SWOT-Analysis of Halle 14 in the Cotton Spinning ... - Central Europe

for
HALLE 14 | Leipzig
This project is implemented
through the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme
co-fi nanced by the ERDF.
SWOT
Analysis
photo: Claus Bach

SWOT-Analysis of Halle 14
in the Cotton Spinning Mill Leipzig
Customer
Halle 14 e. V.
Spinnereistr. 7
04179 Leipzig
mail office@halle14.org
Contractor
u.m.s. urban management systems bgh. Bürogemeinschaft Gauly & Heck
Leibnizstraße 15
04105 Leipzig
fon +49 (0)341 97 50 376
fax +49 (0)341 97 51 399
mail info@um-systems.de
web www.um-systems.de
Georg-Schumann-Str. 130
04155 Leipzig
fon +49 (0)341 550 37 73
fax +49 (0)341 550 37 71
mail info@bgh-leipzig.de
web www.bgh-leipzig.de
20. Dezember 2010

Halle 14 Cotton Spinning Mill Leipzig
SWOT-Analysis
1 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Terms of reference ............................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 1
2 The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile ...................................... 3
2.1 Urban Outline, major socio-economic changes, individual selected parameter ....... 3
2.2 Economic profile ............................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Cultural profile ................................................................................................................... 4
3 Description of recent socio-demographic, industrial, economic, spatial and
cultural trends ................................................................................................................ 7
3.1 Socio-demographic structures and trends .................................................................... 7
3.2 Economic and industrial structures and trends ............................................................ 7
3.3 Spatical structures and trends ........................................................................................ 8
3.4 Cultural structures and trends ........................................................................................ 8
3.5 Kulturelle Events und UNESCO-Initiativen ..................................................................... 9
4 Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts) ................ 10
4.1 Defining Arts and Performing arts ................................................................................ 10
4.2 Status of Arts and Performing arts ............................................................................... 10
4.3 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 14
5 Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as
well as networks ........................................................................................................... 16
5.1 Defining the public sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as the
role of creative networks ................................................................................................ 16
5.2 Status of the public cultural sector ............................................................................... 17
5.3 Status of the intermediary sector .................................................................................. 17
5.4 Cultural networks, profiles of art related organisations, informal networks,
creative scenes ............................................................................................................... 18
5.5 Status of the cultural activities ...................................................................................... 20
5.6 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 20

Halle 14 Cotton Spinning Mill Leipzig
SWOT-Analysis
6 Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city ..................................................................... 22
6.1 Spatial-geographical setting .......................................................................................... 22
6.2 Former use of the site and its buildings ....................................................................... 23
6.3 Planning status ............................................................................................................... 24
6.4 Potential functions to be applied .................................................................................. 25
6.5 Future ideas ..................................................................................................................... 26
6.6 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 26
7 SWOT-Matrix ................................................................................................................. 28
7.1 SWOT-Analysis of the arts and performing arts sector in Leipzig ............................ 28
7.2 SWOT-Analysis of Halle 14 ............................................................................................ 31
8 Summary of the SWOT Analysis ................................................................................. 34
Annex ................................................................................................................................... 35

Executive Summary
1 Executive Summary
1.1 Terms of reference
Registered association HALLE 14 e.V. is represented in the EU programme SECOND CHANCE along with eight
other partners from five European partner cities. The project is examining the use of the visual arts and the performing
arts to revitalise disused industrial buildings and sites. A SWOT analysis is to be carried out for each location to
determine the individual circumstances of the post-industrial building there with a view to its long-term, sustainable
(continued) reuse.
This study focuses on the profile of the Halle 14 art centre and its current usage concept – and partly also that of the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site.
First of all, the entire city of Leipzig is introduced in a statistical portrait (Section 2) with special emphasis on its economic
(2.2) and cultural profile (2.3). Recent developments and strategies are outlined in Section 3 paying particular
attention to the cultural and creative industries.
Following this introductory information, Section 4 describes the sector comprising the visual arts and the performing
arts in Leipzig in more detail as well as the related structures such as art galleries and museums. In Section 5, the
current status of the public cultural sector (5.2) and the intermediary sector of the cultural scene in Leipzig (5.3) are
gauged on the basis of semi-structured interviews with experts, focusing in particular on the visual arts and the creative
milieu in West Leipzig. Furthermore, networks and institutions relevant to Halle 14 (5.4) and possible links with
the activities of Halle 14 (5.5) are presented. Section 6 contains a detailed description of Halle 14, its activities and its
direct surroundings, and continues by examining the potential of Halle 14 and additional ideas regarding its development.
The strengths and weaknesses of the location are identified and described in Sections 3, 4 and 5, along with opportunities
and threats to the further development of Halle 14 and the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site. Section 7 compares
the findings while Section 8 consists of a brief final summary.
1.2 Methodology
This SWOT analysis was compiled in October and November 2010. It is based on the findings of extensive data
research as well as eight semi-structured, questionnaire-based interviews with selected experts from the public cultural
sector, the intermediary sector and networks.
The detailed descriptions of the various reference levels (including the city as a whole, the district, and the economic
situation) are based on an evaluation of the results of broad research and statistical data covering various fields. The
data used for this quantitative analysis was obtained from for example various departments of the City of Leipzig, the
Saxon Department of Statistics and the German Employment Agency (labour exchange) as well as statistical units at
for instance Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the KSK artists’ social insurance scheme.
In order to examine thematic features of the cultural and creative industries as well as of Halle 14, interviews were
conducted with actors whose work and involvement make them particularly qualified to talk about Halle 14 and related
issues. As a result of this qualitative module, the questionnaire-based interviews enabled assessments and
information to be concluded about relevant areas and institutions, which in turn allowed a concrete evaluation of the
cultural and creative industries in Leipzig and Halle 14.
Various priorities with different degrees of urgency and consequences for the development of Halle 14 were identified
in close consultation with the actors and by using the data analysed. In conclusion, the findings of this process are
1

Executive Summary
clearly presented by classifying them among the strengths and opportunities as well as the weaknesses and risks (or
threats) affecting positive development. Here, too, a two-stage evaluation provides a more detailed view of the cultural
and creative industries. By way of introduction, the status of the city as a whole is presented followed by a corresponding
assessment of Halle 14.
.
2

The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile
2 The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile
2.1 Urban Outline, major socio-economic changes, individual selected parameter
Leipzig, an administrative district in its own right, is situated in north-west Saxony. Being the cradle of the Peaceful
Revolution, its citizens made a major contribution to bringing about the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. With a population
of nearly 519,000 (correct as of 2009), Leipzig is one of the three biggest cities in eastern Germany. And together
with the neighbouring city of Halle (Saale), Leipzig makes up a conurbation which is part of the Saxon Triangle
metropolitan region. With an area of 297.36 square metres, Leipzig has a population density of 1,745 inhabitants per
square kilometre.
Like all towns and cities in eastern Germany, after German reunification Leipzig underwent a process of major transformation
accompanied by high population decline – -17.5% between 1990 and 2000 – and massive job losses in the
same period. However, over the past decade the socio-economic situation was first stabilised and then successively
improved. Despite a negative balance in terms of natural population development (2009: –0.1%), the total number of
inhabitants of Leipzig is set to increase in the years to come owing to the positive geographical population change
(2009: 0.4%). The relatively high positive commuter balance of 8.5 per 1,000 inhabitants testifies to a region with
attractive employers.
2.2 Economic profile
As in almost all regions in what used to be East Germany, the economic transformation beginning in 1990 resulted in
the almost total collapse of industrial production and precipitated major structural changes. Only few companies
managed to survive following privatisation. 1 In Leipzig’s manufacturing industry in particular, about 63% of jobs were
lost between 1991 and 2006 – a period which, however, witnessed a strong shift to the service sector (cf. Fig. 1).
part of employees (%)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
public and private services
(including public administration)
corporate and financial services
trade, hotel and restaurant
industry, traffic
Fig. 1: Economic structure of Leipzig by relative distribution of those in gainful employment (source: Leipzig
Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
1 E.g. TAKRAF (surface mining equipment, about 400 employees), Gebrüder Brehmer (printing and bookbinding machinery, about 280
employees), Kirow (crane manufacturr, about 180 employees), etc.
construction and building
industry
commerce and manufactoring
industries (excluding
construction and building
industry)
agriculture
1991
2006
3

The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile
Following German reunification in 1990, major corporations were attracted to Leipzig by means of economic policy
and development measures introduced by the City of Leipzig and the Free State of Saxony. This resulted in investment
projects in Leipzig such as a BMW car plant (about 2,500 employees + another 3,100 staff working for partners
and suppliers), DHL’s European freight hub (which is expected to have a workforce of 3,500 when completed in
2012), various Siemens operations (about 1,700) and a Porsche assembly plant (about 400).
The main economic sectors in Leipzig are nowadays as follows:
• Telecoms and IT (Unister Holding GmbH, Primacom, PC-Ware)
• Energy sector (DBFZ German Biomass Research Centre), energy utilities (VNG – Verbundnetz Gas,
Stadtwerke Leipzig), seat of European Energy Exchange (EEX)
• Transport and logistics (DHL’s European cargo hub, Amazon)
• Healthcare sector (Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig Heart Centre – Rhön Clinic, etc)
• Biotechnology (BioCity Leipzig – the University of Leipzig’s BBZ Biotechnology-Biomedicine Centre, Max
Plank and Frauenhofer institutes, etc)
• Tourism (2007: 1.9 million visitors, 92 hotels and hostels. Turnover in hospitality : €1.1 billion. Day-trippers
from Germany 840,000, UK 11,800, Netherlands 11,000, USA 25,000 and Japan 5,600 (all figures approximate)
In June 2010, 39,626 companies were registered with Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce along with over
3,900 firms in the skilled manual trades (correct as of 2009). The number of employees in Leipzig subject to social
security in 2009 was 205,709.
In 2008, Leipzig’s GDP was €13.802 billion. Moreover, sales tax revenue in 2007 reached €18.8 billion. In recent
years, Leipzig has had one of the best balances of business registrations and deregistrations in Germany.
According to the latest economic report by Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce, although Leipzig’s GDP
declined sharply in 2009 owing to the recession, all sectors of the economy (with the exception of construction) have
since stabilised or even improved. The local labour market was protected from severe repercussions by the widespread
use of short-time work and working time accounts.
2.3 Cultural profile
Leipzig has become known internationally for its traditional high culture (music and the visual arts) as well as more
recent developments in design (Designers Open) and modern festivals (e.g. DOK Leipzig, euro-scene Leipzig,
Wave-Gotik-Treffen and the Leipzig Jazz Festival). Its international reputation is chiefly accounted for by its image as
a city of music. With a musical history stretching back 800 years, the city has a proud heritage of both composers
(including Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck, and
Edvard Grieg, see also 3.5) and long-standing venues (Gewandhaus concert hall, St Thomas’s Church, the University
of Leipzig and Forum Thomanum).
In addition, international attention has been directed towards the visual arts in Leipzig, chiefly on account of the New
Leipzig School, whose most popular representative is Neo Rauch. Then again, the HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual
Arts was originally founded back in 1764, making it one of the oldest art colleges in Germany. Moreover, the Leipzig
Art Society was established by wealthy citizens in 1837 with the aim of collecting significant works of art and displaying
them to the general public. Thanks to financial support, lobbying and donated collections, the Museum of Fine
Arts (which moved into a brand new building in 2004) is regarded as one of Germany’s leading museums of art.
4

