City of Offenbach buys the Kaufhof building

The Galeria-Kaufhof department store closed at the end of June 2023. Since then, the Kaufhof building has been empty. There are fewer and fewer stores in the city center. Many people buy online and no longer go shopping in the pedestrian zone.

The politicians in Offenbach want the city center to be beautiful. People should enjoy spending time in the city center.

The politicians have several ideas: The city center should become greener with more plants. Stores with a special offer open in empty buildings for a limited time. This is called a "pop-up store". "Pop-up" is English and means "to appear" or "to appear suddenly" in German.

The politicians have also decided that the city of Offenbach will buy the Kaufhof building. It costs 13 million euros. The building will be renovated and modified. This is set to cost 22 million euros and will take until 2026. It will then be called "Station Mitte". The city library is to move there and will then have much more space. The city library is now in Herrnstraße and has long been too small. There will be more workstations and more events in the new city library. There will also be more space for children and young people. They will be able to study there in peace, for example. This is particularly important for children and young people who live in small apartments. Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke says: "In Offenbach, all children should have the same opportunities for a good education. No matter how much money their parents earn.

There will be a café on the first floor of the "Station Mitte" in the future. Perhaps also small stores.

A large, modern hall is to be built on the roof. However, it first has to be checked whether this is possible. Concerts, theater and other events could take place in the new hall. Or companies could rent it for a large meeting or celebration. Cultural associations could also use the hall.

If people like the new "Station Mitte", they will come to the city center more often. Then they might also go to the other stores and restaurants. That's good for the owners, who will then do better business again.