At the beginning of the year came from the Frankfurt district Hausen bad news: Due to the imminent sale of the building, the bread factory is threatened with extinction. For around four decades, the site of a former large bakery has developed into one of the city's most important cultural institutions, offering much more than just concerts and dance events. Now there is a new glimmer of hope, because the bread factory is designated as a cultural monument. This was declared by Frankfurt's head of sports and planning Mike Josef and Prof. Markus Harzenetter, president of the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Hesse.
"I am [...] very pleased about the decision of the State Office to place the bread factory under monument protection. The designation as a cultural monument recognizes the significance of the building and at the same time gives clarity to all parties involved," says Councilman Josef. "For around 40 years already, the Bread Factory has been one of the city's important cultural institutions. It is also an important social meeting place for the Hausen district and far beyond. For this reason, we have examined our options for action under planning and building regulations law, as well as initiating a review under monument protection law by the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments. Because we want to secure the continued existence of the bread factory and give the cultural institution planning security."
"After a site inspection and thorough research, we determined that the building ensemble of the bread factory in Frankfurt's Hausen district meets the criteria of a cultural monument for historical and urban planning reasons," says Harzenetter. "Founded in 1888 as a large-scale bakery, the bread factory is an important testimony to the industrialization of Frankfurt's suburbs and at the same time represents the rich history of the former mill village of Hausen, which owes its boom to the water power of the Nidda." The bread factory, which produced baked goods until 1972 and has been used as a cultural center since the 1980s, still characterizes the district today as an impressive landmark with its striking façade of two-tone exposed brick, he said. "For these reasons, we intend to register the bread factory in the list of monuments of the state of Hesse," says Harzenetter. Formal designation as a cultural monument is imminent,
For the Kulturprojekt 21 association, this decision means hope for the continued existence of the Brotfabrik cultural and social center. This would be really good news and a great relief not only for the people who work and live here, but also for the district and for all of Frankfurt.
