Let's face it: very few S-Bahn stations in our city are really pretty, are they? But Deutsche Bahn wants to change that. How this is supposed to work, was now clarified at the example of the station Mühlberg. Here, a very special wall graffiti embellishes a wall along the escalator. But other areas of the station will also be given a fresh makeover. The start has already been made with the graffiti. This is a real eye-catcher, but one of the favorite dishes of Frankfurt is the focus here: the green sauce!
The Offenbach artist Thekra Jaziri has designed together with her Frankfurt colleague Florian Lübke the 30-meter long and up to five meters high wall on behalf of Deutsche Bahn. On display are large, colorful shapes in front of which the herbs from Frankfurt's national dish seem to dance or float. "I deliberately did not put the plants in pots or soil, thereby creating lightness in the picture. With this mural, I want to create an inviting area with a feel-good character," explains Jaziri, who studied at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach. The artist has already designed the entrance area at the Offenbach-Marktplatz S-Bahn station for Deutsche Bahn. Further projects at Galluswarte and Lokalbahnhof are in the pipeline.
The idea to pick up on the green sauce motif when designing the station came from DB. "The Mühlberg is known for growing the herbs used to make the original green sauce. Our wish was that this should be reflected here," says station manager Hartmut Schwarz. In addition to the attractive design of the outer wall, the renovation of the bicycle canopy and the outdoor area is now pending. Among other things, the station will receive new benches and bicycle racks. Inside, the platform has been intensively cleaned and the tunnel walls on both sides have been cleaned with high-pressure cleaners. Nighttime striping will now ensure that the work and artwork continue to enhance the station for travelers in the long term. "By designing surfaces at stations in this way, we hope to have a lasting positive effect," Schwarz explains.
While the artistic design and cleaning of the station is being financed from DB's own funds, the Mühlberg S-Bahn station is also benefiting from the Federal Ministry of Transport's economic stimulus programme to strengthen the German economy and combat the effects of Corona. Throughout Germany, 167 stations will be refurbished this year. The BMVI is making 40 million euros available to Deutsche Bahn for this purpose. At the same time, it is supporting small and medium-sized regional craft enterprises throughout Germany. Around 200,000 euros from the programme will be invested in the repair and renovation of the glass roof and the new furniture in the outdoor area of the Mühlberg S-Bahn station.
