Köln-Ehrenfeld
Jan 21, 2013 14:05:03 GMT
Post by nautiker on Jan 21, 2013 14:05:03 GMT
So, if I understood correctly, anyport is a board dedicated to sharing photo essays and posting some is more or less compulsory, thus before I’ll get expelled, I’d better get started quickly :-)
I haven't travelled that much lately, so it’s mostly old stuff I could share. I had a stroll through Köln-Ehrenfeld on Saturday, though, and thought I might as well snap a couple of pics. I consider myself an average photographer, yet the results are even below par for me, which I blame mostly on the bad weather, the low light (I had started too late in the afternoon) and the rush (I was in company and she didn’t take the cold too well), so please excuse the meagre quality - I promise to do better.
About the district: Ehrenfeld was (and still is) an industrial borough in the west of Cologne, some people on here might already have caught a glance, since the main rail line (Paris-)Brussels-Cologne passes through it (on an embankment). Given the age of Cologne itself (Roman roots), Ehrenfeld is a youngster of just 160+ years. It was dedicated to accommodate industry from the start, which made it a prime target for allied air strikes during WWII (well, all of Cologne was a prime target).
The structural change with most bigger factories closing down made Ehrenfeld go down the drain. Like similar boroughs everywhere, the run-down houses with their cheap rents meant an influx of immigrant workers, mainly with Turkish or African background. And like so often again, the low rents and ‘different’ lifestyle have set off a gentrification process today, making the quarter popular with students, cultural projects and start-ups...
Each year, parallel to the renowned Cologne furniture fair ‘imm’ (second only to the Milan Salone del Mobile), a local agency organises the so called ‘Passagen’ – a number of exhibitions, events etc. all more or less related to furniture and interior design, spread all over the city, e.g. there are the posh showrooms of Italian furniture retailers downtown etc., however a number of independent designers and students display their work where space is plenty and costs are low: Ehrenfeld – imo the best bit of the program.
If you like, follow me.
The most popular landmark can be spotted already from the station: The former Helios factories, which (among other things) produced electrical equipment for lighthouses – the tower was indeed meant for tests & research and is a listed building nowadays.
Most exhibitions in this area take place in halls and sheds in the backyards, this is one exemplary access. The orange/black flags indicate venues.
Inside: Stuff – some funny, some silly, some good, some trite; you never know beforehand, e.g. stools and lamps made of disused streetlamp-shades…
…whereas these chairs below look neither comfy nor practical to me!
Some shacks are more crowded than others, this one includes a local TV-team.
This orange coloured ‘collar’ for street wastebins is more of a statement.
Heliosstraße
Graffiti along the Vogelsanger Straße.
Another alley.
I think the message is clear.
Lichtstraße
Another backyard with offices (btw, a couple of the postboxes actually are identical!).
The Live Music Hall (former factory for packing machines) takes up to 1.800 spectators and has become a fairly known music venue beyond Cologne.
In this area colleges for applied art display their works, ideas, discuss topics, sip a coffee etc. – their exhibitions used to be part of the ‘imm’ itself, yet the fair ruled a couple of years ago that the media attention from ceding space to the universities was outweighed by the gain from letting the floor to exhibitors. The students have been moving between different halls ever since.
A nice student project: These vats are designed to turn almost any ordinary chair into a rocker.
I think every year there’s at least one students’ stall showing furniture made of beer crates (this time Astra).
Integration of the Turkish community will result into new mosques being built in Germany in the future – a design idea by a student.
Outside again.
The' Vulkan' areal – formerly factory for luminaries, has been restored shipshape into offices and showrooms.
Opposite:
The company was called ‘Dempewolf’ – you can tell they used to make cogwheels.
Back on the Vogelsanger Straße: The ‘Underground’, another popular music venue.
Now turning away from the purely industrial part and moving towards the centre of Ehrenfeld.
Nice mix: Tiles, clinker, zinc sheet, slate, eternit panels – and the next houses are already different…
Venloer Straße, the main street: Turkish kebabs, Woolworth and other cheap stores, an old desillery, student cafes, even a French deli...
Old public baths, nowadays a ‘premium spa’ & gym…
The spike in the background is a minaret of the new (and fiercly debated) mosque which is currently under construction. Had I known I’d miss my return train anyway, I would have made the short detour for a couple of pics.
4711 had their factories in Ehrenfeld, too. These buildings from the 50ies have been turned into offices, however the old façade with the company colours turquoise/antique gold remains. Not to be confused with the old headquarters with the Eau de Cologne fountain downtown.
Sidestreets with smaller shops taking part in the ‘Passagen’ (incl. the chicken), most pedestrians on these pics are visitors, not residents.
