Millions Back Revitalization of Ex-Zekiwa Factory Site in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt as Lighthouse Project
Funds Allocated for Renovating the Previous Zekiwa Location - Financing plan announced for rejuvenation of the old Zekiwa location
Transforming an old baby carriage manufacturer's former factory site in the heart of Zeitz? That's right! A hefty sum of around 15.5 million euros is set to revitalize this location - all part of the state initiative "Saxony-Anhalt - Together for a New European Bauhaus (NEB)", as declared by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt.
The project won't be short on funding, with an additional 8.8 million euros ear-marked for the project partners. These dynamic partners include the city of Zeitz, Anhalt University, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Burg Giebichenstein Art University Halle, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, and the Forum Rathenau – a multi-disciplinary consortium ready to collaborate on making this rejuvenation a reality.
This project has been designed as a real laboratory, or a test room and research workshop, where research and development occur simultaneously. Emphasis will be placed on sustainable, circular, and climate-neutral construction, along with aesthetics, innovative designs, and artistic possibilities.
Standing tall as the largest NEB project in Saxony-Anhalt and the only real laboratory, the "Reallabor Zekiwa Zeitz" is slated for completion by the end of 2027. The project will focus on the former administration building, the wasteland, and the use of the ground floor in the former main building of the once Europe-wide operating Zeitz baby carriage factory.
The old factory site in the city center of Zeitz has been gathering dust since the early 1990s. The VEB (People's Own Enterprise) still exists, but production has long been outsourced to Southeast Asia.
Under the umbrella of the New European Bauhaus, the European Union invites society to brainstorm ideas for a better tomorrow. Citizens, urban planners, entrepreneurs, scientists, architects, and designers are all encouraged to share ideas and network. Multiple projects across the state are being backed by EU funds from the Just Transition Fund destined for the Central German region. Saxony-Anhalt is making use of the fund to develop concrete plans in the Saxony-Anhalt coal mining region.
The Just Transition Fund's purse for the Saxony-Anhalt NEB initiative holds 44 million euros. After its official launch in August 2023, projects in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Mansfeld-Südharz, Saalekreis, Burgenlandkreis, and Halle districts are eligible for funding.
- Lighthouse Project
- Zeitz
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Bauhaus
- Burgenlandkreis
- Halle
- Martin Luther University
- The Lighthouse Project in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, which is part of the New European Bauhaus initiative, aims to revitalize a former factory site and will be the largest NEB project in the region.
- The project partners, including the city of Zeitz, universities like Anhalt and Martin Luther, and cultural institutions such as the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and Burg Giebichenstein Art University Halle, will work towards creating a sustainable, circular, and climate-neutral space.
- In this revitalized space, community aid will focus on vocational training, particularly in home-and-garden, sustainable-living, technology, and art-oriented fields, as part of an education-and-self-development strategy that emphasizes online learning.
- Apart from this, the project will incorporate aspects of artificial intelligence to foster innovation and creative designs, positioning Zeitz as a beacon of joint effort towards a better lifestyle and future.
