, the highest building is under construction, which clearly obscures the view of the Cologne Cathedral.
Was not the demolition temporarily delayed because UNESCO threatened that with a height of 120 m the WORLD CULTURAL CERTIFICATE of the COLOGNE DOME could be withdrawn?
“At the end of 2005, the city’s high-rise plans toppled, UNESCO threatened to deprive Cologne Cathedral of its World Heritage status if high-rise buildings 120 m high were built in Deutz.” From the brochure: Cologne Pathetic, p.9:
The World Heritage Site of Cologne Cathedral (existing since 1994) landed on the UNESCO Red List in 2004.
The national and international press reported:
https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/kolner-dom-wird-von-roter-liste-genommen-1352851.html
https://www.baunetz.de/meldungen/Meldungen_Weltkulturerbe-Status_des_Koelner_Doms_gefaehrdet_12193.html
https://www.badische-zeitung.de/unesco-koelner-dom-als-weltkulturerbe-gefaehrdet–169972656.html
https://www.mz.de/kultur/denkmalschutz-unseco-sieht-welterbe-status-des-kolner-doms-gefahrdet-2700640
On 10.8.2006 the Cologne Cathedral was again removed from the UNESCO Red List.
I ask myself now:
Shouldn’t it be back on it? Cologne’s former highest building, the Cologne Cathedral, is with 157.38 meters (height of the north tower) the third highest church worldwide.
https://www.helpster.de/wie-hoch-ist-der-koelner-dom-wissenswertes-zum-koelner-wahrzeichen_146701
Now it is hidden by the high-rise buildings, especially the one still under construction on Deutz-Mülheimer Straße.
The city of Cologne has broken its promises, the investor ignores the requirements of UNESCO at that time!
I ask you: Should we not scandalize this?
I would be in favor of contacting UNESO.
As for the Barmer Viertel: The scandals chased each other: For example, according to Frank Überall in the WDR, the canal network under the site was lent to the U.S. via cross-border leasing – the link is unfortunately no longer active – which is why it was not allowed to build there for years after the demolition. And now the guidelines of the Unesco are ignored.
Should all this remain uncommented and without consequences?
Greetings
Christa Schliebs
broadcasts, news, news
Cologne: Homeless man beaten up: Suspects brought to justice
https://www.zeit.de/news/2023-09/14/wohnungsloser-zusammengeschlagen-verdaechtige-gestellt
13 COLOGNE RENTS FROM THE 70S, 80S AND 90S
https://verliebtinkoeln.com/13-koelner-wohnungs-mietpreise-aus-den-70er-80er-und-90er-jahren/
Housing Germany
No improvements in sight for homeless people
Berlin – Too little affordable housing is a major problem. Nearly 70 percent of those affected would look in their neighborhood. But there is a gender difference.
https://rp-online.de/politik/deutschland/wohnungslose-in-deutschland-keine-verbesserungen-in-sicht_aid-97429735
Homeless Day: When the roof over your head is missing
Every year on September 11, the Day of the Homeless is celebrated nationwide. The aim is to draw attention to the growing housing shortage in the country.
https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/rheinland/tag-der-wohnungslosen-102.html
Studio discussion: Linda Rennings, founder of “Homeless in Cologne HiK” and
“Kölsche Linda. From minute 7:08
https://www1.wdr.de/lokalzeit/fernsehen/koeln/video-studiogespraech-linda-rennings-gruenderin-heimatlos-in-koeln-hik-und-koelsche-linda-100.html
Day of the homeless
Less and less living space for homeless people
https://www.rundschau-online.de/koeln/aktionstag-in-koeln-immer-weniger-wohnraum-fuer-obdachlose-menschen-644380
Rheinbahn no longer reports fare evaders
According to a media report, anyone who rides a bus or train in Düsseldorf without a ticket will no longer be charged. But it will still be expensive.
https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/duesseldorf-rheinbahn-zeigt-schwarzfahrer-nicht-mehr-an-a-3d847e72-2e4f-46e5-8766-0635fbef33cf
Homeless defendants are a special challenge for defense lawyers.
https://www.anwalt.de/rechtstipps/obdachlose-beschuldigte-oder-angeklagte-sind-eine-besondere-herausforderung-fuer-strafverteidiger-216078.html
Social warfare
How police crack down on undesirable citizens
https://www.sozonline.de/2023/09/sozialer-krieg/
Lack of orders, problems with financing: The situation in the German construction industry is tense. Dittrich, president of the skilled trades, warns that the industry is heading “at high speed” toward a brick wall. He calls on the German government to take action. https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/wirtschaft-baubranche-100.html
Wave of cancellations in residential construction marks new high
https://www.ifo.de/fakten/2023-09-12/stornierungswelle-wohnungsbau-hoechststand
Housing
Record-high cancellation wave causes “huge uncertainty” https://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/dienstleister/wohnungsbau-rekordhohe-stornierungswelle-sorgt-fuer-riesige-verunsicherung/29385810.html
“These apartments belong to the population”
Frankfurt am Main: Tenant defends herself against eviction by state-owned housing company. An interview with Eyup Yilmaz
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/458973.gentrifizierung-diese-wohnungen-geh%C3%B6ren-der-bev%C3%B6lkerung.html
Dates
17.09.2023, from 10 a.m. Day of Good Living in Nippes, Mauenheimer Straße
https://tagdesgutenlebens.koeln/
10.10.2023 World Homeless Day https://www.worldhomelessday.org/
17.10.2023, 7 p.m., Book presentation “Trapped & Homeless”, Karl Rahner Academy https://weissmann-verlag.de/
10/21/2023, 11:11 am,. Rich people looking for a home. Satirical demo on vacant mansions in Marienburg, together with the Pappnasen rotschwarz.
01 – 10.11.2023 Prison Days: homelessness/jail/homelessness https://www.aktionstage-gefaengnis.de/bundesweite-aktionen/aktionstage-2023/
26.10.2023, 15:30 Council
11/16/2023, 3:30 p.m. Social Committee
Dec. 5, 2023, 7 p.m., Werner Rügemer: Who owns my housing. Friedensbildungswerk
For a city without homelessness
For a city without evictions
For a city without drug deaths
For a city without violence against women and children
For a city without deportations
For a city without poverty
September 16, 2023
Klaus Jünschke and Rainer Kippe
https://wohnungsnot.koeln
PS
Call for donations
To further improve our public relations, we need money:
Donation account MachMit! e.V. IBAN: DE53370501981011342704
Intended purpose: Aktionsbündnis
Translated with DeepL
