Parts of Cologne's Ehrenfeld quarter have felt like one single construction site for years. There is a shortage of housing in the city. Ehrenfeld owns many factory sites as a former industrial and working-class district. These sites have been converted into residential complexes and office buildings for years.

In 2019, there were still two large areas that no longer exist today. One was the so-called Underground and the other one was the old Ehrenfeld freight yard. To name just two remarkable examples. For years, both were no longer used according to their original purposes.

The underground was used for small and large disco events for over two decades from the 1990s onwards. Here concerts and music in an alternative ambience took place several times a week. The place enjoyed cult status, here blossomed subculture.

The freight yard, which wasn't in use for years, served as a building for club events and flea markets. Here, too, a subculture developed with regular events.

Both no longer exist. A school is being built on the grounds of the Underground and there are now shoe box styled apartments on the grounds of the station.

Beautiful new world. So take a look at the photos from before, taken in 2019.