Graffito adorns e-bus charging station at Kaiserlei
22.06.2022 – The Kaiserlei is one of Offenbach's major transport hubs: anyone traveling to Offenbach from Frankfurt will pass the Kaiserlei - whether by bus, S-Bahn, car or bicycle. Offenbach's e-buses also make regular stops at Kaiserlei: they use the short break at the turning facility to charge their batteries.
The infrastructure erected for this purpose is now adorned with a colorful welcome to all who come to Offenbach. The word "Welcome" is written in large letters on the transformer building, surrounded by a pattern reminiscent of leaves.
The toilet facilities for bus drivers and the distribution boxes are also decorated with the large jungle-like pattern. The graffito was sprayed by Offenbach artist Thekra Jaziri on behalf of the public utility company OVB Offenbacher Verkehrs-Betriebe in coordination with the urban design department of the Office for Urban Planning, Transport and Construction Management.
"The buildings at the Kaiserlei terminus have already been defaced with graffiti in the past, the removal of which naturally incurs costs every time," reports OVB authorized signatory Janine Mielzarek, who is responsible for the project on behalf of OVB. "We decided to have a large-scale work of art sprayed here so that this central traffic junction doesn't become another 'dirty corner'. This is not only much nicer in the long term, but also more cost-effective than removing unwanted graffiti."
The artwork enhances the entrance to the city and fits in well with Offenbach's colorful cultural diversity, says Marcus Hüls from Stadtgestaltung. In other places, such as on the Main cycle path near the harbor island, there has already been good experience with such graffiti. Less professional sprayers often have respect for such work and then refrain from graffiti.
The artist worked on the graffiti on site at Kaiserlei over a period of almost two weeks. It will now be coated with a protective layer to ensure that it remains brightly colored in the long term. "It's great that my graffito now welcomes people who come to Offenbach at such a central traffic junction," says Thekra Jaziri.