Could the somewhat sober town hall passage become a kind of Penzberg living room? To a community center where people meet casually? The idea comes from the Penzberger city library. Together with the adult education center, it wants to call on the population to contribute ideas. There are role models - in the Netherlands.
Penzberg - In 1998 the Rathauspassage with its oval glass dome was opened as a shopping center, the following year the market hall followed on the floor below. In terms of expectations, however, the passage was a problem child in the following years: changing tenants, vacant space, few people. That has changed in the meantime, today it is much more lively in the passage. In addition to shops and a café, there is also the city library, the adult education center and the music school office, which together form an educational and cultural center.
Collect ideas under the title "Living room Rathauspassage"
The city library now comes up with the idea of “rethinking” the Rathauspassage. That means collecting ideas from the population, what will become of them and what they might look like. “Living room Rathauspassage” is the title of the project. Library manager Katrin Fügener speaks of a "real center for all citizens, regardless of origin, generation, social status, religion and other criteria", a kind of community center, "a comfortable room with a high quality of stay", a place to meet.
Kulturstiftung des Bundes promotes public participation processes
Also on board is the Federal Cultural Foundation, which supports the idea process with almost 80,000 euros. Last August, Fügener submitted an application for the "hochdrei - Stadtbibliotheken" funding program - "under the motto: it doesn't work anyway", as she says. It worked: The city library was chosen as one of only nine libraries in Germany, alongside cities such as Frankfurt, Berlin or Würzburg. "We are incredibly proud," she says. The Penzberger project should not only include the library itself, but also the surroundings, the Rathauspassage.
The money is used to promote the idea process. 18 to 24 months are planned for this. It should start in April, end in November or December 2021. And the Penzbergers should take part themselves. According to Fügener, there will be several workshops (dates to be announced) with an external moderator and an assistant from the region. An architect will also be there.
"Living room Rathauspassage": Project met with a positive response
The whole thing is open to results, says Fügener. It is “an opportunity to think creatively and without barriers,” adds Katja Wippermann, director of the adult education center, which has brought the library alongside the city as a cooperation partner. Another thing is what ultimately remains “on the reality test bench”. First of all, it's about ideas.
Fügener has already felt for shops and owners. One of them is Rainer Lampka from the fashion house Lampka. He finds it “very positive to collect ideas and create more quality of stay”. He would like to get involved in the brainstorming process. Mayor Elke Zehetner speaks of an “attractive idea”. There was also a positive response on Thursday evening in the Committee on Administration, Social Affairs and Finance, where Katrin Fügener presented the “living room” project.
Libraries as citizen centers: role models in the Netherlands
The library manager showed the committee what you can do with pictures from the Netherlands. She and Mayor Zehetner traveled to Amsterdam, Apeldoorn, Gouda and Delft last April at the invitation of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, where libraries have long since become citizen centers. For example, the culture center in Apeldoorn, which has laptop workstations. Or the library in Delft, which combines the library, artist café and bistro "with a lot of living room atmosphere", as well as the library in Gouda, which is located in a former chocolate factory with trade, radio stations, café and learning venues.
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