Oude Rooms Katholieke Ziekenhuis
The Oude Rooms Katholieke Ziekenhuis ( German Old Roman Catholic Hospital ), ORKZ for short , is a former hospital in Groningen, the Netherlands, which was captured by squatters in 1979. It was the largest occupied building in the Netherlands until it was legalized in 1985 .
history
_Groningen_NL.jpg)
The on since 1887 Oude Sint Jansstraat existing Rooms Katholieke Ziekenhuis the foundation Stichting Onze Lieve Vrouwen Behoudenis of patients was 1925 in the Groningen district Helpman the Emmastraat relocated to a new building. The hospital initially had four departments, which were expanded by six more in the following years, and a nurses' home was added. Nevertheless, the capacity soon reached its limit, so that in 1968 it was decided to build a new hospital elsewhere (on Van Swietenlaan ). In 1979 the new RKZ was completed (today Martini Ziekenhuis ), the old building was empty after the move. The municipality of Groningen decided - after an agreement with an entrepreneur - to demolish the old hospital in order to then build luxury condominiums on the site.
As a result, people from different groups got together, including members of the Groninger Student Union, supporters of left-wing parties and the already existing Kraakorganisatie Groningen (KOG), who thwarted these plans in times of housing shortage: on the night of September 2nd to 3rd, 1979 Two people met at the night porter guarding the empty hospital and lured him away from the entrance. About a hundred krakers ( Dutch term for squatters ) then took possession of the large building complex.
The occupation, originally planned as a temporary occupation, became permanent, although there was always uncertainty about future developments, especially when the municipality of Groningen acquired the former hospital from the foundation in 1981. But in 1985 State Secretary Brokx declared the building, now known as Oude RKZ , to be legally inhabited . After a discussion with the occupiers, he agreed to self-administration, but limited in time for five years in the sense of an experiment. At the end of this period, however, after a detailed evaluation, all decision-makers found the attempt to be successful and spoke out in favor of the continued existence of the residential collective.
Current condition
The ORKZ is administered and maintained by its residents themselves, they are both tenants and landlords who have come together in the “Cooperative Association De Koevoet ”. The residents' association rents the house in its entirety from the housing association of the municipality of Groningen, which has the complex on a long lease . This regulation dates back to the time of the legalization negotiations in order to maintain legal control over the occupiers if they had not kept to the agreements.
Anyone who would like to live there must first register with an "introductory committee" and - in a kind of application letter - introduce themselves, their motives and preferences; The department in which a room has become free then decides on the respective candidate. Part of the rent is paid for through collaboration, for example with maintenance or the organization of cultural events.
Around 260 people live in 232 residential units in the ORKZ. Rooms that are less suitable for living (for example the former operating theaters or basement rooms) are used as practice rooms, studios or workshops. In addition, the building complex houses a cinema, daytime café, restaurant, exhibition room, concert hall and bar. All facilities are managed by the residents themselves. Hot water, central heating and electricity are available and are maintained by our own technical service.
See also
Eurodusnie , squatters' collective in Leiden
swell
- History of the ORKZ (Dutch, accessed April 2, 2014)
- Description of the organization of the ORKZ (Dutch, accessed May 13, 2010)
Coordinates: 53 ° 11 ′ 49 ″ N , 6 ° 34 ′ 51 ″ E