In conjunction with its revitalisation of the “Passage am Märchenbrunnen” shopping centre on Salvador-Allende-Strasse in Magdeburg, Deutsche Investment initiated the creation of a new mural. “The new mural is meant to pay homage to the artists who created the nearby fairytale fountain, and will be instrumental in strengthening the surrounding quarter’s identity within the Nord borough,” said Joachim Oberleiter, the property manager of Deutsche Investment Retail GmbH in charge of the project. The “Passage am Märchenbrunnen” shopping centre is held in the portfolio of the “Deutsche Investment – Food Retail I” institutional property fund and is managed by DIR Deutsche Investment Retail GmbH.
The new mural was designed in the Constructivist style by local graphic artist Christoph Ackermann, who also implemented it on location, and was completed in October 2021. The mural measures 11 by 6 metres, and thematically picks up on the subject of a nearby fountain facility colloquially called “the fairytale fountain” while simultaneously paying homage to the artists behind the fountain. Located on Neustädter Platz (previously named Paul-Markowski-Platz) and dedicated in 1982, the fountain was designed by the Magdeburg-based artist couple Annedore and Wolfgang Policek. It consists of six concrete columns or mythical creatures of varying height that are installed at different levels inside a basin with irregularly curved outline and supporting several fountains. Over time, the columns and figures had gradually lost the mosaics that had originally adorned them, so that the decision was made to restore the fountain with a new colour scheme when the whole square was renovated in 2004.
The new mural adorning Passage am Märchenbrunnen blends smoothly with the architecture of the entrance area, corresponds to the fairytale fountain and simultaneously acts as an eye-catcher for the local population as well as for the shoppers of the mall and the street market outside. The geometric and abstracted figures with their transparencies, gradients, depth level and new angles represent the front of an enchanted forest. Diagonal spheres with triangles and circles symbolise the trees of the forest, whereas a yellow circle high above the forest associates the sun or moon.
“We are glad we managed to upgrade the existing building by integrating the new mural into the shopping centre while giving the whole quarter around Neustädter Platz and its residents a new landmark to identify with at the same time,” said Pia Gramlich, Head of Property Management at DIR Deutsche Investment Retail GmbH. “We want local residents and customers of the shopping centre to like and enjoy it.”
