• St.Nikolaus Church is lokated in the inner Ring of Aachen in the city centre
• St. Niklouas church is located on Großkölnstraße, in the northeastern part of Aachen city center
• St. Nikloaus church is located in the heritage protected area of Aachen
1967
Due to restructuring the church belongs again to the Franciscans
The church was transformed into the „City Church“, where cultural events are also hosted
• Includes all complete plots, which are cut by the 50 m area ( 54 plots)
• Extended in the direction of the marketplace because of the visual connection to the church
• Extended into the north, because of the historical monastery complex and the wall
• Minoritenstraße
Minoriten is another name for the Franciscans, who are the order to which the monastery belonged
• An der Nikolauskirche
Same name as the church
• Nikolausstraße
Same name as the church
CATEGORIES OF VISUAL POLLUTION
• Architectural language
• Cultural and/or artistic expressions
• Ephemeral elements
• Facade
• Urban furniture and Installations
• Night light
• Pavement
• Signs
• Vegetation
• Shop windows
Main name:
Turnhalle & Umspannwerk Minoritenstraße
Cadastre reference: 1847 & 1856
Owner: Stadt Aachen
Situation: Minoritenstraße 5 & 7, Aachen
Sorrounding environment:
The front, eastern part of the building is located directly on Minoritenstraße. A residential building directly adjoins the north facade. On the southern part of the facade is an access road to an adjacent underground parking garage. A green area adjoins the building to the west.
Accessibility:
Access to the building is possible through two entrances facing Minoritenstraße. In addition, there is a passage in the northern part of the building, which leads through the building into the private courtyard.
Typology: Facility
Uses and occupation: Sports hall & Transformer station
Number of Floors: 2 (in the tower 3)
Base area: 977 m2
State of conservation: good
Descriptive information:
The building was built in 1925. It was established as a transformer station to secure the power supply in Aachen‘s city center. The building owner was the gas, electricity and water works of the city of Aachen. The architect of this building was Philipp Kerz, the head of the municipal building department at the time.
It is a two-story brick building oriented to the street. In one corner of the house there is a three-storey tower. The switch house is connected to the tower at 90 degrees to the back. In the part of the building facing the street were apartments for workers. In the part at the back there was the machine house built in reinforced concrete. It was also clad with a brick facade.
In 1956, a change of use of the building took place. The modernization of the power supply was the reason for it. The part of the building adjoining the tower on the left, lying at right angles to Minoritenstraße, was transformed into a new, modern substation. The other part of the building was rebuilt and transformed into a sports hall.
There is a proposal to convert the current gym into a market hall. However, this would first require finding a replacement for the gymnasium. This is still, although it does not meet today‘s standards, used by many schools for sport lessons. A market hall there in this place, could give a positive indicator for the whole area.
The front part of the building facing the street, where the apartments were located, is now a protected building.
• Original floor plan and facade from 1925
• Traditional facade material (brick)
• Building typology is not often present in the urban fabric
• Satzung für die Erhaltung des Denkmalbereiches „Innenstadt“
• DSchG NRR
The ground plan and brickwork as well as the facades of the building are the originals from 1925. The facade part, which is oriented towards Minoritenstraße, is already under protection as a historic building. In order not to destroy the old ground plan as well as the resulting character, the entire building complex should be placed under monument protection. In addition, there are not many old substations in the cityscape nowadays, which is why this should be preserved in any case. Also, the facade, which is made of brick, is a traditional construction method that should not be lost in the cityscape.
The uses inside the building do not need to be protected, as they have readily changed over time. Further changes may be possible, if this does not change the basic structure of the building.
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Main name: -
Cadastre reference: 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849 & 1850
Owner: Stadt Aachen
LOCATION
Situation: An der Nikolauskirche, Aachen
Sorrounding environment:
The open space is located between different buildings inside. Adjacent to the north are residential buildings, to the east is a sports hall and a transformer station. To the southeast is the St. Nikolaus church. To the west is a large commercial building complex.
