Model project Schule am Bullenhuser Damm

The former school on Bullenhuser Damm in Hamburg-Rothenburgsort is an important memorial to the crimes of National Socialism. On the night of April 20, 1945, twenty Jewish children and at least 28 adults were murdered here by the SS. The “Children of Bullenhuser Damm” memorial, which was established in 1980 as a result of civil society involvement, still commemorates this horrific act today.

The “Schule am Bullenhuser Damm model project” is now being developed on this historic site. The former school is to become a place to meet, learn and work for the common good – organized in solidarity and supported by the people who use it. The aim is to create an open space for self-organized and anti-fascist urban production in the vacant rooms.

With the aim of securing long-term use and affordable rents, Hallo: had been developing the ‘WERK‘ concept since 2018, which aimed to take over part of the former Bille power plant in Hammerbrook as a cooperative. The project was funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) as part of the “National Urban Development Projects” program in cooperation with the Hamburg-Mitte district authority. The implementation of the project failed after the new owners of the Bille power station withdrew from the original cooperation project. The model project can now be further developed in the former school on Bullenhuser Damm after the funding was transferred.

Together, we want to create long-term prospects – with affordable rents, reliable structures and the active participation of the neighborhood and beyond. The focus is on co-designing the previously vacant spaces, the program and future uses. Together, we are exploring questions about the future of the district, which is oriented towards the common good, and about everyday practices in the culture of remembrance. In addition to the memorial, which will expand its premises, the Sonnenschein daycare center of the Finkenau Kindergarten Foundation will remain an integral part of the school’s user constellation.

The project is being funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) as a “National Urban Development Project” with 7.5 million euros. Of this, around 3.5 million euros will be passed on to Hallo: e.V. for process organization and tenant: interior fit-out and 4 million euros to the BBEG for the refurbishment in line with listed building requirements. The development and construction phase is scheduled to last three years. After that, the building will be secured in the long term by a 30-year lease and remain a non-profit property.

The project is based on a cooperation with the Hamburg-Mitte district office, Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, Stiftung Hamburger Gedenkstätten und Lernorte and the association Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm.

We are very much looking forward to the next few years at Bullenhuser Damm school, to you and to activating the vacant rooms together!