The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile
Leipzig has a long history of publishing, and during the 19th century it developed into the main centre of the German
book trade. Although nearly all the publishing buildings were completely destroyed in World War II and many publishers
moved their headquarters to West Germany during the East German era, since reunification Leipzig has managed
to partly regain international significance as a publishing centre. 2 Important institutions in Leipzig related to
publishing include ‘Leipzig Reads’ (Europe’s biggest festival of literature, which is held during the annual Leipzig
Book Fair), the German National Library, various training facilities, permanent exhibitions and museums.
Leipzig is also one of the oldest trade show centres in the world. The exhibition centre opened in 1996 hosts regular
events such as the Leipzig Book Fair and Auto Mobil International. Since 2002, it has also staged Games Convention,
which in 2009 was renamed Games Convention Online. Working in a tough market, trade fair operator Leipziger
Messe has to compete with many other German locations, many of which are much bigger, such as Hannover,
Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
Apart from the University of Leipzig (the second-oldest
university in Germany), Leipzig has three other universities
and colleges (see inset), making the city an
important centre of higher education. It’s therefore no
surprise to learn that the student population of Leipzig
exceeds 37,000.
Owing to the long history of the University of Leipzig
and the Leipzig Fair and the resulting prosperous citi-
Higher education in Leipzig:
• University of Leipzig (with collections, museums,
musical heritage and the German Institute of Literature)
• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music
and Theatre“
• Leipzig University of Applied Sciences
• Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts (HGB)
• HHL – Graduate School of Management in Leipzig
and many other colleges and institutes
zenry, not only were many cultural institutions founded in the city but significant collections of art and cultural items
were also set up. The most famous cultural institutions include:
Museums and collections (selection):
• Museum of Fine Arts (founded in 1837 by Leipzig Art Society; its collections comprise 58,500 exhibits from
the late Middle Ages to the modern era, including by Neo Rauch and the New Leipzig School)
• Gallery of Contemporary Art (opened in 1990; holds regular temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary
art)
• German Book and Writing Museum at the German Library (oldest museum of books, manuscripts and paper
in the world)
• Leipzig Museum of the Printing Arts
• Leipzig House of Literature (readings and exhibitions)
• The University of Leipzig has a raft of distinguished collections (the Museum of Egyptology, the Museum of
the Ancient World and the Museum of Musical Instruments, teaching collections)
• German National Library
• German Central Library for the Blind
• The Museum of City History (including Germany’s oldest coffeehouse ‘The Arabian Coffee Tree’, Schiller
House, Leipzig Sports Museum and the Monument to the Battle of Leipzig)
• Bach Archive
• Grassi Museum (Museum of Musical Instruments, Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig Museum of Ethnology)
• Panometer (gasometer built in 1910 and closed in 1977; biggest panoramic painting in the world)
2 E.g. Klett-Verlag, Connewitzer Verlagsbuchhandlung, Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Voland & Quist, Faber & Faber, Lehmstedt.
5

The city of Leipzig, its major economic and cultural profile
Concert halls and theatres etc (selections):
• MDR Central German Broadcasting Corporation (with its own symphony orchestra and choir)
• Schauspiel Leipzig (theatrical company with three venues: Central Theatre, Skala and Theatre behind the
Iron Curtain)
• Gewandhaus Orchestra/Gewandhaus concert hall (founded in 1781; current Gewandhaus director of music:
Ricardo Chailly)
• Leipzig Opera House with Leipziger Ballet, Musical Comedy (founded as civic institution, third-oldest opera
house in Europe; artistic director: Alexander von Maravic)
• Composers’ houses (Mendelssohn House, Schumann House, Edvard Grieg Meeting Centre)
• St Thomas’s Boys Choir, Forum Thomanum, St Thomas’s Church (800th anniversary of choir and church in
2012)
6

Description of recent socio-demographic, industrial, economic, spatial and cultural trends
3 Description of recent socio-demographic, industrial, economic, spatial and
cultural trends
3.1 Socio-demographic structures and trends
In the 2009 league table of Germany’s 50 biggest cities compiled by the New Social Market Economy Initiative, Leipzig
was rated 43rd. Its notable strengths included an above-average standard of education (17% of all employees
subject to social security have a university degree, compared to the national average of 12.4%), the local authority
investment quota of 7.9% (national mean: 6.1%), and the positive assessment of Leipzig as a business location by
the employers asked (63.1%).
One of Leipzig’s socioeconomic weaknesses is its relatively high unemployment. The city’s jobless rate of 13.6% is
far higher than the national figure of 7.2% (both figures apply to September 2010). For years, Leipzig has been afflicted
by consolidated long-term unemployment chiefly affecting young people aged 15–24. In 2008, one in five of
Leipzig’s population was on SGB II (Social Security Code) benefits, and this proportion is increasing. Other negative
indicators are the very low local authority share of income tax of €131 per head (compared to the national average of
€298) and the low-average purchasing power per inhabitant of €15,884 (national average: €18,756).
Positive trends are to be seen in for instance the development of the labour market. For example, the supply of jobs
rose between 2003 and 2008 by 4.5% (national mean: 2%) while the number of jobs subject to social security in the
same period increased by 7% (national mean: 0.9%). Moreover, Leipzig’s population grew continuously between
2003 and 2008 by 3.6% (national mean: 0.4%).
3.2 Economic and industrial structures and trends
After considering general performance parameters of Leipzig’s economy in 2.2, attention will now be paid to highlights
and trends in the creative industries. In the city’s development strategy, the sectors of Leipzig’s economy with
the highest growth have been subdivided into five clusters. 3 One promising cluster is ‘Media & Creativity’. For the
purposes of this SWOT analysis, the creative industries are of particular interest. As well as being the fastest-growing
economic sector in Leipzig, the creative industries are also the sector least affected by the recent financial crisis.
In the region of Saxony, the turnover of the cultural and creative industries in 2006 totalled €3 billion. This puts Saxony
in fourth place among the 16 federal states making up Germany; indeed, Saxony’s cultural and creative sector
accounted for 2.2% of Germany’s entire turnover that year. The two foremost cultural centres in Saxony are the cities
of Dresden and Leipzig.
In 2006, the turnover of the nearly 1,900 companies making up Leipzig’s cultural and creative industries made up
8.4% of the city’s overall economy. The most important areas were publishing, the film industry, journalism and advertising.
Leipzig has a far-reaching structure and many relevant criteria which could benefit the cultural and creative industries.
For example, apart from the numerous businesses operating in the music (see also 2.3), publishing, film, radio
and design sectors, there are in particular training facilities for the cultural and creative industries such as the Felix
Mendelssohn University of Music and Theatre and the HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts. Other supporting factors
are specified below.
3 1. Automotive & Suppliers; 2. Media & Creativity; 3. Healthcare & Biotech; 4. Power& Environment; 5. Logistics & Services.
7

Description of recent socio-demographic, industrial, economic, spatial and cultural trends
3.3 Spatical structures and trends
The compact city of Leipzig is characterised by extensive fin-de-siècle building stock as well as large green spaces
and other leisure areas. Numerous rivers, streams and canals flow through the city, which is also surrounded by a
large number of lakes (including artificial lakes made by flooding opencast mine pits).
At the time of German reunification, much of the historical building stock in Leipzig as well as public spaces and
underground utility networks were in an appalling condition. For example, in 1990, just 24% of the building stock had
been refurbished, the remainder being unrefurbished. Thanks to lucrative tax breaks and financial incentives, the
further dilapidation of the building stock was prevented in good time and a refurbishment and modernisation boom
broke out. Capital investors from western Germany became the driving force of the local construction and property
market. Nevertheless, long-term success proved elusive. In the late 1990s, Leipzig’s property market was on the
brink of collapse in response to additional population decline, continuing suburbanisation and surplus housing. However,
thanks to a paradigm shift in the city’s urban regeneration policy, the local authority was able to counteract this
negative development. This prompted in particular the introduction of more controlled urban renewal, i.e. sustainable
development in small stages and the implementation of the Neue Gründerzeit overall programme. Since then, urban
development has been on the right track. Much of the housing stock has now been refurbished (2000: 74% of the
building stock refurbished, 26% unrefurbished), public areas have in many cases been improved, and the technical
infrastructure has been modernised.
The basic spatial structure of the city offers very good conditions for the development of creative milieus. They include
not only the spatial density and the very mixed structure but above all available premises at low rents in areas
previously used by industry, making it easy to start creative businesses. The existing creative milieus predominate in
three main areas:
1) The ‘culturally sedate city centre’ with its artistic and cultural institutions known far and wide (high culture),
which has gained charisma and symbolic force.
2) The ‘established south’ (the Südvorstadt and Connewitz districts), which harbours a specific independent
scene, partly thanks to large numbers of students.
3) The ‘experimental west’ (Plagwitz and Lindenau), which is currently being conquered by pioneers and
creative spirits and provides attractive housing and working possibilities.
The Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill containing Hall 14 is situated in the third creative milieu and is examined in more
detail in Section 6.
3.4 Cultural structures and trends
The paramount aim of cultural policy is to establish the hallmark of cultural variety. The main elements of Leipzig’s
cultural life and image are:
• City of the Peaceful Revolution; active recollection of autumn 1989
• City of higher education; city of music; city of exhibitions and trade shows; city of publishing
Although Leipzig’s cultural development plan is currently being revised, it can be assumed that these core aims will
not be changed.
Leipzig has the second-highest per capita expenditure on culture (about €223.51) in Germany, eclipsed only by
Frankfurt am Main. This can largely be attributed to the wealth of local authority institutions (Gewandhaus, Leipzig
Opera House, etc). In 2010, the City of Leipzig’s cultural budget totalled around €116 million.
8

Description of recent socio-demographic, industrial, economic, spatial and cultural trends
Other subsidies for cultural projects and institutions can be applied for every year from the City of Leipzig’s Office for
Cultural Affairs. In addition, financial support is available for the structural refurbishment of cultural facilities under the
Stadtumbau Ost Programme and from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE).
Outside the public sector, structural assistance for culture is relatively limited in Leipzig. The main funders are the
two local public foundations Stiftung Bürger für Leipzig and Bürgerstiftung Leipzig as well as national foundations.
At present, two large EU projects are being implemented in Leipzig which support the creative sector and strengthen
cultural variety in order to make Leipzig more attractive and competitive: the programmes ‘Creative Cities’ and
‘SECOND CHANCE’ (see also 5.3 and 5.4). Both programmes will exert an important influence on Leipzig’s cultural
development.
3.5 Kulturelle Events und UNESCO-Initiativen
Musical and theatrical events are held regularly in Leipzig. The following list contains a selection of events with an
international impact:
• The Bach Festival has been held annually since 1908. It now features over 100 individual performances and
other events and has a new motto each year (e.g. Bach–Schumann–Brahms in 2010).
• The annual Mendelssohn Festival is held every year in conjunction with the Gewandhaus Festival to commemorate
the composer Felix Mendelssohn, who worked and died in Leipzig.
• The Schumann Festival in September was celebrated especially vigorously in 2010 (the bicentenary of his
birth).
• Festivals have been held in honour of the composer Richard Wagner (who was born in Leipzig) since 2006.
Large celebrations are planned to mark the bicentenary of his birth in 2013.
• Other classical music events include Classic Open and the ‘a capella’ festival of vocal music.
• The Jewish Festival is also known internationally and attracts growing numbers of visitors every year.
• The Leipzig Jazz Festival is devoted to contemporary jazz and has been held annually in Leipzig since
1976.
• Wave-Gotik-Treffen – an annual celebration of dark music and arts – has been held every Whitsun since
1992 and now draws over 20,000 visitors, making it one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the world.
• ‘euro-scene Leipzig’ is one of Europe’s foremost festivals of contemporary theatre and dance.
Apart from the cultural events described above, the three initiatives active in Leipzig aimed at inclusion on UNES-
CO’s List of World Heritage Sites should also be mentioned:
• Leipzig’s musical heritage
• Fin-de-siècle building stock in the Waldstrasse district
• Leipzig collotype workshop
The first of these appears especially promising judging by the preliminary study and the political will expressed in
Leipzig and Saxony.
9

