Winner of the 2024 façade competition
The city of Hof has successfully held its 52nd "Hof bekennt Farbe" façade competition, organised by the Department of Culture. Prizes were awarded for outstanding façade renovations that had been realised over the past year. A total of 27 projects were submitted, and the jury also included a further building in the evaluation.
The award ceremony took place during a meeting of the Environment and Planning Committee in the large conference room of the town hall. In 2023, this hall was allowed to swap its 1950s appearance for a fresh, contemporary look, providing the ideal setting for the award ceremony.
With this competition, the city of Hof aims to motivate homeowners to renovate their buildings in a way that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. The award-winning projects illustrate that high-quality façade renovations can make a significant contribution to the beautification of the cityscape. Old buildings are transformed back into jewels of the city through expert craftsmanship and the application of aesthetic rules, thus enhancing entire streets.
"The requirements for comfort, safety, etc. have grown. But you can also renovate sensibly, extend skilfully, combine the old with the new in a spectacular way. In this respect, façade renovations are also the right way to go, because existing buildings can continue to be used well," emphasises Mayor Eva Döhla.
The winners 2024
A recognition prize, without endowment, was awarded by the jury:
Liebigstraße 21
Owner: Urban renewal Hof
Painter Herbert Kreutzer GmbH
If you come out of Wittelsbacherpark and continue on foot towards the railway station, the building forms the visual end of Liebigstraße before it meets Weißenburgstraße. The imposing exposed brick façade with rich stonework in the neo-Renaissance style is known to many simply because of its size and prominent location in the railway station district. The façade has been renovated with wooden windows and the bricks have been stylishly emphasised. Even from a great distance, the impressive image of what is now a beautiful house becomes apparent.
A prize worth €100 went to:
Friedrichstraße 34
Owner: Ekrem and Asuman Kis
Painter: MAL MICH, Michael Grünert
Here, the façade of an apartment block in the Westend was renovated in an orderly fashion. Numerous details, such as the double contrast of the window frames with white against the grey of the façade, show how successfully existing architecture from earlier years can be reinterpreted.
Three further prizes, each worth €300, were awarded to the following buildings:
Schellenbergweg 13
Owner: Ulrike and Stefan Häßler
Painter: Roland Menzel (Helmbrechts)
The urban villa ensemble on Schellenberg dates back to the 1930s and consists of semi-detached houses with lush garden areas. When renovating the façade, the owners of the now award-winning part of the house took an exemplary approach to historical and neighbourhood features. The overall result is a considerate and subtle image of a house that can serve as a role model.
Münsterweg 16
Painter: Painter Wulff (Oberkotzau)
With this project, a task in the Münster district has been solved in a solid and considerate way, because the colour redesign skilfully emphasises a building style from the 1950s and 1960s that is not exactly hip today and therefore not at all easy to approach with a gentle colour scheme.
Hermann-Löns-Straße 83
Owner: Krista and Helmut Rank
Painter: Herbert Kreutzer GmbH
Harmonious, simple, well-crafted: this is how you could describe the renovation of the façade of this detached house in Krötenbruck, which also dates back to the middle of the last century. The soft ochre tone leaves room for the colours of the garden and blends harmoniously into the streetscape.
First prize in the façade competition and the special prize from the Botanic Garden Beautification Association (each worth €500) went to
Mühlstraße 5
Owner: Ivonne and Oliver Krüger
Painter: Maler Plauen GmbH
The winner of these two prizes is a house that was recommended by a jury member (Simone Herrmann, Stadterneuerung Hof; supervised the project). The apartment block in the Saaleauen is located in a quiet cobbled street below Ludwigstraße and the historic city centre. Together with other buildings, it characterises Mühlstraße in a special way due to the sensitive architectural language of its time of origin. Here, too, the building does not shout, but rather sets a discreet accent by succeeding in dissolving the power of the building's body in terms of design. The modernisation is an extraordinary example of how the district can appear. The forthcoming renovation of the rear including balcony extensions promises a worthy overall appearance. We are delighted to be able to honour this project with two awards.