DETAIL Special / Blaibach

As a result of structural changes in the Upper Palatinate, houses in Blaibach were abandoned, and schools, shops and restaurants closed. To revitalise the village centre, architect Peter Haimerl developed the design and implementation of a concert hall and civic centre with the support of baritone singer Thomas Bauer, a Blaibach native, and a group of engaged locals and sponsors and the urban development programme. While the shape of the new building suggests an ancient boulder, the excellent acoustics within has transformed the concert hall into a cultural magnet for music lovers near and far. An adjacent dilapidated building was redeveloped as a civic centre for Blaibach citizens after undergoing extensive renovations and expansion. The new centre of Blaibach is documented with photos, designs and descriptive texts. In addition, the surroundings have been newly staged by the artist duo Edward Beierle and Jutta Görlich through their suggestive prints, with forgotten areas brought into focus and a new field between past and present opened up - the same as fashioned by the new architecture.