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
4 Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
4.1 Defining Arts and Performing arts
This part of the study deals with the visual arts and the performing arts as an economic factor of a city. Apart from the
visual arts and the performing arts, attention is also paid to related structures such as art galleries and museums. In
order to examine the situation throughout Germany, both the publicly financed and supported sector and the private
sector of the art scene in a broad sense are outlined. In addition, an overview of the situation and of the development
of related sectors and the creative industries in Leipzig in a broad sense is given. The aim is to produce clear, comparable
findings which are also usable for sharing information between the partner cities and beyond. The methodological
basis for selection and presentation is provided by the categories of the NACE Codes of the European Union
and the German subdivision into economic sectors as of 2008.
The NACE category 90 ‘Creative, arts and entertainment activities’ is used for the separate classification of the areas
defined as core branches (see detailed overview in the annex). Owing to the incomplete nature of the data concerning
freelance artists, the details of company figures are augmented by a brief retrospective overview of these creatives
(see Fig. 4).
Der Sektor der Kunst- und Kulturszene als Wirtschaftsfaktor einer Stadt ist Gegenstand dieses Abschnittes. Beachtung
finden in diesem Bereich neben den bildenden und den darstellenden Künsten auch die angegliederten Strukturen
wie bspw. Galerien und Museen. Für die Untersuchung der gesamtstädtischen Situation dieses Bereiches sind
sowohl der öffentlich finanzierte und unterstützte sowie der private Sektor der Kunstszene im weiteren Sinne darzustellen.
Zudem wird durch eine breitere Fassung des Begriffes eine Übersicht zur Situation und der Entwicklung der
nahestehenden Branchen und der Kreativwirtschaft in Leipzig gegeben. Ziel ist es, nachvollziehbare und vergleichbare
Ergebnisse zu erhalten, die auch für Aussagen zwischen den Partnerstädten und darüber hinaus nutzbar sind.
Die methodische Grundlage für die Auswahl und die Darstellung stellen die Kategorien der NACE Codes der Europäischen
Union bzw. der deutschen Einteilung nach Wirtschaftszweigen (WZ) ab 2008 dar.
Zur gesonderten Erfassung der als Core Branches klassifizierten Bereiche dienen die Angaben des WZ Kreative,
künstlerische und unterhaltende Tätigkeiten (NACE: 90, ausführliche Übersicht im Anhang). Auf Grund der lückenhaften
Datenlage bezüglich frei arbeitender Künstler sind die Angaben der Unternehmenszahlen durch eine kurzfristig
zurückreichende Übersicht dieser Kreativen ergänzt (siehe Abbildung 4).
4.2 Status of Arts and Performing arts
Examining the numbers of businesses in selected areas in recent years would be beneficial for describing the development
of the creative industries as well as the artistic and cultural sectors. The data available enable the various
sectors to be described with varying degrees of detail. As can be seen from Tab. 1 below, the number of businesses
active in the creative industries has increased dramatically. Since the year 2000, the number of businesses in all the
economic branches in this area has risen (with the exception of radio broadcasters, advertising and market research
agencies, and architectural and engineering firms). Only the concrete subgroups which can be truly assigned to the
creative industries (CI) are shown here, not necessarily the sum of the respective main groups.
10

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
Tab. 1: Development of the number of businesses by economic sectors of the CI (source: Leipzig Chamber of
Industry and Commerce, own depiction)
BRANCH NACE (2008)
retail (excluding car trade) 47
publishing 58
production, rental & distribution of movies & television programmes; cinemas; soundstudios & publishing of music 59
broadcast 60
services of information technology 62
architecture & engineering offices; technical, physical & chemical research 71
advertising & market research 73
other freelance, scientific & technical services 74
creative, artistic & entertaining activities - Core Branches 90
libraries, archives, museums, botanical & zoological gardens 91
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
NACE
(2008)
247 251 249 248 256 263 272 284 268 273 266 47
135 145 146 153 162 172 173 172 183 197 206 58
95 104 108 163 201 224 238 251 269 282 302 59
45 48 54 52 46 41 42 41 45 40 36 60
83 123 141 249 327 409 486 563 634 711 754 62
349 304 285 270 259 237 230 220 217 223 228 71
1.098 1.104 1.066 1.039 1.007 982 940 915 880 844 832 73
5 4 5 55 70 90 110 122 128 158 182 74
78 92 84 145 165 183 211 261 290 360 412 90
7 7 9 9 12 14 14 11 11 12 14 91
2.142 2.182 2.147 2.383 2.505 2.615 2.716 2.840 2.925 3.100 3.232 total CI
number of companies of CI
3.500
3.300
3.100
2.900
2.700
2.500
2.300
2.100
1.900
1.700
1.500
2.142
2000
78
2.182 2.147
2001
92 84
2002
2.383
2003
145
2.505
2004
165
2.615
2005
year
Fig. 2: Development of the number of businesses by core branches and CI (source: Leipzig Chamber of Industry
and Commerce, own depiction)
183
total branches of Creative Industries Core Branches: artists, arts & performing arts
2.716
2006
211
2.840
2007
261
2.925
2008
290
3.100
2009
360
3.232
2010
412
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
number of nompanies of Core Branch
11

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
The role of artistic and cultural businesses has grown in significance within this development and statistically has
expanded disproportionately (for example, the number of businesses has increased by more than 500% since the
year 2000). The strongest growth has been recorded for the performing arts, followed by directly related services
(e.g. stagecraft). The increase in the number of firms active in the visual arts is mainly due to independent painters,
graphic designers and craftspeople.
Tab. 2: Summary of core branches pursuant to NACE 90 and 91 (source: Leipzig Chamber of Industry and
Commerce, own depiction)
thereof
creative, artistic &
entertaining activities
plus museums & galleries
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
82 96 91 152 174 194 222 268 298 369 423
performing arts 20 22 20 63 70 82 102 125 138 175 202
associated services 23 39 33 32 46 53 63 77 92 116 135
visual arts 11 13 14 16 20 21 24 34 33 43 48
exhibition & event
services
28 22 24 41 38 38 33 32 35 35 38
Another indicator of the development of various economic branches in general and the creative industries in particular
is the number of employees subject to social security. For data protection reasons, only limited details on specific
sectors can be provided. Therefore, in order to present the development of the number of employees subject to social
security during the past ten years, merely data at the level of main groups of the various economic sectors are
available. Accordingly, the total sum of the main group is larger than the actual value sought. Moreover, the alteration
of the method of statistical classification of economic sectors makes it difficult to produce a direct comparison of
development over the last ten years. Since 2007, different data backgrounds have arisen in connection with the
changed registration coding with the aim of obtaining more reliable and accurate information on individual sectors (cf.
Tab. 3 and 4).
Tab. 3: Employees subject to social security pursuant to the previous classification of economic sectors [WZ 2003]
(source: German Employment Agency, own depiction)
number of salaried
employees in Leipzig
(NACE 2003)
2000
(30 th jun.)
2001
(30 th jun.)
2002
(30 th jun.)
2003
(30 th jun.)
2004
(30 th jun.)
2005
(30 th jun.)
2006
(30 th jun.)
total 207.164 204.116 196.239 194.235 191.170 188.845 195.672
relevante branches of
Creative Industries
relevante branches
of Core Branches
53.285 54.200 54.646 55.707 55.654 56.029 59.304
6.749 6.786 7.002 7.437 7.530 7.396 7.403
other branches 152.631 149.216 140.903 137.840 134.840 132.178 135.719
12

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
Tab. 4: Employees subject to social security pursuant to the current classification of economic sectors [WZ 2008]
(source: German Employment Agency, own depiction)
number of salaried
employees in Leipzig
(NACE 2008)
2007
(30 th jun.)
2008
(30 th jun.)
2009
(30 th jun.)
2010
(30 th mar.)
total 200.064 205.490 205.709 208.504
relevante branches of
Creative Industries
relevante branches
of Core Branches
28.355 32.074 34.249 34.690
2.241 2.314 2.284 2.321
other branches 167.541 171.914 169.724 172.101
number of employees
branches of Creative Industries
70.500
60.500
50.500
40.500
30.500
20.500
10.500
500
6.749
53.285
2000
6.786
54.200
2001
7.002
54.646
2002
7.437
55.707
2003
7.530
55.654
2004
7.396
56.029
2005
Fig. 3: Development of the number of employees subject to social security in the CI and core branches (source:
German Employment Agency, own depiction)
Despite the impeded comparability of the individual values, on the whole an increasing trend in the number of employees
subject to social security is to be seen (cf. Fig. 3) for the creative industries (2007–10: +22%) and also the
core branches subsumed under them (2007–10:+4%). The development of the small-scale, independent art scene
cannot be described precisely since the company sizes cannot be gauged (frequently, freelance artists are not included
in such statistical surveys since they work individually). Nevertheless, the incomplete data still indicate that
the numbers of active artists within all areas of the arts have increased in this group, too (cf. Fig. 4).
7.403
59.304
2006
group of Creative Industries (NACE 2003) group of Creative Industries (NACE 2008)
group of Core Branches(NACE 2003) group of Core Branches(NACE 2008)
28.355
2007
2.241
32.074
2008
2.314
34.249
2009
2.284
34.690
2010
2.321
9.500
8.500
7.500
6.500
5.500
4.500
3.500
2.500
1.500
13
number of employees
branchgroups of Core Branches

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
Fig. 4: Development of the number of freelance artists (source: KSK artists’ social insurance scheme, own
depiction)
4.3 Summary
2007
(as at 26 th jun. 2007)
2008
(as at 9 th dec. 2008)
vis. arts 641 710
perf. arts 226 245
music 518 556
writing 502 546
all art
sectors
1.887 2.057
perf. arts
all art sectors
0 500 1.000 1.500 2.000 2.500
The depiction of the findings obtained so far indicates growth in the creative industries in Leipzig as a whole. Over
the past ten years, the number of firms in this sector has risen by more than 50%, while the number of artistic and
cultural businesses has also significantly increased. Furthermore, not only the absolute numbers but also the relative
importance of this sector has grown within the CI (cf. Fig. 5).
2000
3,6%
art sector
2005
Fig. 5: Relative development and significance of the number of businesses by core branches and CI (source:
Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce, own depiction)
It should be noted that the past ten years have seen not just a quantitative development but also an increase in quality
in the creative industries, especially the visual arts and performing arts. This development is largely driven by both
temporary influences such as individual festivals and events and the establishment and momentum of permanent
factors. The relevance of events in the visual arts and the performing arts has increased substantially in Leipzig in
the recent past. Major annual events with lasting success such as the exhibitions in the art scene (Designers’ Open,
writing
music
vis. arts
7,0%
245
226
546
502
556
518
710
641
number of freelance artists
2008
(as at 9th dec. 2008)
Core Branches: artists, arts & performing arts total branches of Creative Industries
2.057
1.887
2007
(as at 26th jun. 2007)
2010
12,7%
14

Status of the private sectors – Core branch (Arts and Performing arts)
F/Stop, Pop Up, open days at the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and the HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts, Grassi
Fair, etc) and the significance of public cultural and high culture institutions (Museum of Fine Arts, Gallery of Contemporary
Art, Grassi Museum, Leipzig Opera House, the Gewandhaus, broad theatre scene) as well as related
events (the Bach Festival, Classic Open etc) have become well established in the city’s artistic and cultural landscape.
In the end, this harmonious parallel development of the large public institutions and alternative areas has also
spawned a beneficial atmosphere for the development of an independent arts scene. Independent structures have
become stabilised in recent years, such as the Lindenow initiative, in which independent art venues and galleries are
brought together within a network and a joint event.
15

