Atelierstandort Nippes

Artists who work with scraps of metal, sculptors who work with wood, successful landscape oil painters, less successful abstract painters, and the just plain bizarre, can all be found here. To some, it's a city within a city. To others, it's a different planet - a sanctuary from the pressure of 20th century urban society.

A beer garden appears in the summer here. Wild flowers, barbed wire and beer cans line the streets, which can jam at night with underground band happenings and during the day with caravans.

But the Atelierstandort Nippes faces uncertainty. Once used as a garrison, for the last 150 years the yard has been owned by the German railroad. For decades it bustled with industrial activity - oil and other toxic chemicals seeping into the ground. It was also a prime bombing target during Germany's wars. These days, the Atelierstandort Nippes has been largely abandoned - the ground too toxic for most uses.

But the artists here may be forced to move if an investor for the site is found. Last week, after years of haphazard, informal organizing, they staged a protest exhibition. It was the first time, but knowing Cologne's artists, it probably won't be the last.