Atelierhaus Schützenbahn

In the first half of the 20th century, the building at Schützenbahn 19/21 housed a famous dance café for singles. After the café closed, the complex was heavily renovated to become a regional production studio for the major German TV channel RTL. When RTL eventually moved its operations out of Essen, the large building in the northern part of the city center sat completely empty for quite some time. To combat the empty storefronts in the area, the city's Cultural Office stepped in and turned the former television studios into a brand-new space for local creatives. The building was divided into 12 private art studios, allowing painters, sculptors, and musicians to work on their crafts under one roof. Lately, the concept shifted from isolated private studios to a lively, open community center (Open Space). This decades-long journey of joy, media, and creativity at the Schützenbahn location has come to an end with the final clearing of the building in June 2026..