Accessibility:
The open space can be accessed via two entrances. To the north, this is possible via the rope trench, which is also the access road for cars. In the southern part, the area can be accessed from Großkölnstraße past the church.
Typology:
Parking lot + Greenspace + Church square
Uses and occupation: Parking and recreation
Base area: 5552 m2
State of conservation: improvable
Descriptive information:
The open space is divided into three different parts.
In the southern part, the area is a paved square with some temporary furniture.
The other part of the area is divided into a green area and the parking lot. Both are separated by the path „An der Nikolauskirche“.
The green area is a meadow area with some tree plantings worth preserving on it. The parking area is partially two-storeyed. The parking lot was created in the years after the war. Before that, in this area was the monastery garden, of the Franciscan monastery, which was also destroyed in the war. In the north, the historical old city wall of Aachen partially delimits the area. This part of the city wall is already a protected heritage site.
Despite the different formation of the subareas, from a historical point of view, the entire area is to be considered as one, since it was the area of the Franciscan monastery until its destruction in the war. Parts of the old wall of the monastery (boundary of the monastery garden) are still present today. That is why there are no other buildings in this area today.
• Green space in the inner city
• Historically proven place
• Building typology is not often present in the urban fabric
• Satzung für die Erhaltung des Denkmalbereiches „Innenstadt“
• DSchG NRR
The depicted area should be placed under protection of historical heritage. The area is part of the former Franciscan monastery complex. The adjacent church is also part of this ensemble and is already listed. In order to protect the whole ensemble in the future, the open space should be listed as a ground heritage site. In order to be able to restore the historical use, the deconstruction of the parking area is partly necessary. There are enough parking possibilities in the immediate surrounding, which is why this deconstruction can be carried out. Thinking sustainably into the future, it also makes sense to transform the area completely into a green space again, since green spaces of this size are very rare in the city center. It has a positive influence on the surroundings and can also be used as a recreational area.
CONSISTEN LOOKING SHOP SIGNS
CONSISTENT STORE SIGNS TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF VISUAL POLLUTION AND CREATE A UNIFIED, CALMER OVERALL IMAGE
https://www.zuerich.com/sites/default/files/imagegallery/web_zurich_freizeit_erleben_shopping_sihlcity_kalandergasse.jpg
LIMITATION OF BUILDING HEIGHTS
REGULATION OF BUILDING HEIGHTS FOR A UNIFORM, HARMONIOUS TOWNSCAPE AND TO ENSURE THAT NO BUILDING BECOMES HIGHER THAN THE CHURCH
CONSISTEN URBAN FURNITURE
IN ORDER TO CREATE A CONSISTENT, HARMONIOUS IMAGE, THE SAME MATERIALS SHOULD BE USED FOR THE FACADES. THIS WILL ALSO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF VISUAL POLLUTION.
REGULATION OF BUILDING HEIGHTS FOR A UNIFORM, HARMONIOUS TOWNSCAPE AND TO ENSURE THAT NO BUILDING BECOMES HIGHER THAN THE CHURCH
https://www.public-manager.com/typo3temp/_processed_/d/e/csm_thieme-hoevelhof1_be583b762e.jpg
CONSISTEN PAVEMENT FOR THE WHOLE AREA
IN ORDER TO BETTER ACCENTUATE THE CHURCH AND TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF VISUAL POLLUTION, THE ENTIRE AREA SHOULD RECEIVE A UNIFORM SURFACE. THE COLORS OF THE PAVEMENT SHOULD MATCH THE COLOR OF THE CHURCH AND BE MADE OF HIGHQUALITY NATURAL STONE.
https://freiraumwerkstadt.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/basilika_titel-1536x1022.jpg
RESTORATION OF THE FORMER MONASTERY GARDEN
THE AMOUNT OF VISUAL POLLUTION CAN BE GREATLY REDUCED IF THE PARKING LOT NEXT TO THE CHURCH IS ELIMINATED. IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE CHURCH AND THE ENTIRE SITE, A MODERNLY INTERPRETED MONASTERY GARDEN IS TO BE CREATED.
https://www.augustinerkloster.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Klostergarten01-876x365px.jpg
