Remembering Karl Küpper – KISD Students Reimagine a Cologne City Square

Karl Küpper defied National Socialism with humour, language and conviction – yet his story remains barely visible in the square that bears his name. The student project “Karl. Küpper. Platz?” develops ideas for a vibrant place of remembrance where history, carnival, neighbourhood life and the urban everyday come together. The students’ vision for the future of the square will be presented on 26 September 2026, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Karl-Küpper-Platz.

It has been fifteen years since the Karl-Küpper-Platz, a square in Cologne city centre, was named after the renowned carnival performer Karl Küpper (1905–1970), following years of commitment by his family. Despite various efforts to enhance the site, Karl-Küpper-Platz has yet to become firmly established in the city’s collective memory, nor does its current design encourage people to stay for longer. Yet the square commemorates a historical figure whose active and unwavering stance against National Socialism may be more important today than ever.

Karl Küpper was the only well-known carnival performer to openly defy the Nazi regime on stage through humour and language. Although his name is now present in the cityscape, his story remains largely invisible to many visitors.

This is precisely where the KISD student-initiated project “Karl. Küpper. Platz?” begins. Its aim is to further develop the square in a way that does justice to the person it commemorates. At the heart of the project is the connection between remembrance and everyday urban life: the square as memorial and meeting place, as stage and starting point for conversation, but also as a vibrant space within the neighbourhood.

To this end, the students have engaged intensively with Karl Küpper’s biography, observed and analysed the square, and spoken with a range of stakeholders. In a subsequent workshop held on the square itself, members of Küpper’s family, representatives from Cologne’s carnival scene, cultural sector and city administration, as well as experts on Cologne’s history under National Socialism, contributed their perspectives and ideas.

A central idea of the project is to consider remembrance and the experience of spending time in a place together. A place where people enjoy spending time can integrate remembrance naturally into everyday life. Conversely, engaging with a place’s history gives it identity and meaning. For Karl-Küpper-Platz, this means combining a permanent marker of remembrance with a welcoming environment, comfortable places to sit and spend time, protection from the weather and lively everyday use.

This opens up concrete perspectives for the future. In everyday life, the square is intended to function as a vibrant meeting place where remembrance remains a constant underlying presence. At the same time, it offers the potential for renewed use as a carnival venue and, in doing so, could establish another permanent public space in Cologne for political and socially critical carnival. In this way, Küpper’s stance can be carried into the present.

The project also explores what a permanent artistic marker of remembrance might look like and how it could function. The aim is not to create a static monument, but rather a conceptual and creative foundation that could enable future artistic interventions. Cooperation with local initiatives and institutions is also intended to embed the square more firmly in the life of the neighbourhood.

Karl-Küpper-Platz is therefore not envisioned as a conventional memorial site, but as a dynamic space in which remembrance, everyday life, carnival and neighbourhood life are brought together.

The students will show what this vision could look like in practice on Saturday, 26 September 2026, from 2 to 6 p.m. directly at Karl-Küpper-Platz. Designs and future scenarios for the square will be presented, while the event will also provide an opportunity to exchange ideas about its further development. Music will be provided by Lucito, Flor de Sauco and Rolly Brings.

Everyone interested is warmly invited to join.