The Cologne-based artist duo Zappel & Knautsch designed this futuristic vision of Cologne's Buchforst district in 2015 as a commissioned work to beautify the building façade and surrounding area. It remains to be seen whether the design will become reality in the year 3000. Aware that it is impossible to predict the future, the artists have incorporated humour and free imagination.
The comic-style mural combines the history of the neighbourhood, when there was still a small forest here, with ideas and wishes for the future. The result is a harmonious blend of nature and technology.
Historical visions of the future in the form of architecture can also be explored up close. The 'Blauer Hof' and 'Weiße Stadt' housing estates by Wilhelm Riphahn and Caspar Maria Grod are prime examples of new living in the Bauhaus style. The neighbourhood's Church of the Resurrection is also well worth a visit.