Spinnerei, injecting new life into an industrial zone in Leipzig.

Right now, salvaging existing structures and making the most of old industrial buildings is big, particularly in major cities where space is at a premium and needs to be maximised. An old cotton factory in Leipzig, Germany is one of these – it is now an art and cultural centre.



The slogan “From cotton to culture” underscores the redevelopment project of what was hailed – 130 years ago – as one of the biggest cotton mills in continental Europe Spinnerei.
In 1907, 10 hectares in the western zone of Leipzig, Germany was earmarked for the construction of a cotton mill, but not only that – a whole neighbourhood was built for the factory workers and included homes, gardens and even a nursery school, still standing today despite all its vicissitudes through the years.





In 1992, the cotton mill was closed down, and the area has experienced continuous change since then, but the real driver of this redevelopment process to save a precious testimony of industrial archaeology, has been art, through artists. And right now, the old cotton mill accommodates more than 100 art studios and includes world famous names like painter, Neo Rauch. The presence of these international celebrities has attracted the interest of art galleries and the complex has 13 new galleries in addition to its exhibition spaces.



Here we want to focus on “Halle 14” for common use and non-profit, whose aim is to create a one-of-a-kind “cosmos of art”.





The Spinnerei is an exceptional example of how art and creativity can save historical buildings from oblivion, but not only that – they can even generate new contemporary uses and jobs.

Spinnerei, www.spinnerei.de
Leipzig, Germany
Photography: Courtesy of Spinnerei
Opening times of art galleries and exhibitions spaces: Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm
What’s happening soon: Autumn gallery tour on 13 and 14 September 2014