Book Gate

The idea for the “book gate” originated in the “Pförtnerhäuser” project as part of funding for a National Urban Development Project. The Pförtnerhäuser are not intended to deter people from entering the Stadtwirtschaft—and no one is being monitored here. Instead, they are meant to provide an incentive to enter and explore the area.

The idea for the “book gate” was born during a meeting of key players in late 2025. Jetro Burkmann from the Zeux Materialinitiative took the lead and organized the planning and construction work.

Suitable building materials were found at the Zeux Materialinitiative, which has a branch warehouse at Stadtwirtschaft. In addition to plenty of wooden beams and planks, the team was able to use, among other things, an old door with a sliding window and a discarded turnstile. The turnstile most recently controlled access to a festival grounds; today, it supports bookshelves and plenty of reading material.

Members of Zeux and the Stadtfabrikanten, as well as Ingo Scheller, pitched in with the construction work itself. The Stadtfabrikanten also provided electricity and lighting—thanks to solar panels. Finally, artist Marina Klavina contributed to the design of the book gate. In total, the key players contributed over 200 hours of their time.

The initial collection of books came from the holdings of Subbotnik e.V. On April 8, 2026, key players in the Stadtwirtschaft hosted the official opening. Since day one, books have been changing hands regularly. The collection includes classics of world literature as well as children’s books, photo books, and the occasional unusual craft guide. The gate without its books weighs a total of 625 kilograms and holds about 800 to 900 books.