Stiftung Lebendige Stadt - Foundation For Vibrant Cities
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The Nikolaikirche church in Leipzig

The concept for the redevelopment of the courtyard of the Nikolaikirche church in Leipzig was geared towards two key elements: the creation of a fountain to attract visitors and local people to this historic site, and the projection of images from the heady days of autumn 1989.

To attract design concepts for the two parts of the project, the Leipzig Cultural Foundation joined forces with the City of Leipzig and the “Lebendige Stadt” Foundation to organise a competition for ideas. The winning entries were selected in February 2003.


 
Nikolaikirche
The winning entry for the fountain was drawn up by David Chipperfield from London. His concept combines elegance and simplicity and will make the area around the fountain a setting for communication and a place of tranquillity throughout the entire year.
 
 
The winning design entry for the light projection scheme was submitted by Tilo Schulz from Leipzig. 150 cobblestones will be replaced by glass cubes. The cubes will be illuminated using six projectors and fibre optic cables. In the twilight hours, one cube will be switched on every minute, with the result that all of the cubes will be lit up after 150 minutes. The red, green and blue illuminated cubes controlled by a random generator represent the gradual build-up of peaceful demonstrations in the autumn of 1989.
 
The “Lebendige Stadt” Foundation is supporting this project to the tune of € 350,000.