Thon is changing: Historic apartment building and new town center are waiting for the future!

Thon is changing: Historic apartment building and new town center are waiting for the future!

A lot is happening in Thon, a district of Nuremberg. The historical charm of the district is preserved by a new development in the center of the town, while at the same time a breath of fresh air is blowing. Here, where a four-story apartment building from 1899 by master carpenter Michael Volland once magnificently adorned the old town center, work is being done not only on the history, but also on the future. The apartment building, which was built at a time when the surrounding buildings were predominantly one to two storeys, is now in the midst of rapid change.

The remarkable building on Outer Bucher Strasse features a ground floor front made of sandstone and asymmetrically arranged apartments that convey a lively image. The neighboring “Zum Knoblauchsland”, built in 1898, shares stylistic features and is reminiscent of bygone times. Historical photographs show that the tenement house and the pub were photographed as early as 1906. Georg Döblinger, who opened a grocery store on the ground floor, and the single greengrocer Margarete Sippel are also important figures in local history.

The change in clay

With the incorporation of Thon into Nuremberg and the changes in the post-war period, the apartment building has since lost some of its original charm. Modern interventions have detracted from the overall appearance of the house, while renovation of the upper roof has converted it into living space. It remains to be hoped that a sensitive homeowner will take care of the visual disturbing factors and help the building regain its shine. However, [Nürnberger Nachrichten](https://www.nn.de/nuernberg/mietshaus-zwischen-stallen-einst-machte-sich-im-dorf-nurnberg-thon-ein- Fremdkorper-breit-1.14722490) reports on the great opportunity not to lose this historical character in the upcoming redesign of the surrounding area.

It looks like this is exactly where the “Neue Mitte Thon” project is being implemented. The demolition of the old terminus has now been completed and a center for the district is being planned on the now vacant site. This should not only offer commercial and residential areas, but also shops and open space. A striking high-rise called “The One” will serve as the central point of the entire project and is scheduled for construction between the end of 2022 and 2024. Der Nürnberger has published detailed information about this. The construction work also includes a new stop on Erlanger Straße and the integration of existing office buildings into the new cityscape.

Architectural visions for the future

The city planning envisages a clever arrangement of four functional city building blocks that structure the entire area and enable motor-free traffic in all directions. These urban development measures also provide a context for the northern commercial buildings and are intended to form a link to the urban development concept. The Bermüller-Niemeyer competition has already produced initial designs that promise a new facade design and construction method. Whether green light gaps or round entrances - different scales and proportions are used here to create a harmonious connection between old and new.

It is expected that the Italian specialty market on Forchheimer Strasse and Pretzfelder Strasse will make way to make room for the new project and create a continuous connection between the adjacent streets. The change in Thon brings a breath of fresh air and at the same time the challenge of preserving the previous history. Perhaps Thon will soon become a prime example of successful urban development – ​​with a good knack for integrating old and new.

Interested readers are warmly invited to send in old photos of Nuremberg and the region in order to keep the magic of the past alive. Thon, a district with history, will inevitably move into the future - and in ways that could excite both long-standing and new residents.