Kennedypark
The Kennedypark is a 52,000 m² park in Aachen's east quarter . It was laid out in the 1960s on a former military site and named after the assassinated US President John F. Kennedy .
Yellow barracks
In 1882, the Prussian government at that time built the “ Yellow Barracks ” outside the Aachen city center and put it into operation. The name referred to the yellow brick facade of the imposing barracks built in the Wilhelmine Baroque style . After the First World War , French and later Belgian occupation troops moved in and stayed there until 1929. From 1936, the German Wehrmacht used the site.
The barracks survived the Second World War relatively unscathed. This meant that the buildings could be used as emergency shelters in the first few years after the war. With the necessary renovation work between 1946 and 1950, craftsmen from Halifax in West Yorkshire / England also helped , which initially led to the friendship between the two cities and, in 1979, to the Aachen-Halifax partnership .
former yellow barracks
Pillars of the former Yellow Barracks - entrance to Kennedypark
John F. Kennedy
foldable stage
Friendship stone Aachen-Halifax
Park bench
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Park
In 1961, the city of Aachen acquired the entire area and decided to tear down the barracks and create new living space and a park there. Only eight columns in the Doric style remained of the “Yellow Barracks” , which today mark the entrance to the park. Two residential towers were built in 1964, the rest of the area was redesigned into an extensive meadow, garden and playground. The official opening and handover of the park to the citizens took place on September 17, 1966.
In June 1980, there were at Klenkes an appearance of -Stadtmagazin press hard at the Kennedy Park Kölsch rock band BAP .
As of 2006, the park was modernized and redesigned as part of the Social City East Quarter funding program . In particular, the playgrounds were redesigned and a skater facility was added. After a delay, a stage with an elaborate folding roof construction was also completed in 2011, although it is rarely used. Since 2017, the Kennedypark has also been available as the venue for the international cultural festival across the borders .
Naming
When American President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, a decision was made in Aachen to name the planned park in his honor, Kennedy Park. The American Consul General Kellog planted the first tree in 1964 and was also present when a bust of the namesake was unveiled at the inauguration of the park. The bust was created by the Aachen sculptor Hubert Löneke . In the night from Thursday to Friday, February 5, 2016, the bust was apparently stolen by outrageous metal thieves . After four days it was found that the bust was only hidden under a wooden crate for protection during the carnival days. Neither the police nor city officials had recognized this.
Web links
- From Ostpark to Kennedypark - how the green area got its name. , Archives of the Month September 2016 on the website of the City Archives of Aachen
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article from the Aachen Ost district newspaper ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (2006; PDF; 3.2 MB)
- ↑ Robert Esser: Taxes wasted? Nothing beats the luxury stage in the Ostviertel. (No longer available online.) In: Aachener Nachrichten . May 31, 2012, archived from the original on February 6, 2016 ; accessed on February 6, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Bronze bust stolen from Kennedypark. In: Aachener Nachrichten . February 5, 2016, accessed February 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Confusion about Kennedy bust: only hidden behind wood protection. (No longer available online.) In: Aachener Nachrichten . February 9, 2016, archived from the original on February 9, 2016 ; accessed on February 9, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 50 ° 46 ′ 25 ″ N , 6 ° 7 ′ 5.8 ″ E