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
5 Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as
networks
5.1 Defining the public sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as the role of
creative networks
In order to determine the current status of the cultural scene in Leipzig, eight questionnaire-based interviews were
conducted with experts. Leipzig’s wide-ranging cultural scene – and hence the actors interviewed – were restricted to
the intersection of the creative and cultural industries in Leipzig with emphasis on the visual arts and, in geographical
terms, West Leipzig. 4 Accordingly, the following paragraphs reflect the statements of the experts interviewed. The
interviewees were chosen together with the client and comprise the following representatives of the public cultural
sector, the intermediary sector and creative networks:
Public cultural sector:
• City of Leipzig (local authority):
Office for Cultural Affairs: Susanne Kucharski-Huniat (head of department);
Office for Urban Regeneration and Residential Development: Stefan Geiss (head of division)
• Gallery of Contemporary Art: Heidi Stecker (media and PR, curator)
Intermediary sector:
• Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei Verwaltungsgesellschaft GmbH: Bertram Schultze (CEO of the Leipzig Cotton
Spinning Mill management company)
• HALLE 14 e.V.: Ute Volz (president), Florian Reich (coordination and management)
• Federkiel Foundation: Karsten Schmitz (chairman)
• Commercial galleries on the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site: ASPN Galerie: Arne Linde (owner);
Maerzgalerie: Torsten Reiter (owner)
Creative networks:
• West Leipzig Quarter Management: Peggy Diebler (quarter manager)
• Cultural and Creative Industries Initiative: Christian Rost (contact for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia)
The most important actor in Leipzig’s public cultural sector is the local authority (City of Leipzig), in particular the
Office for Cultural Affairs, the Office for Economic Development, and the Office for Urban Regeneration and Residential
Development. In addition, a key role in Leipzig is played by other institutions belonging to the local authority (e.g.
Leipzig Opera House, the Gewandhaus, museums, etc), the Free State of Saxony (e.g. the University of Leipzig),
and the federal government (the University of Music and Theatre). The high culture institutions are all very well networked
together. The creative networks in Leipzig’s cultural scene as a whole are very heterogeneous. They range
from amalgamations of individual artists to institutionalised arts centres and are spread throughout all genres. It is
therefore not surprising that a variety of creative networks has emerged in Leipzig which are more or less formalised.
It should be stressed that merely a selection of actors and structures can be considered in the following paragraphs.
4 With the exception of the Gallery of Contemporary Art.
16

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
5.2 Status of the public cultural sector
Growing significance is attributed to Leipzig’s cultural and creative industries in local, regional and even national
policy. It is viewed as an important value chain generating positive effects for the city’s economy, marketing and
image. The process of maintaining and consolidating this economic factor includes nurturing the corresponding milieus
and creating good conditions for the further development of the cultural and creative industries in Leipzig.
This has resulted in long-standing cooperation between Halle 14 at the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and the local
authority. 5 The Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and Halle 14 are important partners for the City of Leipzig in connection
with the implementation of state subsidy programmes. Financial support from the public sector has already been
provided in connection with refurbishment measures for the building (partly financed by Stadtumbau Ost and the
ERDF) and in the form of project subsidies (totalling €20,000 awarded by the Office for Cultural Affairs in 2010) such
as to improve the cultural education available (‘Kreative Spinner’). The structural refurbishment of the building has
been estimated to require total investment of €2.68 million, of which €1.09 million (including a subsidy of €0.92 million)
was provided in the previous two construction phases. In November 2010, €0.66 million was pledged for fire
prevention measures and the infrastructure by the funding body for the outstanding third construction phase (which
has a calculated volume of €1.59 million, €1.35 million of which it is hoped will be provided in the form of subsidies).
Apart from building-related refurbishment work, measures to improve the surroundings of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning
Mill (such as the transformation of Plagwitz railway station) are being carried out under the West Leipzig ERDF
project.
The possibility of controlling the development of the creative milieus was however rejected by all the interviewees
since this would cramp the necessary freedoms of artists and creatives. Support for the scene is desired by the public
sector and provided where possible.
5.3 Status of the intermediary sector
It emerged from the interviews that the intermediary sector in Leipzig is very weak. For example, there are hardly any
public-private partnerships in the milieu concerned. And although patrons are important for Halle 14, they rarely
come from Leipzig and there are simply too few.
Hardly any disseminators are present in Leipzig to ‘spread the word’ about the concerns of Halle 14. This gap in the
intermediary sector is partly explained by the fact that the cultural and creative industries only entered public awareness
a few years ago and are therefore in need of structural development.
The City of Leipzig now plans to set up a contact point for the creative industries (within the framework of Creative
Cities) to provide guidance to artists and creatives in their dealings with the local authority. It will be based in the
West Leipzig borough walk-in centre.
In addition, over the past two or three years a number of networks have emerged which also serve to ‘disseminate’
the interests of artists and creatives. Assuming they become established in the next few years as expected, a
healthy, far-reaching intermediary sector will crystallise.
5 E.g. resolution of the 42nd Council no. RBIV-1106/08 dated 16 January 2008.
17

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
One new yet seemingly already important network is the German government’s Cultural and Creative Industries
Initiative, the aims and strategies of which are:
• To strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural and creative industries
• To exploit the potential for creating jobs
• To improve the earnings of small cultural businesses and freelance artists (by making them more professional
and raising their potential)
• To simplify contact with official bodies
• To provide advice (guidance, self-perception, networking, sharing experience, helping people to help themselves,
help with applications for financial support)
• Feedback to the German government
These aims are implemented through various activities, a centre of excellence, regional offices and financial support.
This network could be very useful for not just the registered association HALLE 14 e.V. but also individual artists.
West Leipzig Quarter Management can be regarded as both a disseminator and a network. It is located in the Leipzig
district of Lindenau, an ERDF area, and is a general point of contact for local actors such as societies, businesses
and the general public etc. As well as public services, it also provides information on state subsidy programmes (e.g.
for the leisure-related infrastructure).
Moreover, the West Leipzig Forum offers a platform for all actors in the area where ideas and experience on business
and employment, urban spatial qualities and social qualities can be shared. More than 300 people took part in
the most recent cultural forum in February 2010.
5.4 Cultural networks, profiles of art related organisations, informal networks, creative
scenes
The networks of cultural and creative industries are diverse und mainly well defined. The networks relevant to Halle
14 and the areas they cover are described below in order of proximity to Halle 14. An informal network exists among
the individual actors at the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill in the sphere of contemporary art which so far has been
almost exclusively limited to organising the open days there. This network could shoulder additional tasks – but for
this purpose its activities and profile would have to be intensified.
Other formal and informal networks extending outside the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site have only so far been
tapped to a very limited extent by Halle 14.
IG Kultur West (West Leipzig Culture Interest Group) is dedicated to networking in order to preserve and expand
culture in the western districts of Plagwitz and Lindenau. Most of the artists from DesignQuartier Leipzig/Werkstatt
West 6 along Karl-Heine-Strasse are represented in this group. The group’s partners range from performance venues
and design labels to associations and alternative housing projects. One of IG Kultur West’s best known members is
the registered association Westbesuch e.V., which organises the Westbesuch arts and district festival a few times
every year.
Synergies could be generated with Tapetenwerk Leipzig (like the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill a disused industrial
building – a wallpaper factory – converted by the creative industries) by means of greater mutual exchange and concrete
cooperation projects. The mixed use at Tapetenwerk Leipzig includes workshops, art galleries, studios, exhibition
rooms, offices, hospitality and housing. Expanding events like the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill open days to
encompass Tapetenwerk could generate great publicity.
6 Terms used by koopstadt.
18

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
Turning our gaze to activities in the visual arts throughout Leipzig as a whole, other institutions should be mentioned
which are organised in a sort of informal network and which sometime work together as important actors on drawing
up strategies for the city (e.g. the Culture Development Plan, the Directors’ Conference, cultural education, and Museums
at Night). These actors are not yet formally joined together. According to the experts interviewed, collaboration
among these institutions needs to be intensified and developed into a network.
One of the most interesting actors is the GfZK Gallery of Contemporary Art. In many respects, GfZK has a similar
concept to that of Halle 14. For example, as well as specially curated exhibitions, it works closely together with private
collectors, who present their collections and hence act as patrons. Financing is partly provided by a foundation
specially set up for this purpose. Other common features include a library and archive, a grant programme for international
artists, and the hiring-out of rooms for functions and other events. Cooperation between these two institutions
would be conceivable, especially in the areas mentioned. Joint series of events and sharing experience would
create new momentum for both sides. By no means viewing each other as competition in Leipzig, Halle 14 and GfZK
believe they mutually augment each other in the sphere of contemporary visual arts. According to GfZK, cooperation
with Halle 14 would be especially desirable in order to tap new sources of funding.
At a national level, mention should also be made of the possibilities harboured by the ADKV Consortium of German
Art Societies (to which Halle 14 is already connected) for mutual exchange and joint organisation
The project koopstadt provides a good platform for ideas on dealing with disused industrial sites and practical examples
from the creative industries. Within this project, an exchange network based on concrete projects in Bremen,
Leipzig and Nuremberg has been initiated under the National Urban Development Policy. As far as the cultural and
creative industries are concerned, possibilities for exchange also exist for Halle 14 with the projects Vision Weststadt
in Nuremberg and Freihandelszone (‘Free Trade Zone’) in Bremen.
Apart from the EU project SECOND CHANCE, in which the registered association HALLE 14 e.V. is a project partner,
other international networks that should be mentioned are the EU projects Creative Cities and the EUROCITIES
Culture Forum. Creative Cities is a Central Europe programme for the development and establishment of the cultural
and creative industries in five European cities. Leipzig is intensively involved in this programme and is creating the
infrastructure requirements and conditions required for the continued positive development of cultural and creative
industries in the city (see 5.3). For instance, a culture advisory board is to be set up in Leipzig specifically to deal with
the concerns of the cultural and creative industries which it would be desirable for Halle 14 to join. In addition, new
knowledge and expertise could be generated by the international exchange of experience and the scholarly assessment
of the project.
The objective of the EUROCITIES Culture Forum is to involve local authority concerns and in particular the cultural
policy requirements of cities into the EU’s decision-making processes via EUROCITIES. Furthermore, the Culture
Forum performs traditional networking functions such as the sharing of experience (for instance in connection with
bidding for and hosting the European City of Culture as well as the cultural conversion of disused industrial sites),
international cooperation in the arts, supporting the search for partners for international project applications, and the
collection, sharing and in some cases publication of information, data and good practice examples on arts-relevant
topics (e.g. youth culture and intercultural dialogue).
According to the registered association HALLE 14 e.V., in particular Trans Europe Halles plays a very valuable role
by bringing actors from the independent arts scene together from all European countries. Most of the members work
on or near previously industrial locations. Although HALLE 14 e.V. has not yet formally joined Trans Europe Halles,
informal contact already exists.
A number of interviewees mentioned the difficulty of maintaining networks. The problem is that setting up and maintaining
networks takes quantities of time and resources which are available to hardly any of them.
19

