A new cultural center is planned in Leipzig’s Plautstrasse, right by the Lindenauer Hafen. Here is a foretaste of what is to happen there in the future.
The area around Plautstraße in the west of Leipzig has hosted parties from time to time in recent years – with the Westhafen recently also with official regularity. There will soon be another cultural place there: the West tank farm. On the site of a former tank farm at Plautstraße 41, a crew is building a new art and culture campus for the local creative and circular economy around various initiatives. That means: The new home base of the Ostend club is being built here with a large outdoor area, which has previously hosted parties in the east of Leipzig. This central area is available for various event formats – live music, theatre, exhibitions and club nights.
Likewise, several initiatives, associations, artists and collectives will set up their offices, workshops and studios in the West tank farm. A sauna and storage areas for cultural purposes are also planned.
The Tanklager West crews are expecting 2.5 million euros to buy the site and buildings and develop it into an art and culture campus. In order to remain as independent as possible, people are currently being sought who would like to support the project with direct loans. In this way, the amount of the bank loan can at best be reduced.
Historically, the place is quite important. The monument list of the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Saxony states: “Early tank system in very good original condition, unique in Leipzig and a rarity in Germany, as an authentic testimony to the history of the petroleum industry of particular documentation value, of national importance in terms of technical history.”
The fact that such an ambitious project is now being started so far on the outskirts of the city is of course evidence of the unbroken dynamism in Leipzig. However, it also clearly shows how difficult it is now to create larger cultural venues in neighborhoods close to the city centre. And so it says on the Tanklager West website: “With Plautstrasse 41, one of the last really vacant commercial properties is going into the hands of people with a creative-cultural concept.”
In addition to a tank pit and iron tanks, there is also a former pump house and an office on the site. A container city is to be built for this purpose. Sounds like a versatile and exciting place to play. What exactly will take place there in the future can only be experienced in spring 2023. We are excited to see how it goes and will keep you posted.
Image: West tank farm
Source: https://www.frohfroh.de/39401/preview-im-tanklager-west
