Article: A real eye-catcher: ICE maintenance depot immortalised on Cottbus graffiti artwork
A graffiti artwork has given Cottbus' cityscape a new look. In addition to the Spremberg Tower, St. Nikolai's Church and the district court, the new ICE maintenance depot of DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung can be seen on the large-scale mural at the “Bunte Bahnhof” (colourful railway station).
A 13-metre-long mural by graffiti artist Dirk Hiekel now adorns the facade of the "Bunte Bahnhof" in Cottbus. Hiekel is originally from Cottbus and is a well-known personality there. On behalf of Deutsche Bahn, he has created a new look for the Cottbus cityscape on an area of around 60 square meters and has also integrated the new ICE maintenance depot.
The "Bunte Bahnhof" is located on the site of the former goods station directly opposite the new Cottbus maintenance depot and is now a cultural center. In Hall 2, which was completed in January, ICE 4 trains are repaired by DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung. With its 150-year tradition, the maintenance depot is a prominent feature of the Cottbus cityscape. Dirk Hiekel worked on the graffiti artwork for around three weeks.
Kathrin Schneider, Minister and Head of the State Chancellery of Brandenburg, Marietta Tzschoppe, Mayor of Cottbus, and Carmen Schmieder, Managing Director of Controlling and Finance at DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung, jointly unveiled the mural on 15 April 2024.
In her speech, Carmen Schmieder highlighted the great cooperation between the city of Cottbus, the state of Brandenburg and DB. She emphasised the relevance of the maintenance depot expansion in Cottbus for structural change in Lusatia. She particularly thanked the local residents for their patience during the two-year construction phase for Hall 2, adding that patience will be needed even longer for Hall 1, which is currently under construction and will be completed in 2026, thus completing DB's largest maintenance depot. "We are very grateful to the Bunte Bahnhof and its operators for welcoming us so well into their neighbourhood and for supporting the construction of the first workshop right on their doorstep with a great deal of understanding," says Carmen Schmieder.
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