freiraumgalerie, city as canvas – halle/saale

just how positive the influence of urban art can be on a district with a bad reputation is on view in halle an der saale. first off, I stumbled across the book “freiraumgalerie” and the story caught my attention. so in late november, I arranged an appointment and heard the story during a tour.
the project grew out of a final thesis. it used german neighborhoods with the highest vacancy rates as an example to see how the reputation and quality of life could be improved through artistic activities.
halle freiimfelde had neighborhoods with vacancy rates as high as 50%, making it the frontrunner in germany. the concept was to turn negative aspects in the neighborhood into positive ones, e.g. by creatively painting vacant buildings.
and … a lot has changed since 2012! over 70 murals by local and international artists can be found here, along with a wide range of artistic and cultural activities.
in just a few years, the project has actually managed to put freiimfelde back on the map. a place that people used to make a big detour around is now attracting people to marvel at works of art.
the project reminds me of the good old days in berlin, when open spaces were transformed into creative environments without a lot of money.
this is an ideal destination for a day trip, as halle is only 1.5 hours from berlin.