If you want to make people in Neuperlach angry, all you have to do is mention the name Hanns-Seidel-Platz in conversation. It is precisely there that the city wants to build the cultural and community center that the district has been longing for – for more than 50 years. Despite all the promises, there is still an unsightly hole at the site, although apartments, a daycare center and the Perlach Plaza have now been built around it.
But now something is finally happening on the property at Hanns-Seidel-Platz. The reason for this is the declaration of a separate state, if you will. Before the cultural and community center is built, the “Neuperland” empire is to be created on the site. This is the name of the three-year interim use, which begins on December 1st with a Christmas market.
Behind the project are two people who have extensive experience in temporarily revitalizing abandoned places. On the one hand, Michi Kern, who most recently initiated the Sugar Mountain in Sendling, the Fluffy Clouds in Schwabing and the Lovecraft in the former Kaufhof am Stachus. On the other hand, Günes Seyfarth, founder of the Community Kitchen, which is part of the interim use Shaere in the former Allianz building – just a short walk from Hanns-Seidel-Platz.
The two applied to the city with their concept for Neuperland and were awarded the contract; they were reportedly the only bidders. The tender for the “activation of Hanns-Seidel-Platz” already specified quite specifically what should happen there, says Günes Seyfarth.
The construction of an interim building is planned on the 3,700 square meter area, which will have one large and two smaller rooms. Clubs and initiatives will meet here, but exhibitions, lectures and other cultural events will also take place. According to Seyfarth, the building will probably be a modular construction; We are currently still in discussions with the architects.
Günes Seyfarth in the Community Kitchen café: Here we mainly cook with rescued food.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
The surrounding open spaces should also be revitalized. Seyfarth imagines “a kind of jungle” – without pressure to consume, with lots of greenery, numerous places to play and sit. Various sports areas are also planned, such as a basketball court, a skate park or a bouldering wall. “We want to create a retreat for the people in Neuperlach,” says the entrepreneur. “It should also be a place for meeting and creating.” This is also why we rely on the participation of citizens in the planning and design of Neuperland. “We don’t want to expand this area, but rather offer people a lot of freedom so that they can realize their ideas,” says Seyfarth.
The interim building is scheduled to go into operation in the spring. As a harbinger, an eight-meter-high circus tent has recently been erected on the property. Interim use will begin there, says Seyfarth, which is expected to run until the end of February. “It was important to us that nothing happened for six months,” says Seyfarth. The Neuperland Christmas market, which is open on Advent weekends, will open in the tent next Friday.
“We want to do something good here,” says the social entrepreneur about the temporary use. “Our advantage is that after two years in Shaere we have a lot of contacts in Neuperlach and also a good understanding of the district. In addition, there is Michi’s large network from which we benefit.” She is aware that Neuperland will be built in a difficult location in the district. “There is a lot of frustration in Neuperlach when it comes to Hanns-Seidel-Platz,” says Seyfarth. “There’s a lot of baggage there.” She and Kern now want to get rid of this baggage.