Who shapes the city? Where can we find free space in the midst of capitalist interests, urban planning decisions and mass tourism? A young woman looks at the protests in her home city of Barcelona and a group of creative rebels attack Kassel's main station on New Year's Eve to commemorate the dwindling cultural spaces around the KulturBahnhof. (Lili Hartwig)
“Tourists go home” is written in many places around Barcelona. Since the 1992 Olympics, tourism in the city has exploded, with no end in sight. Omara García Jakubowski offers a personal and local perspective on the changes and describes how it feels when one's home is overrun by mass tourism and risks losing part of its essence.
“KulturBahnhof” – this title has been carried by Kassel Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) since 1995. Over the years, it has become home to many cultural workers and creatives. Galleries, studios, rehearsal rooms, music clubs, an arthouse cinema, and the Offene Kanal (Public Access TV) are all located here. Between abandoned train tracks and old industrial buildings, important venues of the city’s cultural life emerged. However, by the end of 2023, many of these alternative and subversive institutions were forced to close. Deutsche Bahn increased rents and sent out eviction notices, citing plans to build a new operations center. To make a statement against this development, a group from Piraten Kanal Kassel organized a performative takeover of the station on New Year’s Eve. The film shows live performances that took place in the station hall, at Franz Ulrich, and in Stellwerk, combining them with small portraits and clips about the now vanished creative spaces.