Our Project

The initiative "SchweinfurtFABulous" aims to lead to an urban renewal of the city center of Schweinfurt and makes it future-proof. Following the profile of the city of Schweinfurt as "industry and art," the industrial and artistic history is taken up and made visible and tangible in the context of four sub-projects. Industry and art as themes of young "city makers" are intended to revitalize the city center through new uses and make it the center of "young" city life. In the "industry" theme area, the first sub-project, "StudyFAB," is the establishment of an inner-city meeting place („third place“) for students, founders, and all innovation-minded citizens of the city. The "StudyFAB" includes project and creative spaces, a student cafe, and an event space. This project is intended to "merge" students and the university with society. The second sub-project, "StadtFABrik," will investigate the suitability of the Schweinfurt city center for urban production as part of a feasibility study. In the "art" theme area, the third sub-project, "KunstFABrik," will transform vacancies in downtown studios into temporary studios for visual artists. The fourth sub-project, "RetailFAB," will test a prototypical digital shopping window in a textile store. The funded project will run from 2023-2025 and temporarily and partially transform our city center into an experimental environment where new models of multifunctionality of the city center and new (business) models are tested through the combination of work, trade, living, production, culture, leisure, and social exchange.

In the summer of 2021, the city of Schweinfurt submitted an application in response to the call for projects for the nationwide "Sustainable City Centers and Town Centers" program, for which a total of € 250 million has been made available by the German government.  Many cities and communities are affected by far-reaching changes in their city centers, city or district centers and town centers. The ongoing structural change in the retail sector is particularly worth mentioning,  but other uses, e.g. in the areas of tourism, hospitality, culture, residential use, etc., are also partly in low demand. This is where the funding program should take effect and supports cities and communities in developing and implementing innovative concepts and action strategies to strengthen the resilience, future viability and sustainability of the city centers. With the innovative concept "Schweinfurt FABulous", the city of Schweinfurt was able to convince and received the positive funding decision from the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development in November 2022 for a funding amount of EUR 973,500 (75% of the project costs). Schweinfurt is one of 238 cities nationwide that have received a commitment under the funding program. In Bavaria, there were a total of 15 commitments for cities and municipalities.

The vacancy rate in downtown Schweinfurt is a cause for concern. However, we also see this as an opportunity that opens up new scope for design. With this project, we are trying to rethink the city center, promote an attractive mix of uses and creatively remedy vacancies. We want to show that the courage to change is worthwhile and that cooperation and a project design based on partnership between local players is a prerequisite for creating a "win-win situation" for everyone involved. Schweinfurt FABulous will provide visitors to the city center of Schweinfurt with great added value.