District work
Culture for Magdeburg. Encounters in Neustadt.
The Moritzhof is located in the heart of the Neue Neustadt district – a neighbourhood that repeatedly finds itself in the spotlight for negative reasons. The challenges cannot be denied: immigration, social segregation and demographic change have, over the past 10 years, led to tensions between ‘long-established’ residents and newcomers, between older and younger people, and not infrequently to xenophobic resentment. Both the residents’ quality of life and the district’s image have suffered as a result.
But we believe: instead of focusing on the problems, we should focus on the potential! The diversity of the people living here from over 30 nations, for example. Or the urban flair that is unrivalled in Magdeburg. And, of course, the many committed residents and stakeholders with whom we work closely to make Neue Neustadt a better place to live. We are certain that much of the resentment stems from a lack of knowledge about one another, a failure to take people’s needs seriously, and a lack of motivation to engage in respectful dialogue with one another. Together with numerous partners, we are therefore striving to create spaces for people in Neue Neustadt – and for people from other neighbourhoods to connect with Neue Neustadt – through a wide variety of activities and projects.
Through our neighbourhood projects, we facilitate low-threshold encounters between different people, regardless of age, origin or background. We create creative initiatives that actively involve residents, in all their diversity, in shaping their living environment. After all, it is the people who live and work here who must carry forward the developments we have initiated in the long term. We want to empower them to do so.
You can find stakeholders, events and success stories from Neustadt here:
www.neustadt-magdeburg.de
Demographic data on Neue Neustadt can be found in the publication Bevölkerung & Demografie 2024“ der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg
MoritzBlüht
since 2026
MoritzBlüht combines environmental education with social and cultural community work. The Moritzhof and the nearby Interkultureller Garten serve as extracurricular learning spaces that encourage people to come together regardless of their origin, age or social background. The central theme of the diverse activities is the sustainable, environmentally conscious and responsible co-creation of our shared living environment.
U.Art-Galerie
since 2024
It all began with a mural by the British artist Damian Le Bas, which made us realise that art in public spaces concerns us all – it fosters dialogue, visibility and new perspectives.
This impetus inspired us to think bigger. We don’t want to stop at this single image, but rather use participatory formats to develop a whole interactive trail of different designs on electricity boxes, façades and construction hoardings in Neue Neustadt. Perhaps soon on the wall of your house? Or with your own artwork?
You can find the latest designs, dates and ways to get involved hier.
moritz4all
2023-2025
moritz4all created a new space for community building and social interaction in the public realm of Neue Neustadt. On a brownfield site, the ‘Polidrom’ meeting place was built through construction workshops led by international artists in collaboration with local residents. Alongside a neighbourhood table, a bus stop and multifunctional ‘flying stages’, a pop-up gallery and sports facilities were also created here. In this setting, the moritz4all team regularly offered accessible workshops where people from different backgrounds could meet. Further milestones included the installation of a mural designed to foster a sense of identity, based on a motif by a Roma artist, and the intercultural moritz4all festival.
Heimatlos(er)
2025
In the summer of 2025, the artist couple Anastasia Tarkhanova and Georg Genoux (Agency for Safe Space) die Menschen aus der Neuen Neustadt kennen zu lernen und von ihnen zu erfahren, was man am besten tun sollte, um in hier ein neues Leben zu beginnen. Dabei ging es um den Verlust und den Neugewinn von Heimat, oft dort, wo man sich ihn niemals hätte träumen lassen.
Alongside the very old and very new residents of Neue Neustadt, the plants in a garden, as well as real and missing monuments, suddenly became important new companions on this quest. The result was a musical and multimedia production in which the pair introduced their new companions.
Utopolis –Auf die Plätze! … Kulturraum Moritzplatz neu entdeckt
2018-2024
Utopolis – this involved cultural and artistic initiatives, events and activities organised by and involving residents of Neue Neustadt. As a community project for EVERYONE, it was intended to encourage people to engage with the Neue Neustadt district through their own activities. Through events designed and run on a participatory basis, the aim was to break down prejudices, concerns and reservations within the neighbourhood and to foster a sense of community, shared values and new mutual trust.
UTOPOLIS – Soziokultur im Quartier was a federal pilot programme for which Neue Neustadt was selected as one of twelve pilot sites across the country – and for us, it was the spark that ignited our neighbourhood culture initiative!