Re-plastering walls or attaching strips of wood for pictures – a room in a building that used to be vacant has been spruced up for cultural events and workshops in Zittau, Saxony. The concept, developed by Freiraum Zittau e.V., is called “culture against abandoned buildings”. The idea: owners of orphaned buildings make rooms available to the association if the latter pays the running operational costs. Association members keep the building in good condition and organize cultural events in the rural region, be it film or dance projects. Livening up the town with new ideas is cuopled with protecting old buildings from decay and vandalism.