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
5.5 Status of the cultural activities
Halle 14’s cultural activities were described by all the interviewees as generally good, with activities like ‘Kreative
Spinner’, the library and the organisation of symposia coming in for special mention.
‘Kreativen Spinner’ is an art education and appreciation programme organised by Halle 14 for children and older
youngsters. According to the interview partners, this programme is already well established in the region’s cultural
education and cooperation is about to be launched with similar projects in Berlin and Munich.
The library in Halle 14 containing 36,000 books and other media on contemporary art is one of the biggest of its kind
anywhere in Germany. However, its profile needs to be raised both locally and nationally.
More and more use is being made of the possibility to hire rooms in Halle 14 for functions and other events. In the
opinion of one of the interviewees, this profile could be intensified in order to further establish Halle 14 as a venue
and to create an additional source of income.
When asked what could be done to improve Halle 14, the interviewees listed increasing its external perception, staging
events which create more effective publicity, and better artistic coordination with key local figures in contemporary
art. According to various interviewees, the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill – and hence also Halle 14 – do not attract
casual passers-by because of their virtual island location. A number of interviewees recommended opening up the
site to the surrounding area and the city as a whole in order to generate synergies with other local actors and events.
At the moment, there is an almost complete lack of such links.
In particular, festivals and events were mentioned as a way of connecting the site to West Leipzig and the rest of the
city. To this end, events could for example be organised or at least combined with interest groups in West Leipzig.
The current gallery open days, workshops for children and youngsters, and exhibitions are organised almost completely
independently of each other. The regular arts and street festival ‘Westbesuch’ for instance could also provide
a platform for the activities staged by Halle 14’s ‘Kreative Spinner’. Joint gallery open days and the distribution of
advertising for exhibitions and talks would also be conceivable, increasing the existing clientele of Halle 14 and
enabling the activities offered to be used more intensively.
Another way of opening up Halle 14 to Leipzig as a whole would be to organise activities boosting its image and
perception in conjunction with other cultural beacons in the city. For instance, a ‘Night of Visual arts’ could be initiated
together with the Leipzig Art Society, the Grassi Museum of Applied Art, the HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts,
and the Museum of Fine Arts. Association with cultural events such as already exists with the Leipzig Book Fair
would also make sense. Alongside practical networking with institutions, taking part in more festivals would sharpen
Halle 14’s profile and attract a broader range of visitors.
5.6 Summary
The public sector of Leipzig’s culture is very diverse and well defined. A prominent role is played by the City of Leipzig’s
cultural institutions. Within the cultural and creative industries, the intermediary sector and the creative networks
are especially decisive. Whereas the intermediary sector for the cultural and creative industries is still at the development
stage but looks promising, the creative networks in Leipzig are mostly very well developed.
Halle 14 only participates to a small extent in the public and intermediary sectors as well as in networks. Due to the
resulting low connections between Halle 14 and local actors, the perception of its artistic profile was unclear to some
of the interviewees.
20

Status of the public culture sector as well as the intermediary sector as well as networks
Nearly all the interviewees believed the clear artistic profiling of Halle 14 and its activities had high development
potential. In structural terms, by implementing the activities specified in 0, Halle 14 would be able to become a crystallisation
point within the visual arts sector.
21

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
6 Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
6.1 Spatial-geographical setting
Halle 14 is located on the grounds of the former Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill in the district of Plagwitz in west Leipzig.
The 10-hectare site is bordered by the roads Spinnereistrasse, Thüringer Strasse, Alte Salzstrasse and Saalfelder
Strasse. The district of Plagwitz in the borough of Southwest Leipzig was a centre of industrial production and manufacturing
by the time it was incorporated into the city. Nowadays, however, it has almost completely lost this function
as a consequence of the far-reaching structural transformation in eastern Germany.
Plagwitz is about 3km west of the city centre. It is bounded to the north by the district of Lindenau, to the west by
Neulindenau, to the south by Kleinzschocher, and to the east by Schleussig. The early development of Plagwitz and
other areas in western Leipzig was characterised above all by the activities and initiatives of lawyer Dr Karl Heine,
who built canals and other types of transport infrastructure in order to attract industrial companies.
Cotton Spinning Mill
City Centre
Main Station
m
0 250 500
Fig. 6: Aerial photo of Leipzig showing the site of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill in the west (source: City of
Leipzig, own depiction)
The Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill was joined by other important factories belonging to companies such as Mey &
Edlich and Rudlof Sack. However, the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill was continuously expanded, making it one of the
largest (in terms of area) and also most important complexes. The remaining buildings have a gross floor space of
about 100,000 square metres. A large share is accounted for by Halle 14, once the biggest factory building on the
site, which has a gross floor space of 20,000 square metres.
The conditions for an independent arts scene in Leipzig are very favourable. For one thing, new artistic blood is continuously
being produced by the two artistic colleges in the city: Leipzig University of Music and Theatre and the HGB
Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts. Moreover, more and more inexpensive premises are becoming available for artistic
22

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
projects owing to the structural transformation in industry. Additional stimulus and possibilities are provided by the
uncontrolled structure of urban development in the main areas concerned.
The City of Leipzig has recognised the importance of the arts sector and the creative industries in particular as a
factor encouraging people and businesses to move to and stay in Leipzig. It has drawn up a ‘Culture Strategy’ as part
of its Integrated Urban Development Programme in which it has undertaken to create suitable conditions for an independent
arts scene and a growing creative sector. One aim is to intensify networking. On the other hand, the high
need for investment in above all equipment, fittings and building infrastructure is noted at both municipal and independently
run cultural facilities.
6.2 Former use of the site and its buildings
The Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill was entered in the register of companies in 1884 as a stock corporation. Competing
with cotton production in England and Switzerland, cotton processing was set up and encouraged by developing the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill. By 1909, the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill had become the biggest factory of its kind on
continental Europe. Cotton plantations were especially maintained in Tanzania to meet the huge demand for raw
materials. However, the final planned increase in the mill’s maximum capacity never materialised.
Fig. 7: Contemporary depiction of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill in around 1909 (source: Leipzig Cotton Spinning
Mill)
The Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill evolved into a large factory town with its own fire brigade, nursery school, doctors,
shops, workers’ housing and allotments. The many multi-storey buildings (20 in total), the director’s villa, the reception
and administrative buildings, and the tenements and allotments used by employees were largely brick-built,
making up an architectural ensemble which nowadays is also an extensive cultural monument. Production took place
on a large scale until 1933, including during some very turbulent years in German history. The last production line still
in operation – for tyre cord – was shut down in the year 2000. By that time, however, much of the site was already
empty or had already been occupied and revitalised by pioneers of the arts scene and creative industries.
In the meantime, more than 15 art galleries and exhibition rooms have opened while over 80 artists work at the Leipzig
Cotton Spinning Mill. They are accompanied by numerous small firms in the small trades and service sector,
workshops and other creative offices. Two-thirds of the gross floor space of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill is currently
let and used.
23

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
6.3 Planning status
So far, on the entire site of the former factory, the building envelopes of Hallen (‘factory buildings’) 3, 4, 5 and 6 as
well as the nursery school have been refurbished. Economic stability is provided by the many small and large tenants,
such as a cafe, a computer shop, a bicycle manufacturer, a shop selling art supplies, various art galleries, and
the artists’ studios. Within this overall commercial development, Halle 14 is unique since it currently serves and will
continue to be used for non-profit-making purposes.
The four-storey building erected in 1890/91 of what is now Halle 14 was used for a period of five years starting in
2002 in an unrefurbished condition – a development which was encouraged in 2002 by the architectural symposium
entitled ‘Architecture Thinking Socially’. The Federkiel Foundation was in overall charge of the building’s use. It subsidised
operation and staff and also supported project work. Since 2007, the building has been run by the registered
association HALLE 14 e.V.
Gradual refurbishment of the interior began in 2007. In 2009, the roof and facade were renovated with public funding.
The next construction phase is planned for 2011/2012 and will comprise the installation of additional utility and infrastructure
facilities as well as ensuring compliance with fire regulations. So far, interior work has focused on completing
the visitors’ centre and the exhibition rooms as well as refurbishing the windows. The partners HGB and the Columbus
Art Foundation have largely refurbished their premises on the second floor by themselves during their longstanding
cooperation. Generally speaking, the structural condition of most of the buildings on the Leipzig Cotton
Spinning Mill site is comparatively good. This is due to their solid masonry construction, originally intended to keep
the temperature as stable as possible for cotton production. The buildings were mostly constructed using a solid brick
structure and walls more than 1 metre thick combined with large, stable cast-iron box-type windows, cork insulation
and landscaped roofs. Accordingly, the investment costs for the repair and refurbishment of the buildings are relatively
low, as are the running costs and overheads. Unfortunately, this situation only partly applies to Halle 14, where the
windows were replaced in 1988/89 by new thermal glass windows with metal frames beset by poor insulation.
The partly implemented usage concept provides for the following elements. The visitors’ centre including an information
counter, lounge, project rooms and office on the ground floor has existed in its current form since the beginning
of 2009 and serves as a source of information and the centre for events and communication. The ground floor also
contains the exhibition area of HALLE 14 e.V. measuring 2,400 square metres with a room inside a room and a twostorey
course room for the ‘Kreative Spinner’ art appreciation project, which is partly conducted in cooperation with
Leipzig schools. A library (recognised by the Free State of Saxony as a museum and art library) complete with an
archive is also located in the visitors’ centre on the ground floor. Beneath it in the basement are workshops and
storerooms. The second floor is mainly used as partner premises, currently by the Columbus Art Foundation and the
Universal Cube, and contains exhibition space belonging to HGB Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts. However, seminar
rooms and additional exhibition premises and visitors’ apartments are still planned. Generally speaking, in the concept
for Halle 14, the exhibition areas are planned as the ‘luxury of emptiness’. The architecture preserves the building’s
large areas.
The exhibitions staged by HALLE 14 e.V. are the association’s central task. Since 2003 it has held between one and
three international, mostly thematic, group exhibitions every year. Until 2007 the exhibitions were organised by the
Federkiel Foundation; since 2008 HALLE 14 e.V. has been the project organiser. They have included for example
the exhibitions ‘Xtreme Houses’ (2004), ‘Passion of Collecting’ (2005), ‘Culture of Angst’ (2006), ‘Uncertainty’ (2008),
‘Artistic Errors – Erroneous Art’ (2009) and ‘All Hands on the Machine!’ (2010). The exhibitions staged at Halle 14
draw between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors every year. Since the exhibition rooms are unheated, the exhibition season
(including for the partner areas) runs from early May until late October.
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Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
In its current structural condition, about 50% of Halle 14 is in permanent use. The partners are HGB and the Columbus
Art Foundation. The Universal Cube used by Joachim Blank’s HGB class is an experimental exhibition platform
which has been utilised since 2006 and employs an area of 1,200 square metres. The exhibition projects hosted
there are intended above all to serve networking and exchange among students and the space is deliberately located
in Halle 14 in the immediate vicinity of galleries, the Columbus Art Foundation, and the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill
as a centre of the cultural industries. Cooperation exhibitions with European art academies in spring and exhibitions
by HGB students in autumn are the two poles between which independent projects and exhibitions can take place.
The duration of use depends on how the premises are needed and is flexible.
The Columbus Group’s Columbus Art Foundation originally concentrated on “supporting, showing and collecting”
(www.c-af.de) with national grant projects for artists. Since May 2008, another of its activities has been the staging of
alternating exhibitions on the premises in Halle 14. The Columbus Art Foundation mainly chose Halle 14 and the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site on account of its proximity to the HGB and the Universal Cube exhibition space and
the diverse process of exchange to be expected. In addition, the overall non-commercial concept behind Halle 14
coincided with the principles of the Columbus Art Foundation. However, owing to a lack of personnel, cooperation
with Halle 14 could not be continued and the Columbus Art Foundation will cease its activities in Halle 14 at the end
of 2010. The search for a new partner has already begun.
The owner of Halle 14 is Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei Verwaltungsgesellschaft GmbH, the company operating the
Leipziger Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill, which has contractually allowed HALLE 14 e.V. to use the building. Since
2002, Halle 14 has been used on a non-profit basis. Until HALLE 14 e.V. was founded, the Federkiel Foundation was
responsible for the building and its use. With its non-profit use having been extended by 15 years until 2024, HALLE
14 e.V. is now the operating and funding association and is developing its usage concept in liaison with the owner.
The association also independently plans events, exhibition projects and art appreciation projects, and seeks out
partners to use the premises.
As far as structural work is concerned, current planning in the usage concept provides for the rapid construction of
studios and housing on the first floor, the erection of an additional stairwell, and ensuring conformity with fire regulations.
However, this work depends on being awarded financial support by the City of Leipzig and is not yet certain for
the period of the next construction phase in 2011/12 or beyond.
6.4 Potential functions to be applied
The site of the former Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill is home to a well coordinated mix of artists’ studios, catering, art
galleries, architectural firms, printing and graphic artists’ workshops, small industry, trade and housing. Halle 14,
reserved for not-for-profit use, plays a special role as a centre of contemporary art.
Seen as a whole, there is still considerable development potential on the site. Significant vacancies are still to be
found in Halle 7 and Halle 12, even though they are already partly used for exhibitions. Furthermore, mixed use is
also planned in the old workers’ residences on Thüringer Strasse, which are not yet in a usable condition. All in all,
the combination of art and commercial tenants on the site is to be preserved.
According to the interviewees, Halle 14 still harbours more potential. Even though establishing the building as an
internally renowned art gallery on a par with ‘Haus der Kunst’ in Munich would be difficult, functions and projects with
public appeal could certainly be integrated there, boosting external perception of Halle 14 as an independent beacon
or place of crystallisation within the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill ensemble. Integrating the theme of ‘design’ or ‘craft
industry’ would be conceivable in this respect. In addition, the important work with children and older youngsters
could be further strengthened by means of closer networking with for example IG West. Other possibilities and synergies
could arise within the social–cultural–business matrix. Closer cooperation with collectors as striven for by
25

