Projects
Following an evaluation of its activities to date, the Foundation is committed to bringing a sharper focus to its support and promotion activities in public urban spaces. These activities can be assigned to the individual core themes of the Foundation – light, green or developed space - or simultaneously to more than one of these themes.
A firework of light and color
The blast furnaces in Neunkirchen
September 20, 2000 was a very special day for the city of Neunkirchen in the Saarland region of Germany and for the „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation.
It was the day that an innovative design concept breathed new life into the former ironworks, a structure that still shapes the character of Neunkirchen today. When darkness falls, the bright illumination scheme featuring a mix of vibrant alternating colors symbolizes the successful transformation of the city into a modern service-based metropolis.
The „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation supported this trendsetting illumination project together with the Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Saarland Sport Toto GmbH company.
The blast furnaces are part of the „Altes Hütten-Areal” site, which is today a cultural and leisure venue. For Neunkirchen Lord Mayor Friedrich Decker, industrial culture is not just about forging a link with the city's history but also about the development of modern utilization concepts: "Industrial monuments can only be preserved in the long term through the combined efforts of private investors and commercial users." The illumination of the blast furnaces is a perfect reflection of this.
Design
Ingenieurbüro Kliebenstein & Partner
Implementation
Neunkirchen Civil Engineering Department
Artistic consultant
The „Scenario" company
Sponsors
Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Saarland Sport Toto GmbH, „Lebendige Stadt” Foundation
Illumination from
September 20, 2000