Breakdancing traffic light men conquer Dessau: A cultural heritage comes to life!

Breakdancing traffic light men conquer Dessau: A cultural heritage comes to life!

Something refreshing is happening in Dessau-Roßlau! The city council has decided to introduce breakdancing traffic light men. This measure is not only intended to secure traffic, but also to remind people of the great importance of the hip-hop scene in the region. Breakdancers were already active here in the 80s and have been since 1983. With the legendary film “Beatstreet”, which premiered in GDR cinemas in 1984, breakdance culture experienced a real boom among young people.

The initiative for the new traffic light men came from the local association NEWKID e.V., which wants to campaign for the recognition of East German hip-hop culture as intangible cultural heritage. In this regard, the application should be submitted in October 2025. The idea of ​​replacing the pedestrian lights at the museum intersection with figures from the breakdance scene came about at the end of 2023. Many dancers used to meet at this point to perfect their moves at the shop windows. Klara Lehmann, the association's press spokeswoman, and Joerg Schnurre, the chairman, work closely with the city and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Infrastructure and Digital. By the way: In other cities in Saxony-Anhalt, such as Wernigerode, there are already special traffic light men, such as witches.

Testing and funding

The city administration has already approved the idea. The plan is to carry out a six-month test phase to test the effects on road users. Originally they wanted to use the western traffic lights, but now they want to redesign the northern traffic lights. The cost of the special traffic light discs is around 5,000 euros, and they can be manufactured starting from ten pieces. The association plans to auction off the remaining traffic light discs to create unique and collector's items. The aim is to finance the redesign of the traffic lights in part through donations.

A special highlight will be the presentation of the project at the SPLASH Festival in Ferropolis, where the breakdance traffic light men will be in focus. The new beginning of breakdance culture in Dessau-Roßlau shows how important it is to preserve cultural roots and at the same time develop innovative ideas for the future. The breakdance scene in Dessau is not only a part of the city's history, but also a piece of vibrant youth culture that deserves to be celebrated.

A step into the future

As the developments in Dessau show, hip-hop is not only valued as an art form, but also formally integrated into society. German hip-hop culture, which originally sees itself as part of a larger European sense of community, could receive even more attention in the coming year thanks to the initiative to recognize it as intangible cultural heritage. These initiatives aim to highlight hip-hop as a valuable form of cultural expression and to arouse interest even among people without direct contact, as a similar initiative in Heidelberg shows. There they are planning to create a cultural institution for hip-hop that will document and convey the heritage.

The planned breakdance traffic light men are an exciting example of how urban heritage can be transformed into the present. Green traffic lights that show the way not only for pedestrians but also as a reminder of a vibrant youth culture are a welcome step into the future. It remains to be seen what the response from citizens will be, but anticipation is great. Dessau-Roßlau, we are excited!