Alte Feuerwache
Self-governed socio-cultural centre in Cologne's Agnesviertel — housed in the city's former main fire station of 1890.
The Alte Feuerwache (Old Fire Station) is a socio-cultural community centre in Cologne's Agnesviertel. Run on a self-governing basis, it occupies one of the oldest buildings in the neighbourhood.
At a glance
- Location
- Agnesviertel, Cologne city centre, near today's Ebertplatz
- Original building
- completed in 1890 as the main fire station of the Cologne fire brigade
- Site
- roughly 5,000 m²
- Present use
- community, communication and cultural centre
- Operator
- the association Bürgerzentrum Alte Feuerwache e. V. (BAF)
- Operating as a community centre
- officially since 1986
- What makes it special
- a self-governed home for social, ecological and democratic initiatives
History
In 1890 the Cologne fire brigade's main fire station was completed on a site of around 5,000 m² near what is now Ebertplatz. Together with the building at Neusser Straße 47, it is among the earliest structures of the Agnesviertel. After the fire service moved out, Cologne city council decided in 1974 to demolish it — the site was earmarked for a competition swimming pool.
Citizens' initiative and preservation
The demolition met resistance. In 1976 a "Feuerwache" working group formed within the Bürgerinitiative Nördliche Altstadt (BINA) and drew up a plan for reusing the building. In 1977 the group founded the association Bürgerzentrum Alte Feuerwache e. V. (BAF) to establish a community, communication and cultural centre in the complex. By 1978 the city of Cologne, too, had come round to preserving and repurposing the station. From 1981 the association held interim-use rights, and since 1986 it has officially run the community centre following a council resolution by the CDU and the Greens. After public subsidies were cut, the Feuerwache has covered roughly half of its running costs through its own efforts since 2000.
Today and self-governance
The Alte Feuerwache sees itself as a self-governed space where social, ecological and democratic initiatives and associations can use its rooms. It is intended as a meeting point for people from the arts, crafts, education, culture, community work and non-partisan politics — enabling encounters that might not happen elsewhere.
Did you know?
In 1980 a large mural appeared on the southern firewall facing Sudermanplatz, featuring a poem by Nazim Hikmet, and for many years it helped shape the character of the quarter.
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Melchiorstraße 3
50670 Köln
Hours
Mo: 10:00–23:00
Di: 10:00–23:00
Mi: 10:00–23:00
Do: 10:00–23:00
Fr: 10:00–23:00
Sa: 10:00–23:00
So: 10:00–23:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-07-19)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-19)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-19
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