From Cold War Missile Base to Artistic Haven: The Transformation of Hombroich

The former NATO missile installation located at Hombroich, to the southwest of Düsseldorf, has transformed into a 64-hectare artistic environment. This site was home to Nike-Hercules missiles until 1985, with 300 Belgian soldiers stationed for its protection. In 1994, Karl-Heinrich Müller acquired the property, eliminating fences to promote art. He established the Insel Hombroich Foundation in 1996, with backing from North Rhine-Westphalia. The area showcases more than forty structures designed by renowned architects such as Raimund Abraham, Álvaro Siza Vieira, and Tadao Ando. The most recent addition is Terunobu Fujimori's 'Ein Stein Teehaus,' completed in 2020. Ute Langanky has resided in the command center for three decades, while poet Thomas Kling lived there until 2005. The nearby park features Müller's art collection and has facilitated writers' residencies since 2001, with remnants of its military past still visible.