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
HALLE 14 e.V. and hence the twin functions of storage and exhibition area could generate additional momentum. On
the whole, however, attention must be paid to the aspects making up the identity of Halle 14 to ensure that its slightly
vague external profile is not completely dissolved.
6.5 Future ideas
Halle 14 is in future to be established as an independent gallery of contemporary art and fitted into the coordinated
blend of different cultural uses on the site of the former Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill. Market-economy exploitation
criteria should not be applied as the project is non-commercial. The building should serve a communication platform
benefiting society and hence both promote artistic and intellectual exchange and facilitate networking. Halle 14
should be regarded as a large workshop, play area and experimental field. A distinction is drawn between extensive
and intensive uses on the various floors of the building, which is reflected in the design planning.
How the studios which are still to be created are used in the future is important since they will form the basis for artistic,
creative exchange. The accompanying international networking and cooperation would also position Halle 14 as a
place of crystallisation and provide important momentum.
The intended uses of Halle 14 have already been largely planned and fixed in the usage concept. On the ground
floor, the construction of a second cube in the large exhibition area and the development of another area for small
exhibitions or events are planned. This use, too, could be augmented by socio-cultural activities and projects in order
to create a broader basis. The construction of ten studios and three apartments for artists and recipients of grants
from HALLE 14 e.V. as well as international partners is planned on the first storey together with the creation of an
exhibition area in the front section of the floor. Moreover, other areas on the second floor next to the HGB premises
will become available following the departure of the Columbus Art Foundation. The third floor will in future be used for
collector cooperation and large exhibitions of for example sculpture as well as for events. The roof is to be turned into
an outdoor area with restricted use.
Augmenting the artistic theme, regenerative energy is also to play an important part in Halle 14. The use of heat-andpower
cogeneration and other forms of sustainable energy generation could serve as a pilot project for the Leipzig
Cotton Spinning Mill and similar architectural ensembles elsewhere.
Fig. 8: Exhibition rooms at the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill (source: Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill)
6.6 Summary
The site of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill is unique in Europe. Once the biggest cotton mill in continental Europe, it
is situated in the district of Plagwitz in west Leipzig. About 10 hectares in size, the site features relatively well preserved
building stock harbouring diverse opportunities for artistic and commercial uses. After the closure of the last
production line in the year 2000, new scope arose for the pioneers who had already arrived along with the potential
26

Halle 14 and its surrounding in the city
for the cultivated mixed use of the site. In the year 2000, the site was purchased by operating company Leipziger
Baumwollspinnerei Verwaltungsgesellschaft GmbH.
Since then, a variety of artists, studios, art galleries, workshops and various commercial users like call centres and
an electronics store have all moved into the site. Several, nowadays internationally famous artists in the New Leipzig
School such as Neo Rauch have opened studios there. Accordingly, the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill has become a
centre of the visual arts with an international reputation.
The biggest building on the site is Halle 14. In 2002 it was dedicated to not-for-profit use and initially managed by the
Federkiel Foundation. The aim was to create a non-commercial centre of contemporary art and to make the format of
the building usable as a ‘play area’ and experimental field. Step by step, the building envelope was refurbished and
preserved. Key milestones in the sustainable use and preservation of the building structure included the renovation
of the roof and the façade in 2009. Since 2007, the building has been run and funded by the registered association
HALLE 14 e.V., which also drew up the usage concept and developed the structural conditions.
Focusing on alignment as a centre of contemporary art, so far a visitors’ centre, library, space for exhibitions staged
by HALLE 14 e.V., partner areas with HGB and the Columbus Art Foundation, the ‘Kreative Spinner’ art appreciation
project (as an additional pillar) along with storage space and workshops have all been created. It is planned to use
part of the building as studios in connection with the establishment of a grant programme for international artists as
well as for closer cooperation with collectors, who will be able to use sections of the building as storage and exhibition
areas.
27

SWOT-Matrix
7 SWOT-Matrix
In the SWOT analysis, first of all the creative industries are considered for Leipzig as a whole. Relevant economic
sectors, actors, events and institutions along with their impact are examined in terms of their importance for the creative
industries in Leipzig. This is accompanied by an analysis of the facilitating structures and barriers negatively
affecting the development of the creative industries. This is followed by the concrete strengths/weaknesses analysis
of Halle 14.
Apart from the statistical assessments in Section 4 and an extensive study of available documents, the content of the
SWOT analysis is also based on expert interviews with relevant actors. Being experts in their respective fields, the
interviewees provided information, assessments and advice on Halle 14, the situation concerning the creative industries,
and the core branches examined here.
7.1 SWOT-Analysis of the arts and performing arts sector in Leipzig
Leipzig an important centre of the creative industries in Saxony and beyond, and has a long heritage of activities
which can nowadays be summed up under the cultural and creative industries. Publishing houses, book production,
the performing arts, visual arts, and an outstanding position in the world of music (Leipzig Opera House, the Gewandhaus,
etc) are the main strands – although they could not all be fully nurtured when Germany was divided into
two states. Following German reunification, the economic transformation and the accompanying collapse of above all
the industrial sector, Leipzig is nowadays one of the few cities in eastern Germany which is growing and also economically
successful. Traditional lines of business have been successfully revitalised and the growth of the creative
industries is significant. Furthermore, the range of the creative industries in Leipzig has broadened in recent years.
Economically speaking, the foremost element is the media industry, especially television, radio, advertising and market
research, software and games development, and IT services related to the creative industry.
In concrete terms, the number of companies in the creative industries climbed from 2,142 in the year 2000 to 3,232 in
2010. Above-average growth was experienced by the sector ‘Creative, arts and entertainment activities’, where the
number of firms rose in the same period from 78 to 412. The number of freelance artists also increased from 1,887 in
2007 to 2,057 in 2008 (the most recently available data). All in all, 13,753 people in Leipzig make a living in the creative
industries. Far more people also work in the media sector, which according to ‘Leipzig Means Business 2010’
(the city’s economic report) has 33,700 employees, underlining the importance of this economic sector.
These positive developments are rooted in Leipzig’s good or very good infrastructure in the areas of education, universities,
art academies, exhibition facilities, museums and other artistic institutions. Others important factors are its
active civil society, a receptive response to outside influences, and a heterogeneous social milieu. The attractive
urban setting, the high degree of urbanity, the low cost of living, and the relaxed residential and commercial property
market are also beneficial. Owing to the loss of the lion’s share of manufacturing industry and many industrial companies,
Leipzig nowadays has an enormous quantity of historical building stock and industrial architecture. This
property is often very suitable for creative purposes, and as long as the building stock has been relatively well preserved
it provides plenty of room and scope for workshops, studios, rehearsal rooms, exhibition areas and much
more besides. Of course, this situation is offset by the dilapidated building stock in some cases following decades of
delay exacerbated by the high costs of preservation and refurbishment as well as high running costs.
Moreover, the creative industries in Leipzig have a heterogeneous alternative or independent scene structure with
communication platforms such as naTo, the GfZK Gallery of Contemporary Art and specific events like Designers’
Open and the F/Stop Festival, exhibitions (Pop Up, the Leipzig Book Fair) and clubs. These support networking and
promote the presence of the creative industries in public (everyday) life. Nonetheless, the internationally famous
creative celebrities from Leipzig are slightly underrepresented in the public perception. This especially goes for artists
28

SWOT-Matrix
working in the visual arts and the Leipzig School or New Leipzig School. In city marketing campaigns, they could act
as ambassadors of the city by promoting the internal and external perception of the creative industries in Leipzig.
In Leipzig, both the visual and the performing arts are very important in the arts scene. The city is home to internationally
illustrious institutions of high culture as well as a large number of independent institutions and organisations.
Apart from publicly funded institutions, the independent institutions are also supported through the City of Leipzig’s
arts budget. Following committed agitation by the independent scene and the broad approval of the general public, at
least 5% of the city’s arts budget is now reserved every year for these arts centres.
Weaknesses and barriers for the creative industries result above all from the inability of the city to persuade artists
from outside as well as visual and performing arts graduates to remain in Leipzig in the long term owing to the relatively
weak employment market. In addition, many of the artists and creatives here operate in relatively small niches,
are relatively poorly professionalised, and are also highly specialised artistically. This could create problems in tapping
new markets and regarding potential growth. Moreover, cooperation between the local authority, public actors
and educational establishments as well as private actors must be improved and intensified. The networking potential
must continue to be exploited and could make for better liaison. Mention should be made of the business development
cluster policy, which in the creative industries is insufficiently strategically geared to small businesses. Although
a central master plan drawn up by the local authority is called for or regarded as necessary by various parties, it
might hamper the current abilities of the independent creative industries to organise and develop themselves.
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SWOT-Matrix
Strengths Weaknesses
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Renowned centre of high culture with numerous
institutions (Leipzig Opera House, Gewandhaus, Central
Theatre, Skala, Musical Comedy, Museum of Fine Arts etc
with famous international events, e.g. Bach Festival)
- Important centre of publishing with international Leipzig
Book Fair
- Heterogeneous arts scene with high degree of selforganisation
skills
- Creative industries very strong, especially in TV, radio,
software development and games industry, music industry,
performing arts, book production and publishing
- Active civil society structures, open social milieus, diverse
cultural and independent institutions
Urban space & infrastructure
- Attractive urban setting, high degree of urbanity
- Industrial architecture and partly good building stock
- Relaxed housing and commercial property market
- Dynamic development in western districts without
pronounced gentrification tendency yet
- Good infrastructure in education (traditional university,
universities of applied sciences, music college, art
academy, non-university research centres)
Legal & financial conditions
- Public support for high culture and the independent scene
(e.g. ‘5 for Leipzig’)
- Relatively low cost of living
Opportunities Threats
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Existing creative scene very important for city’s everyday
life
- Creative employers and artistic milieus mould the city’s
cultural landscape with potential to further boost the city’s
attractiveness
- Expansion of ambassador role by leading actors in
performing and visual arts with magnet effect for wide
range of interested parties (artists, students, buyers,
exhibitors, gallery owners, etc)
- Encouraging people to stay in the city (creatives, students
and young generation frequently use Leipzig as a
temporary gateway owing to poor economic situation)
- Establishing closer connection of artists in/to public life in
the city
- Establishment of a ‘creative industries’ marketing label with
involvement of key actors in this sector
Urban space & infrastructure
- Central locations of institutions in the creative industries
- Individual networks, meeting places and social practices of
each sector available
Legal & financial conditions
- Set-up and expansion of public-private partnerships in
cultural sector at municipal level, for broad appeal and
lasting partnerships
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Partly inadequate perception by the local authority as an
important part of the economy or as an economic factor
(with the exception of the media industry)
- Expandable marketing of the visual arts alongside already
well-placed and well-known performing arts (especially
music)
Urban space & infrastructure
- Few communication platforms and possibilities for
exchange (role mainly assumed by few individual actors
and individual thematic fairs and exhibitions)
Legal & financial conditions
- Low purchasing power, weak local and regional art market
- Expandable public–private cooperation
- Inadequate strategies for effective cooperation between
educational establishments, R&D centres and cultural
production businesses
- Necessary revision of cluster policy, especially for very
small business and freelancers, expandable involvement in
business development
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Low profile of active actors in visual arts and performing
arts (with the exception of the New Leipzig School)
- Low degree of professionalisation of many freelancers in
the creative industry, frequently combined with vague
company profiles (encourages niche existence, hampers
growth and the tapping of new markets)
Urban space & infrastructure
- Emerging risk of gentrification
Legal & financial conditions
- Uncertain public financing of visual arts and performing
arts (especially independent scene)
- Restrictive support and concentrated top-down planning
could hamper the individuality and scope needed by the
creative industries and the independent scene
30

