Holzmarkt Quartier
On behalf of
Holzmarkt plus eG
Our services
Development and management of press and public relations for the overall project during the unconditional land bidding process. Communication priorities: acquiring investor funds and convincing the broader Berlin public of the Holzmarkt vision.
The Challenge
At the beginning of 2012, the Holzmarkt Quarter was still a vague and unpublished idea, conceived by the club owners who had moved their "Kater Holzig" to the other side of the Spree River. They envisioned a new, open space for the cultural and creative industries, good food, and the preservation of established networks in the heart of the city. To achieve this, they needed to return to the site where they had run the legendary "Bar 25" as a temporary venue for seven summers. The vacant lot, which they had transformed into one of the city's most renowned techno clubs starting in 2004, had since become a prime piece of real estate: located in the heart of reunified Berlin, directly on the Spree, and spanning 18,000 square meters. The land is owned by the State of Berlin, specifically the state-owned waste management company BSR, but the allocation of the land is to be conducted through an unconditional bidding process: whoever offers the most gets the site. So how could they prevail against international investors?
Urban Tactics founder Simon Wöhr took over press and public relations as well as the role of press spokesperson for the Holzmarkt project in January 2012. Entrusted with the conception, development, and management of the project's external presentation across web, print, and media, he contributed to the Holzmarkt Quarter's current existence in its present form.
Project presentation – Holzmarkt spokesperson Simon Wöhr
Activation of the "Mörchenpark" in 2012. Photo: Carolin Saage
The Tactic
Be loud, seek allies, create facts! That's probably the best way to summarize our successful fight for the Holzmarkt property.
In March 2012, we went public and launched a campaign that was impossible to ignore in Berlin: We held festivals on the site, demonstrating how many Berliners wanted us to take over Holzmarkt. We missed no opportunity to address Berlin's political leaders and generated national media coverage in publications such as Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Business Punk.
At the same time, we convinced the sustainable Swiss pension fund "Stiftung Abendrot" to offer us the site if the city didn't want to lease it to us directly. We founded two cooperatives and gained investors in the "Cooperative for Urban Creativity" for the construction of the timber market, as well as hundreds of members for the citizens' association "Mörchenpark eV," which we also co-founded, and for which I served as the initial board member for a year.
The Holzmarkt district today. Photo: Kai 'Oswald' Seidler
Photo: Lars Windauer
The Result
All these activities took place before we even owned the property. Our courage and determination paid off – we won the bid as the highest offer, likely also because several investors gradually withdrew due to our flurry of activity. The urban development contract was finally signed in October 2013. Simon Wöhr handed over press and public relations responsibilities shortly thereafter, but still feels a strong connection to the Holzmarkt area.