The „Stadthalle Cottbus“ is a house of culture that played a major role in shaping the free time of the people of Cottbus in the days of the German Democratic Republic. Today it is still Brandenburg's largest venue, but most of the day the monumental building waits for the next event. The identity-forming building usually stands lifeless in its place. The people of Cottbus are no longer there weekly, according to a survey not even monthly. How can this sleepy GDR witness
be revived today?

Above all, the people of Cottbus want culture to create a meeting place. They want to have the opportunity to be a part of culture themselves, for example by participating in poetry slams, bandperformances and dance evenings. Cottbus, with its many theatres and not least with the Stadthalle itself, offers a wealth of opportunities for culture for a passive spectator.
With our cultural garden we would like to counteract this. We want to transform this culture house from a passive waiting shell into a lively cultural venue that inspires and stimulates. In doing so, it is important to us to reach out to society in all its strata. With our multifaceted offer, we would like to facilitate encounters already in the thematic area, both for different age groups and for people of different origins. The culture house will continue to exist as such and offer regular events, but in addition, we are expanding the offer to include a café oriented towards the forecourt of the Stadthalle. It is intended to establish the forecourt as a lively recreation area. An art studio will encourage Cottbus residents to create culture themselves.

As a shared studio,artists can rent a workspace comparable to a co-working space, school classes can use the space in the mornings for larger art projects, and art courses are offered in the afternoons and evenings, providing an additional source of income for the artists. For a monthly fee, it is possible to use the studio as a private person at any time, regardless of the course. A gallery exhibits the pieces created. In this way, we offer visibility to still unknown artists and in turn create an advertising space for the course offers and the use of the studio.