A vibrant community art project has transformed a drab underpass at the Shell roundabout in Rotenburg, Germany, into a spectacular display of colorful graffiti artwork. Children and teenagers from Rotenburg and its surrounding districts collaborated to create an impressive mural that celebrates the unique characteristics and landmarks of each neighborhood in their city.
The ambitious project was organized by Klaus Hartwig from the Municipal Children and Youth Services of the City of Rotenburg, who wanted to showcase the community's distinctive environment in the heart of their beautiful city. "Through this creative art initiative, we wanted to make our unique surroundings visible right in the middle of our beautiful city," Hartwig explained. "Through the ideas and dedication of young people from all districts, a true community work has emerged that shows Rotenburg's diversity and unique features."
The artistic endeavor began with a painting competition where local children and youth submitted their design ideas. Professional artists Marcus Paul Bertino, who works under the artist name Magnum, and Vivienne Vesper, known as Chick, then developed two large-scale comprehensive motifs from these submissions. One mural showcases distinctive elements from the various districts, including churches in Schwarzenhasel and Erkshausen, the Wartenberg Hut in Braach, and the Alheimer Tower. The second mural focuses on the city center, featuring well-known landmarks such as the Pilzchen, the Highwalk, the half-timbered backdrop, and the old Fulda Bridge.
The two professional artists handled all preparatory work, including priming the walls and sketching the outlines of the overall design, allowing the young participants to begin spraying immediately on project day. Individual sections were marked with numbers that corresponded to numbered spray bottles, creating an organized paint-by-numbers system. The enthusiastic participants brought their own creative ideas while simultaneously learning professional techniques for creating special effects such as feathers, leaves, masonry, fine lines, and color gradients.
Working alongside the experienced artists, the group created two impressive murals in a remarkably short time, now adorning both sides of the underpass. "It was impressive to see the level of engagement the children and teenagers brought to the project," Hartwig noted with satisfaction. The collaborative effort resulted in vibrant walls that now illuminate the underpass with bright, eye-catching colors representing all districts of Rotenburg and their special characteristics.
During the preparation phase, both artists noticed that existing illegal graffiti in the area demonstrated remarkable artistic quality. This observation sparked the idea of providing legal spaces for creative talents to express themselves. Working together with Mayor Marcus Weber, they decided to designate the end walls of the underpass as a "Hall of Fame" – designated areas where graffiti artists can legally and creatively express themselves in the future.
The city administration hopes these newly designated legal spaces will serve a dual purpose: providing legitimate outlets for artistic expression while also helping protect the newly created, lovingly crafted murals from vandalism and damage. This forward-thinking approach represents Rotenburg's commitment to supporting young artists while channeling creative energy into positive community projects that celebrate local identity and pride.