SWOT-Matrix
7.2 SWOT-Analysis of Halle 14
Apart from the many factors described above which have an advantageous or disadvantageous impact on Leipzig’s
developing creative industries, they also affect the not-for-profit arts project Halle 14. This framework will now be
particularised on the basis of assessments and evaluations regarding Halle 14 and its urban context by actors working
locally.
The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to Halle 14 derived from the eight interviews (see annex for list
of interviewees) are compiled in the following matrix.
It is apparent from this overview that many diverse possibilities exist for Halle 14 to undergo further development in
the near future. Endeavours should be taken to focus on individual modules of the usage concept such as the grant
programme and the studios as well as the already successful cultural work with children and youngsters. In addition,
the weaknesses and threats facing Halle 14 concern its orientation and profile. High priority exists in an independent
presentation of Halle 14 as an independent area for art and other possibilities. Important aspects in this respect are
the conceptual distinction from the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and the creation of a self-supporting, sustainable
structure for HALLE 14 e.V., and above all securing its financing and achieving a clearer personnel structure. The
gradual reduction of financial support for Halle 14 announced by the Federkiel Foundation is regarded as the biggest
financial threat. The dependence of the art centre on a private backer is risky enough as it is. Should this funding be
reduced or cancelled, in the absence of institutional funding by the City of Leipzig it will be very difficult for Halle 14 to
stay open. A drastic reduction of private funding for 2011 has already been announced, making this threat palpable –
and therefore action is urgently required.
The great potential harboured by Halle 14 owing to its building envelope and format as well as its not-for-profit, independent
orientation needs to be permanently stabilised by giving it a clear profile.
31

SWOT-Matrix
Strengths Weaknesses
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Sole not-for-profit institution on the site of the Leipzig
Cotton Spinning Mill (beacon of non-profit activities)
- Successful ‘Kreative Spinner’ project – good example of
cultural education/youth work
- Apart from venue for contemporary art also important place
for the study of art and discussion of art policy (e.g. in the
form of symposia)
- Place of information and education in contemporary art
thanks to library (36,000 books) and visitors’ centre
- Synergies in external perception thanks to proximity to the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill
- Lively venue thanks to temporary uses/partnerships such
as Universal Cube and Columbus Art Foundation
- Committed management and staff
- Heterogeneous local mix/artists’ milieu provides good
possibilities for exchange between Halle 14 and other
actors within the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill
- Possibility of large collections/exhibitions
Urban space & infrastructure
- Good condition of building
- Large floor division and flexible room sizes
Legal & financial conditions
- Helpful framework thanks to private owner of the Leipzig
Cotton Spinning Mill (regarding terms of use of Halle 14
etc) enabling experimental approach, the testing of
concepts, and a certain openness of the development
process
- Wide range of use due to non-commercial orientation
- Advantageous and pragmatic, phased development and
usage concept
- Non-profit status essential to obtain financial support
Opportunities Threats
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Encouraging and establishing grant programme will raise
international profile
- Establishment of studios as important future use and basis
of financing (sponsoring)
- Networking of the library with other well-known library
networks (promising, well definable possibility for recruiting
partners and sponsors)
- Expandable youth work – contacts and exchange of
‘Kreative Spinner’ project with similar projects in other
cities (Munich, Berlin)
- Spacious exhibition areas on 3rd floor open up new
possibilities in cooperation with private/public collectors
(e.g. display of large-format installations)
- Artistic and spatial possibility for large-scale not-for-profit
events/symposia
- Conceptual opening for other artistic and cultural directions
(craft industry etc)
- Set-up of co-working spaces
- Strengthened networking (local, regional, international)
- Even more possible ties with West Leipzig with opening for
external projects (more visitors)
Urban space & infrastructure
- Urban development measures in surroundings of the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site (in area of Karl-Heine-
Strasse, refurbishment and conversion of Plagwitz railway
station and track area)
- Energy concept and use of regenerative energy
- Better networking in cooperation with the district and
surrounding creative scene (e.g. IG West, Karl-Heine-
Strasse)
- Expandable cooperation with public/municipal bodies
regarding joint marketing
- Mobility concept (e.g. ‘Cultural Tram’ as advertising
medium, cooperation with LVB public transport operator),
car-sharing
Legal & financial conditions
- Implementation of long-term public-private partnerships
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Non-uniform artistic profile of Halle 14 in external impact
- Partly restrictive alignment of artistic profile owing to nonprofit
obligation and own high standards
- Low presence of artistic management (lack of dual
leadership; alongside administrative/commercial
management)
- International perception and networking need
improvement; currently mostly via Leipzig Cotton Spinning
Mill management
- Weak communication and momentum between
commercial actors of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and
Halle 14 (current focus of cooperation: preparation of
Spinning Mill open days)
- Own external presentation of Halle 14 still weak, often
subsumed under the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill label
Urban space & infrastructure
- Public transport links need improvement, improved
footpaths and signposting of Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill
Legal & financial conditions
- Non-uniform, vague public differentiation/perception
between building Halle 14, registered association HALLE
14 e.V. and the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill
- Successive reduction of funding from Federkiel
Foundation
Cultural significance/milieu/scene
- Independent establishment of Halle 14 necessary as a
not-for-profit, independent venue (especially vis-à-vis the
Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill)
- Currently large dependency on Leipzig Cotton Spinning
Mill with respect to the development of intended
international dimension
- Uncertain future use and co-financing of gallery space
(especially on 3rd floor) by private collectors/partners
- Stipulations by Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site
management (boundaries during events etc)
Urban space & infrastructure
- Size of building leads to difficulties in ensuring full use
- Island location of the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill site
means that Halle 14 is also isolated from the city
Legal & financial conditions
- External co-financing of 3rd construction phase still
uncertain
- Long-term/continuous financing and receipt of financial
assistance uncertain (including for day-to-day business
and fixed costs such as staff, running costs, etc)
- Unsettled financing questions for execution of grant
programme
- Low staffing level
- Uncertain letting of future studios
- Limited usage possibilities for Halle 14 owing to non-profit
operation and non-commercial orientation
- Challenge of simultaneously coping with building work (to
be completed by 2015) and content profiling
- Continuation of non-profit use after lease expires in 2024
not secured
32

SWOT-Matrix
It turns out that the City of Leipzig does indeed have good or even very good conditions to strengthen its creative
industry potential and to enable it to make its mark. The strengths and opportunities easily outweigh the weaknesses
and threats. Considering these ideas, the creative industries could develop into an important economic factor for
Leipzig. And this applies equally to Halle 14. The USP of a non-profit institution which repeatedly attracts disseminators
of the visual arts and the performing arts needs to be exploited so that the intended, very ambitious, yet promising
usage concept can be translated into reality.
33

Summary of the SWOT Analysisx
8 Summary of the SWOT Analysis
Above all, the SWOT analysis confirms that over the past ten years the creative industries have grown significantly in
Leipzig and that the city has a clear heritage as an important centre of the creative industries in Saxony and beyond.
The number of businesses in this sector has increased by more than 50% in this period (from 2,142 to 3,232). Parallel
to this, the number of arts businesses has also mushroomed (from 78 to 412). Alongside this absolute increase,
the relative significance of this sector has grown within the creative industries. And as well as a positive quantitative
development throughout the creative industries and the arts sector in particular, a corresponding leap in quality is
also to be observed.
In Leipzig, the public cultural sector is very diverse and well defined, one major actor being the local authority cultural
institutions. However, the intermediate sector (including corresponding networks) important for the cultural and creative
industries is still at the development stage. Nevertheless, it is already very promising given the very good conditions
Leipzig has to offer for the development of creative milieus thanks to its good or very good infrastructure in the
areas of education, universities, art academies, exhibition facilities, museums and other artistic institutions as well as
its active civil society. Other advantages are the attractive urban setting, the high degree of urbanity, the low cost of
living, and the relaxed residential and commercial property market. Weaknesses and barriers for the creative industries
result above all from the continued inability of the city to persuade artists from outside and visual and performing
arts graduates to remain in Leipzig in the long term owing to the relatively weak employment market. In addition,
many of the artists and creatives here work in rather small niches, are relatively poorly professionalised, and are also
highly specialised artistically. What’s more, the networking potential between the local authority, public actors and
educational establishments as well as private actors must be improved and intensified. Mention should be made of
for instance the business development cluster policy, which in the creative industries is insufficiently strategically
geared to small businesses.
In geographical terms, three main creative, artistic milieus can be identified in Leipzig. One of them, the ‘experimental
west’, contains the Leipziger Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill with Halle 14 – the subject of the SWOT analysis. The
comparatively well preserved building stock on the 10-hectare site harbours diverse opportunities for artistic and
commercial use. Since the year 2000, a variety of artists, studios, art galleries, workshops and various commercial
users like call centres and an electronics store have all moved into the site. This biggest building there is Halle 14. In
2002 it was dedicated to not-for-profit use with the aim of creating a non-commercial centre of contemporary art and
making the size of the building usable as a ‘play area’ and experimental field. Step by step, the building envelope has
been renovated and preserved while various elements of the usage concept such as a visitors’ centre, a library and
partner areas have all been completed.
The eight expert interviews clearly indicated that many diverse ways exist for Halle 14 to develop in the near future.
They include focusing on individual aspects of the usage concept such as the grant programme and the studios as
well as the already successful cultural work with children and youngsters. The weaknesses and threats facing Halle
14 are related to its orientation and profile. High priority must be devoted to the independent presentation of Halle 14
as an independent venue for art and other possibilities. Important elements in this connection include conceptual
distinction from the Leipzig Cotton Spinning Mill and the creation of a self-supporting, sustainable structure for
HALLE 14 e.V., and above all securing its financing and ensuring a clearer personnel structure. As far as financing is
concerned, a way needs to be found to compensate for the reduced financial backing from the Federkiel Foundation
in 2011 by sourcing alternative funding. The great potential harboured by Halle 14 owing to its building envelope and
format as well as its not-for-profit, independent orientation needs to be permanently stabilised by giving it a clear
profile.
34