Towing Service Atelier Colonia
Back at the station. View from the platform towards the city. The greyish high-rise in the distance is the one by Jean Nouvel, just a couple of metres shorter than the cathedral, yet only when dismissing the antenna.
Well, those of you who've made it this far: Hope you enjoyed...
I haven't travelled that much lately, so it’s mostly old stuff I could share. I had a stroll through Köln-Ehrenfeld on Saturday, though, and thought I might as well snap a couple of pics. I consider myself an average photographer, yet the results are even below par for me, which I blame mostly on the bad weather, the low light (I had started too late in the afternoon) and the rush (I was in company and she didn’t take the cold too well), so please excuse the meagre quality - I promise to do better.
About the district: Ehrenfeld was (and still is) an industrial borough in the west of Cologne, some people on here might already have caught a glance, since the main rail line (Paris-)Brussels-Cologne passes through it (on an embankment). Given the age of Cologne itself (Roman roots), Ehrenfeld is a youngster of just 160+ years. It was dedicated to accommodate industry from the start, which made it a prime target for allied air strikes during WWII (well, all of Cologne was a prime target).
The structural change with most bigger factories closing down made Ehrenfeld go down the drain. Like similar boroughs everywhere, the run-down houses with their cheap rents meant an influx of immigrant workers, mainly with Turkish or African background. And like so often again, the low rents and ‘different’ lifestyle have set off a gentrification process today, making the quarter popular with students, cultural projects and start-ups...
Each year, parallel to the renowned Cologne furniture fair ‘imm’ (second only to the Milan Salone del Mobile), a local agency organises the so called ‘Passagen’ – a number of exhibitions, events etc. all more or less related to furniture and interior design, spread all over the city, e.g. there are the posh showrooms of Italian furniture retailers downtown etc., however a number of independent designers and students display their work where space is plenty and costs are low: Ehrenfeld – imo the best bit of the program.
If you like, follow me.
The most popular landmark can be spotted already from the station: The former Helios factories, which (among other things) produced electrical equipment for lighthouses – the tower was indeed meant for tests & research and is a listed building nowadays.
Most exhibitions in this area take place in halls and sheds in the backyards, this is one exemplary access. The orange/black flags indicate venues.
Inside: Stuff – some funny, some silly, some good, some trite; you never know beforehand, e.g. stools and lamps made of disused streetlamp-shades…
…whereas these chairs below look neither comfy nor practical to me!
Some shacks are more crowded than others, this one includes a local TV-team.
This orange coloured ‘collar’ for street wastebins is more of a statement.
Heliosstraße
Graffiti along the Vogelsanger Straße.
Another alley.
I think the message is clear.
Lichtstraße
Another backyard with offices (btw, a couple of the postboxes actually are identical!).
The Live Music Hall (former factory for packing machines) takes up to 1.800 spectators and has become a fairly known music venue beyond Cologne.
In this area colleges for applied art display their works, ideas, discuss topics, sip a coffee etc. – their exhibitions used to be part of the ‘imm’ itself, yet the fair ruled a couple of years ago that the media attention from ceding space to the universities was outweighed by the gain from letting the floor to exhibitors. The students have been moving between different halls ever since.
A nice student project: These vats are designed to turn almost any ordinary chair into a rocker.
I think every year there’s at least one students’ stall showing furniture made of beer crates (this time Astra).
Integration of the Turkish community will result into new mosques being built in Germany in the future – a design idea by a student.
Outside again.
The' Vulkan' areal – formerly factory for luminaries, has been restored shipshape into offices and showrooms.
Opposite:
The company was called ‘Dempewolf’ – you can tell they used to make cogwheels.
Back on the Vogelsanger Straße: The ‘Underground’, another popular music venue.
Now turning away from the purely industrial part and moving towards the centre of Ehrenfeld.
Nice mix: Tiles, clinker, zinc sheet, slate, eternit panels – and the next houses are already different…
Venloer Straße, the main street: Turkish kebabs, Woolworth and other cheap stores, an old desillery, student cafes, even a French deli...
Old public baths, nowadays a ‘premium spa’ & gym…
The spike in the background is a minaret of the new (and fiercly debated) mosque which is currently under construction. Had I known I’d miss my return train anyway, I would have made the short detour for a couple of pics.
4711 had their factories in Ehrenfeld, too. These buildings from the 50ies have been turned into offices, however the old façade with the company colours turquoise/antique gold remains. Not to be confused with the old headquarters with the Eau de Cologne fountain downtown.
Sidestreets with smaller shops taking part in the ‘Passagen’ (incl. the chicken), most pedestrians on these pics are visitors, not residents.
Back at the station. View from the platform towards the city. The greyish high-rise in the distance is the one by Jean Nouvel, just a couple of metres shorter than the cathedral, yet only when dismissing the antenna.
Well, those of you who've made it this far: Hope you enjoyed...