Die Pumpe

Die Pumpe is a cultural and communication centre in the centre of Kiel's old town, in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It occupies a former sewage pumping station built in 1929 to discharge Kiel's wastewater into the Kiel Fjord; after a new pumping station was built elsewhere in 1974, the original building became redundant and the City of Kiel decided to convert it into a cultural venue. Two upper floors were inserted into the large hall, and the converted building — with more than 2,000 m² of floor space — was completed and inaugurated in 1979. The building is heritage-listed (denkmalgeschützt), and remnants of its industrial past remain inside, including a large pump wheel on the ground floor that can still be turned for decorative effect. Since May 1979 the venue has been handed over to the association of the same name, Die Pumpe e.V., as a cultural and communication centre. The City of Kiel remains the owner of the property, while the association is the operator; Die Pumpe is therefore not a municipal institution. A usage contract between the city and the association sets out the cultural tasks and mandates of the association as well as the level of financial support provided by the city, while leaving the association independent of the political and administrative levels of the municipality within that framework. The venue offers a large event hall, conference, group and work rooms, workshops and gastronomic areas. It regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, theatre productions, readings, poetry slams, public discussions and other events, which are programmed primarily on content rather than commercial grounds. Since 1979 it has housed the Kommunales Kino Kiel, which offers a non-commercial, alternative cinema programme. According to the German Wikipedia entry, Die Pumpe hosts more than 750 cinema events and more than 200 concerts per year, along with over 850 meetings of various working groups and other regular users, drawing a total annual visitor flow of more than 100,000 people. Die Pumpe is also active in supporting emerging talent, especially in film and music. It is one of the few places in Kiel where up-and-coming bands, musicians and DJs can regularly perform and present their music to a larger audience under professional conditions. The Kommunales Kino, together with the Filmwerkstatt of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, gives young filmmakers from the region the opportunity to show their work on the big screen. In 2020 the venue won the "BACKSTAGE Clubaward" in the category "Umgang mit Musikern auf und hinter der Bühne" (dealing with musicians on and behind the stage), an award voted on by musicians themselves. Financially, the venue has repeatedly faced difficulties. In 2002 the city's then departmental head for waste management and culture attempted to close Die Pumpe; in the end a settlement was reached that provided for a drastic reduction in the financial resources available to the venue. The association continues to rely on membership: personal members pay €30 per year and corporate members €120 per year, and membership applications and the association's statutes are available for download from its website. The venue's programme is published on its website, which lists film series and special screenings such as "Vaterland", "Das geträumte Abenteuer", a Queerfilmnacht, psychoanalysis and film evenings, horror-themed programmes and retrospectives of directors including Martin Scorsese and Ingmar Bergman.

Die Pumpe began as a pumping station (Pumpwerk) built in 1929 in the centre of Kiel's old town to dispose of the city's wastewater into the Kiel Fjord. In 1974 a new pumping station was built elsewhere in Kiel, leaving the original building without a function. The City of Kiel therefore decided to convert the former pumping station into a cultural and communication centre. During the conversion, two upper floors were inserted into the extensive hall of the pumping station. The completion and inauguration of Die Pumpe took place in 1979. On what was now more than 2,000 m² of floor space, rooms were created for work, events, cinema, gastronomy, disco, bar and offices. Inside the heritage-listed building, parts of the pumping station's technical installations are still present, such as a large pump wheel on the ground floor that can even still be turned for decorative purposes. In May 1979 this "new" Die Pumpe was handed over to the association of the same name as a cultural and communication centre. The state capital Kiel nevertheless remained the owner of the property, while the association Pumpe e.V. became the operator of Die Pumpe. Die Pumpe is thus not a municipal institution. In the usage contract between the City of Kiel and the association, the cultural tasks and mandates of the association are set out alongside the level of financial contributions from the city. Within this contractual framework, however, the association is independent of all political and administrative levels of the municipality. Since 1979 the Kommunales Kino Kiel has been housed in Die Pumpe, offering a non-commercial, alternative cinema programme. Over the years the venue has become a broad cultural hub: it regularly hosts concerts, exhibitions, film screenings, theatre productions, readings, poetry slams, public discussions and other events, all programmed primarily on content rather than commercial grounds. According to the German Wikipedia entry, more than 750 cinema events and more than 200 concerts take place there each year, along with over 850 meetings of various working groups and other regular users, with a total annual visitor flow of more than 100,000 people. Financially, the venue's funding has repeatedly been problematic. In 2002 the then city departmental head for waste management and culture attempted to close Die Pumpe. In the end, a settlement was agreed that provided for a drastic reduction in the financial resources for Die Pumpe. Die Pumpe is also committed to supporting emerging talent, especially in film and music. It is one of the few places in Kiel where up-and-coming bands, musicians and DJs can regularly practise their music and present it to a larger audience under professional conditions. Likewise, the Kommunales Kino (together with the Filmwerkstatt of Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein) offers young filmmakers from the region the opportunity to show their work on the screen. In 2020 Die Pumpe won the "BACKSTAGE Clubaward" in the category "Umgang mit Musikern auf und hinter der Bühne", which is chosen by the musicians themselves. The association continues to invite membership: personal members pay €30 per year and corporate members €120 per year, with membership application forms for natural and legal persons and the association's statutes available for download. The venue's current programme, published on its website, includes film series and special screenings such as "Vaterland", "Das geträumte Abenteuer", a Queerfilmnacht, psychoanalysis and film evenings, horror-themed programmes and retrospectives of Martin Scorsese and Ingmar Bergman.

• 2020

  Die Pumpe wins the "BACKSTAGE Clubaward" in the category "Umgang mit Musikern auf und hinter der Bühne", voted on by musicians themselves.

• 2002

  The then city departmental head for waste management and culture attempts to close Die Pumpe; a settlement is reached providing for a drastic reduction in financial resources.

• 1979

  Completion and inauguration of Die Pumpe; two upper floors are inserted into the hall, creating over 2,000 m² of work, event, cinema, gastronomy, disco, bar and office space.

• 1979

  In May, the "new" Die Pumpe is handed over to the association of the same name as a cultural and communication centre; the Kommunales Kino Kiel is housed there from 1979.

• 1974

  A new pumping station is built elsewhere in Kiel, leaving the original building without a function; the City of Kiel decides to convert it into a cultural and communication centre.

• 1929

  The pumping station (Pumpwerk) is built in the centre of Kiel's old town to dispose of the city's wastewater into the Kiel Fjord.

A non-commercial, heritage-listed cultural and communication centre in Kiel, programmed on content rather than commercial grounds, operated by a non-profit association on city-owned property.

• Kommunales Kino Kiel

  A non-commercial, alternative cinema programme housed in Die Pumpe since 1979, hosting more than 750 cinema events per year.

• Concert and live music programme

  More than 200 concerts per year, with a focus on supporting emerging bands, musicians and DJs in Kiel.

• Event and meeting spaces

  A large event hall, conference, group and work rooms, workshops and gastronomic areas, available for events and rental.

1. 1Die Pumpe – official websitediepumpe.de
2. 2Über uns : Die Pumpediepumpe.de
3. 3Pumpe – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Pumpe (Kulturzentrum) – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org