Osthang bleibt

For over ten years, the Osthang at Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt was a self-managed, consumption-free space for culture and encounters.

It brought people together through exhibitions, theater, workshops and discussions, offered a stage to both local and international artists and thereby strengthened democratic coexistence within the urban community.

With the move to western Darmstadt, the question arises of how the culture of openness and participation shaped by Osthang can be preserved. The initiative sees the risk that the place could lose its role as an inclusive, easily accessible space for encounters—particularly for people perceived as migrant and other marginalized groups.

Against this backdrop, the initiative Osthang bleibt is planning a symposium in cooperation with experts and actors from civil society, academia and public administration. The aim is to highlight the value of such places and to develop shared ideas, impulses and a constructive concept that ensures its future remains vibrant—with a focus on participation, sustainability, the common good, interdisciplinarity, art & culture and local engagement.