• Urban creativity: thirty meters of street art on Adalbertstraße.
• From magnolia trees to legends and crumble rolls: Aachen stories adorn vacant properties.
• Aachen's city management works closely with the "Initiative Starke Adalbertstraße" and the owner, real estate service provider Midstad.

Aachen street artists are giving Adalbertstraße in the city center a creative makeover with an unusual project. A temporary street art design is currently being created on a 30-metre-long plywood wall of a vacant space in the main shopping street. Aachen's city management initiated the project together with the street art scene, the "Initiative Starke Adalbertstraße" (ISA) and real estate service provider Midstad. Midstad is financing the campaign.

City Manager Kai Hennes explains the background to the project: "The artwork is a tribute to Aachen and shows Aachen's special features on the largest "art canvas" in the city center. It's about symbols and stories that are typical of Aachen: from the magnolia tree to legends and sagas to the sweet crumble roll." The aim is also to strengthen the city center as a space for urban creativity and to actively involve the creative scene in the design of the city center, as Hennes explains. Behind the now artistic façade, the city and Midstad are continuing to work together on the development of the vacant properties.

Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen emphasizes the potential of Aachen's cultural scene, whose creative power is evident here: "I would like to thank the artists for their commitment! The campaign shows how much creative energy there is in our city. Urban art brings Aachen to life and is a formative part of our beautiful city center. Promoting this is important to me."

The ISA, as an association of traders and owners in the street, is delighted with the art project, which makes a difference for them. "For many years, the façades of the former Wehmeyer properties blended unflatteringly into the streetscape. The new design, with its imposing size and lovingly designed details, will characterize the surroundings and contribute to a pleasant shopping atmosphere. The artists have created a work that radiates vibrancy and inevitably catches the eye of visitors," says Werner Walmrath, one of the ISA spokespersons.

The theme and motifs for the street art design were created by Michael Gerst, Alex Elsen and Paul Sous aka Captain Nobbi. They will complete it on site with other spontaneous contributors. Michael Gerst sums up: "Working in a busy high street is a challenge in itself. For us, it is a special opportunity to artistically portray Aachen's history and characteristics on such a large area in such a prominent location. Many passers-by approached us and also came up with their own ideas, which we then spontaneously put on the wall - an exciting project for us!"

The artwork is scheduled to be completed by mid-July, although it may take longer depending on the weather conditions. Until then, visitors can still watch the street artists at work and see how the picture continues to grow piece by piece.