Annex
Annex
35

Annex
Wirtschaftszweig (Bezeichnung nach NACE neu/WZ 2008)
Fig. 9: Annex Creative Industries
NACE ALT NACE NEU
(WZ 2003) (WZ 2008)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Einzelhandel (ohne Handel mit Kraftfahrzeugen) 52 47 247 251 249 248 256 263 272 284 268 273 266
EH m. Musikinstrumenten u. Musikalien 52453 47593 21 18 20 19 20 24 23 25 24 23 21
EH m. Büchern 5247 4761 46 46 45 49 53 45 44 45 43 35 30
EH m. Büchern 52472 47610 49 49 50 45 49 55 60 61 57 64 65
EH m. Zeitschriften, Zeitungen, Schreibwaren u. Bürobedarf 4762 1 4
EH m. Zeitschriften u. Zeitungen 52473 47621 35 35 31 32 32 32 29 34 27 25 23
EH m. bespielten Ton- u. Bildträgern 4763 2 2
EH m. bespielten Ton- u. Bildträgern 524520 47630 4 7 12 16 17 21 25 27 26 24 24
EH m. Kunstgegenständen, Bildern, kunstgewerblichen Erzeugnissen, Briefmarken,
Münzen u. Geschenkartikeln
52482 47783 68 70 68 62 60 57 60 58 58 64 60
EH m. Kunstgegenständen, Bildern (ohne Antiquitäten) 524821 477830 14 16 13 15 17 20 23 25 25 27 29
EH m. kunstgewerblichen Erzeugnissen, darunter Devotionalien (in
524822 477831 10 10 10 10 8 9 8 9 8 8 8
V k f ä
Verlagswesen
)
22 58 135 145 146 153 162 172 173 172 183 197 206
Verlegen v. Büchern u. Zeitschriften; sonstiges Verlagswesen (ohne Software) 221 581 38 37 40 41 37 38 39 41 46 46 46
Verlegen v. Büchern 2211 5811 9 9 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 12 12
Verlegen v. Büchern 22111 58110 22 29 28 28 31 37 38 34 38 39 40
Verlegen v. Adressbüchern u. Verzeichnissen 22112 58120 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Verlegen v. Zeitungen 2212 5813 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
Verlegen v. Zeitungen 22121 58130 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 6 7 8
22122 4 5 6 6 6 6 6 6
Verlegen v. Zeitschriften 2213 5814 3 3 4 4 5 5 4 4 3 3 4
Verlegen v. Zeitschriften 22131 58140 8 5 4 5 6 8 9 8 17 15 16
22132 5 5 4 4 4 6 6 5
22133 4 4 4 4 5 6 5 4
Sonstiges Verlagswesen (ohne Software) 2215 5819 8 10 7 7 10 11 8 8 11 11 12
Sonstiges Verlagswesen (ohne Software) 22150 58190 31 33 34 39 42 41 45 48 47 57 60
Verlegen v. Computerspielen 58210 1 2
Verlegen v. sonstiger Software 7221 5829 1 1 1
Verlegen v. sonstiger Software 72210 58290 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
Herstellung, Verleih u. Vertrieb v. Filmen u. Fernsehprogrammen; Kinos; Tonstudios
92
u. Verlegen v. Musik
59 95 104 108 163 201 224 238 251 269 282 302
Herstellung, Verleih u. Vertrieb v. Filmen u. Fernsehprogrammen; Kinos; Tonstudios
u. Verlegen v. Musik
92 59 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
H. v. Filmen u. Fernsehprogrammen, deren Verleih u. Vertrieb; Kinos 921 591 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
H. v. Filmen, Videofilmen u. Fernsehprogrammen 9211 5911 48 46 49 48 56 63 60 68 74 72 73
H. v. Filmen, Videofilmen u. Fernsehprogrammen 92111 59110 4 4 4 5 6 9 7 7 33 38 51
92112 10 15 14 15 17 18 18 19
92113 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 5
Nachbearbeitung u. sonstige Filmtechnik 92114 59120 8 15 17 25 25 24 25 26 37 44 44
92115 1 2 4 4 7 10 11 8
Filmverleih u. -vertrieb (ohne Videotheken) 9212 5913 2 3 2 2 5 5 4 4 1 1
Filmverleih u. -vertrieb (ohne Videotheken) 92121 59130 0 1 1 1 5 4 5
92122 1 1 1 1 1 1
92123 3 4 4 4
Kinos 9213 5914 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 2
Kinos 92130 59140 14 9 8 8 13 15 18 16 15 15 18
Tonstudios; H. v. Hörfunkbeiträgen; Verlegen v. bespielten Tonträgern u. Musikalien 592 1 1
Tonstudios; H. v. Hörfunkbeiträgen; Verlegen v. bespielten Tonträgern u. Musikalien 5920 3 10
Tonstudios u. H. v. Hörfunkbeiträgen 92116 59201 20 27 31 41 43 51 50 46
Verlegen v. bespielten Tonträgern 2214 59202 2 2 2 1 4 3 4 6 22 22 23
22141 5 6 7 11 13
Verlegen v. Musikalien 22142 59203 20 22 25 25 26 25 27 27
Rundfunkveranstalter 60 45 48 54 52 46 41 42 41 45 40 36
Hörfunkveranstalter 922 601 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Hörfunkveranstalter 9220 6010 17 18 19 19 17 14 12 12 12 12 9
Hörfunkveranstalter 92201 60100 6 6 6 5 5 3 4 4 6 6 6
Fernsehveranstalter 92202 60200 22 24 29 28 24 24 26 24 26 22 21
Erbringung v. Dienstleistungen der Informationstechnologie 72 62 83 123 141 249 327 409 486 563 634 711 754
Erbringung v. Dienstleistungen der Informationstechnologie 72 62 13 14 12 11 11 8 6 6 6 6 6
Erbringung v. Dienstleistungen der Informationstechnologie 620 12 17
Programmierungstätigkeiten 6201 10 18
Entwicklung u. Programmierung v. Internetpräsentationen 72222 62011 0 27 32 40 61 80 98 115
Softwareentwicklung f. Multimediaanwendungen 722230 620110 41 48 56 61 59 61 61 60
Softwareentwicklung f. Internet-Programme 722231 620111 35 36 49 53 47 45 44 41
Gestaltung v. Multimedia-Anwendungen (CD, Video, Filme, Disk) 744014 620112 18 28 38 43 43 47 66 73 82 86 96
Gestaltung v. Internet-Angeboten (Homepagedesign) 744015 620113 52 81 91 117 135 167 191 214 237 245 244
Sonstige Softwareentwicklung 72223 62019 2 27 50 69 103 123 149 157
36

Annex
Wirtschaftszweig (Bezeichnung nach NACE neu/WZ 2008)
Architektur- u. Ingenieurbüros; technische, physikalische u. chemische
Untersuchung
NACE
ALT
(WZ 2003)
Fig. 10: Annex Creative Industries – the core branches are indicated by the highlighted outline.
NACE
NEU
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(WZ 2008)
71 349 304 285 270 259 237 230 220 217 223 228
Architektur- u. Ingenieurbüros 742 711 5 5 5 7 5 2 2 1 1 1 2
Architekturbüros 7420 7111 134 108 97 91 89 80 81 78 73 72 71
Architekturbüros f. Hochbau 74201 71111 50 38 34 32 33 29 28 29 26 28 30
Büros f. Innenarchitektur 742010 71112 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 3 3
Architekturbüros f. Orts-, Regional- u. Landesplanung 74202 71113 10 8 10 7 7 7 6 6 7 6 6
Architekturbüros f. Garten- u. Landschaftsgestaltung 74203 71114 7 6 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 3
Ingenieurbüros f. technische Fachplanung u. Ingenieurdesign 74205 71122 142 137 132 126 119 114 108 102 104 111 113
Werbung u. Marktforschung 73 1098 1104 1066 1039 1007 982 940 915 880 844 832
Werbung 744 731 7 4 5 6 6 5 4 4 4 10 14
Werbeagenturen 7440 7311 613 622 602 589 593 599 571 558 548 504 488
Werbeagenturen 74401 73110 279 269 256 246 226 215 209 199 186 198 206
Vermarktung u. Vermittlung v. Werbezeiten u. Werbeflächen 74402 73120 199 209 203 198 182 163 156 154 142 132 124
Sonstige freiberufliche, wissenschaftliche u. technische Tätigkeiten 74 5 4 5 55 70 90 110 122 128 158 182
Ateliers f. Textil-, Schmuck-, Grafik- u. ä. Design 7410 8
Industrie-, Produkt- u. Mode-Design 74874 74101 20 22 24 25 25 27 28 29
Modedesign 748742 741010 0 2 4 3 3 4 5 7
Industriedesign 74206 741011 5 4 5 5 5 5 6 5 4 4 5
Grafik- u. Kommunikationsdesign 74102 19 25
Kommunikationsdesign 748740 741020 6 7 8 9 11 10 9 11
Graphik- / Fotodesign 748741 741021 18 29 44 60 70 69 76 77
Interior Design u. Raumgestaltung 74103 2 3
Objekteinrichtungsplanung 748743 741030 2 2 1 4 4 6 8 8
Innendekorateur 748744 741031 4 3 4 3 4 8 7 9
Kreative, künstlerische u. unterhaltende Tätigkeiten 90 78 92 84 145 165 183 211 261 290 360 412
Kreative, künstlerische u. unterhaltende Tätigkeiten 923 900 12 11 9 8 7 7 5 6 6 7 8
Darstellende Kunst 9231 9001 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 6 6
Theaterensembles 92311 90011 1 1
Ballettgruppen, Orchester, Kapellen u. Chöre 92312 90012 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0
Selbstständige Artistinnen u. Artisten, Zirkusgruppen 92318 90013 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
Zirkusbetriebe 923421 900130 0 0
Selbstständige Bühnen-, Film-, Hörfunk- u. Fernsehkünstlerinnen u. -künstler 92317 90014 6 7 7 11 11 9 11 17 19 26 25
Visagist, Maskenbildner 923170 900140 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 1
Discjockey / Moderation / mobile Disko 923171 900141 41 47 59 80 96 105 134 160
Erbringung v. Dienstleistungen f. die darstellende Kunst 9002 1 2
Erbringung v. Dienstleistungen f. die darstellende Kunst 92325 90020 19 21 16 14 24 26 26 27 30 30 30
Dienstleistung im Bereich Veranstaltungstechnik 923251 900200 4 17 16 17 22 26 33 42 54 75 91
Tontechniker 923252 900201 0 1 1 1 1 4 8 8 10 12
Künstlerisches u. schriftstellerisches Schaffen 9003 1 3
Selbstständige Komponistinnen, Komponisten, Musikbearbeiterinnen u. 92315 90031 3 4 4 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 9
Selbstständige Schriftstellerinnen u. Schriftsteller 92316 90032 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 2
Selbstständige bildende Künstlerinnen u. Künstler 92313 90033 2 4 4 6 7 5 6 9 8 9 10
Selbstständige Restauratorinnen u. Restauratoren 92314 90034 1 1 2 1 3 2 2 1 1 2 2
Selbstständige Journalistinnen u. Journalisten, Pressefotografinnen u. 92402 90035 5 4 4 5 4 6 7 14 14 18 22
Betrieb v. Kultur- u. Unterhaltungseinrichtungen 9232 9004 5 4 2 13 14 14 11 10 11 11 12
Theater- u. Konzertveranstalter 92321 90041 18 13 13 19 14 12 10 14 14 11 11
Opern- u. Schauspielhäuser, Konzerthallen u. ähnliche Einrichtungen 92322 90042 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Varietés u. Kleinkunstbühnen 92323 90043 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 3 3
Bibliotheken, Archive, Museen, botanische u. zoologische Gärten 91 7 7 9 9 12 14 14 11 11 12 14
Bibliotheken, Archive, Museen, botanische u. zoologische Gärten 925 910 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3
Bibliotheken u. Archive 9251 9101 1
Museen 9252 9102 0 0 0
Museen 92521 91020 4 4 7 7 9 11 11 7 8 6 6
Galerien 910200 3 5
Betrieb v. historischen Stätten u. Gebäuden u. ähnlichen Attraktionen 92522 91030 1 1 1
37