A Place to Work, Create and Connect
In the future, formats such as the Frankfurt Citizens’ University will also take place here. The new venue is conceived as a space for discussion, learning, and joint reflection on social-ecological transformations. For ISOE, this space fits consistently with its core mission: as a place for transdisciplinary exchange, for societal dialogue, and for collectively addressing the challenges of social-ecological transformations.
A space for transformation in a unique historical context
That the rooms of the former Dondorf Printing House can now be used as a place for culture, knowledge, and community was by no means foreseeable. For years, the preservation of the building, which was threatened with demolition, was the subject of intense debate. ISOE is therefore all the more pleased to be part of an initiative that both preserves and revitalizes this site.
The institute feels particularly connected to the commitment of the “Initiative Dondorf-Druckerei” and to our colleague Dr. Konrad Götz, who volunteered his efforts to safeguard the building. By using these spaces, the remarkable history of the Jewish Dondorf entrepreneurial family – from revolutionary beginnings to persecution under National Socialism – also remains present in public memory.
Cooperative urban development and lived openness
The 2og:dondorf project sees itself as a community for communities. Different perspectives and forms of knowledge come together here, supported by civic engagement and in dialogue with municipal institutions. The 2nd floor is thus a visible building block of the emerging Kulturcampus Bockenheim and an example of cooperative urban development, as well as a new space for encounter, exchange, and collaborative work – open to science, the arts, remembrance culture, and the wider urban society.
ISOE workshop in the Community Room.