Position for night culture representative can now be filled

Funding has been secured for the three projects Night Culture Representation, Interim Use Agency and Cultural Consulting. An agreement to this effect was reached at the most recent meeting of the Culture Committee. In future, these three projects will be brought together under the umbrella of a new so-called "cultural office", located at the reCoVer Jena Foundation. Head of Cultural Affairs Johannes Schleußner will now commission the reCoVer Foundation to advertise the three new positions. These will be financed by Departments 2, 3 and 5 as well as JenaKultur. An advisory board, in which the responsible department heads as well as representatives of the independent scene and technical experts are voting members, will be responsible for managing and evaluating the content.

Interim use agency - creative use of vacant space

There are still vacant properties in Jena that are not suitable for commercial or residential use. Art and culture find their place in these sometimes small-scale and sparsely equipped spaces. Blank, the agency for interim use, has been brokering these vacancies to artists and cultural workers, associations and young companies since April 2020. Space requirements have been identified with the creative scene and suitable concepts agreed with owners. One focus has always been on building trust in interim use.

"We welcome the continuation of the interim use agency over the next few years in order to give creative professionals in Jena the space they need and to pay the necessary attention to these vacancies," says Dirk Lange, Head of Urban Development.

Complex tasks of a night culture agency: mediating instead of displacing

Nightlife is an integral part of urban culture - even in a young and attractive science and student city like Jena. However, with the increasing use of public spaces in the evening and at night, the demands on safety, order and neighborly coexistence are also increasing.

"It is our task to ensure clear framework conditions so that nightlife remains possible without jeopardizing the legitimate interests of residents in peace and quiet. The intensive exchange over the past few years has shown that we can effectively defuse conflicts with a structured and moderated approach - but it will remain a challenging task to balance interests in the future," says Mayor and Head of Public Order Benjamin Koppe.

An important milestone in this process was the establishment of the "Paradies 21" steering group in 2021, which was prompted by recurring tensions in Paradies Park, particularly around Rasenmühleninsel, the bowling alley and the Glashaus. In a broad-based participation process, which was scientifically supported, representatives from administration, urban society and the cultural scene developed concrete approaches for a better approach to night-time use of space in five workshops.

The resulting concept led to the city council's decision to set up a night culture representative body. In future, this is to act as a coordinating interface - between event organizers, residents, regulatory authorities, administration and civil society groups.

"Its tasks are diverse: mediating in conflict situations, promoting dialog, strengthening the subjective sense of security and supporting young cultural initiatives. The city of Jena thus strikes a balance between cultural freedom and responsible management - knowing full well that new challenges can also be expected in the future that require creative and coordinated responses," explains Koppe.

Structural strengthening of evening events

"As a university city, Jena attracts numerous young people every year, many of whom, however, move away once they have finished their studies," says Head of Cultural Affairs Johannes Schleußner. "Strengthening cultural and gastronomic offerings in the evening and at night and providing young people with opportunities for outdoor leisure activities in the evening can make Jena more attractive for this population group in the long term. To this end, it is also important that the curbs are not raised after 6 p.m., but that the city center - also at night - is enlivened by cultural workers and visitors. This requires coordinating contacts who will pool their expertise and synergies in the cultural office."

"Securing funding for the existing projects Kulturberatung and Blank, the interim use agency, as well as the addition of the Nachtkulturvertretung project is a milestone and the result of a constructive and cooperative process involving all stakeholders," says Jana Gründig, Deputy Works Manager / Commercial Director of JenaKultur. "The concentration of these projects in one cultural office under one management supports the cooperation in terms of content and should achieve the greatest possible effect for the many independent cultural actors in the city of Jena as well as for the citizens of the city."