Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation
How can successful entrepreneurial activity be combined with a focus on the common good and a vision that extends beyond a single generation? The Werksviertel-Mitte and the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation are living examples of how this can be achieved.
30 Years of Foundation Work
The Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation has its roots in the Otto Eckart Foundation. It was established in 1996—three years after the sale of the family-owned company Pfanni—by Otto Eckart. For three decades since then, the foundation has supported the development of the Werksviertel-Mitte urban district on the former Pfanni production site. Among other things, it has promoted programs for children and youth, education, art, culture, international understanding, and environmental protection.
During this time, numerous projects were launched. These included the highly acclaimed Almschule at WERK3, the sustainability and future-focused event DAY OF HOPE, the annual children’s and youth festival JuKi, and the all inclusive Award as part of DOK.fest Munich.
Building on the Past
The foundation’s mission also includes maintaining the Potato Museum and the Pfanni Museum, which keep the memory of the site’s industrial history alive and tangible—a past that made the diverse present and the visionary future of Werksviertel-Mitte possible in the first place.
Sustainability for Future Generations as a Guiding Principle
From the very beginning, the design of Werksviertel-Mitte was guided not only by planning figures such as gross floor area or economic value appreciation. Equally crucial to the neighborhood’s design was the question of “social return”: What benefits does our neighborhood provide for people? How do we enable comprehensive social participation? And what kind of world do we want to leave behind for our great-grandchildren one day?
A New World of Foundations
With the transformation launched in 2026—in which the Otto Eckart Foundation becomes the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation—the foundation’s work is set to play an even stronger role in neighborhood development and operations. On the one hand, the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation serves as an important source of creative inspiration, helping us live up to our commitment to continually surprise the people in the neighborhood. On the other hand, the foundation is a vigilant guardian of the idea of a community oriented toward the common good—one that will be fit for our great-grandchildren.
The foundation ecosystem in Werksviertel-Mitte also includes the Theobald Böhm Foundation and the Münchner Kindl Foundation. These will continue to operate as independent foundations under the stewardship of the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation.
What We Do – Projects, Events, Initiatives
As a foundation, we are involved in Werksviertel-Mitte in a variety of ways. We support long-term projects such as the Almschule or the artists’ community at the whiteBOX studios in the neighborhood. We organize and host regular events such as the DAY OF HOPE or the JuKi Festival. And we launch short-term relief efforts when support is needed particularly quickly. An overview of our most important activities:
More than 2,000 children and teens from Munich and the surrounding area now visit the Almschule on the roof of WERK3 every year. This unique educational project introduces sustainability topics in a playful way and encourages children and teens to become active, self-directed participants in a sustainable lifestyle.
Once a year, the JuKi Children’s and Youth Festival draws up to 6,000 visitors of all ages to Werksviertel-Mitte. There, they can enjoy numerous free hands-on activities and entertainment options, ranging from sports and music to creative workshops. JuKi offers its approximately 100 exhibitors a unique opportunity to draw attention to themselves.
DAY OF HOPE is dedicated to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. On this day, visitors to Werksviertel-Mitte will be inspired to make their lives more sustainable, both in small and large ways. In addition, the DAY OF HOPE offers a behind-the-scenes look at the sustainable management of a neighborhood.
Through subsidized studios and exhibition opportunities, our foundation supports a creative community of artists—the whiteBOX Studios—which continually breathe new life into our neighborhood with their wealth of ideas and artistic creativity. Approximately 30 artists from various disciplines call Werksviertel-Mitte home.
Launched in 2025, the all inclusive Award recognizes and promotes inclusive film productions and raises awareness of projects that feature artists with disabilities—whether in front of or behind the camera—or that address the topic of inclusion in a unique way. The all inclusive Documentary Film Award is organized in collaboration with DOK.fest Munich and comes with a prize of 5,000 euros.
Thanks to the Guatemalan Honorary Consulate in our neighborhood, the Werksviertel-Mitte has been connected to this South American country for years. The GuatePro Friends Association, supported by the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation, is dedicated specifically to promoting youth and senior services as well as public health care in Guatemala. The program primarily supports children in need.
For more than 6 years, the Paralympic Fencing Center has also been located at Werksviertel-Mitte. There, wheelchair fencers train to achieve their dream of competing in the Olympic Games. Under the slogan “A Fencing Wheelchair for Leonie,” we raised funds in 2025 for 13-year-old Leonie Robinson. This campaign is a prime example of the direct assistance our foundation consistently provides.
Get Involved
You are welcome to support the Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation and our projects and initiatives.
With a direct monetary donation:
IBAN DE71 7002 0270 0015 7151 91
or
With your time:
Are you interested in volunteering for our projects and initiatives, or in getting your company involved?
Write to us. Or give us a call: +49 89 4132–260
The Werksviertel-Mitte Foundation is represented by:
Isabell Zacharias, Executive Director
Our Wider World of Foundations
Theobald Böhm Foundation
Theobald Böhm (1794–1881) was a member of the Munich Court Orchestra under King Ludwig I and developed a special key system for the transverse flute that is used worldwide today and made many flute pieces playable for the first time. The foundation named after him honors his work and legacy.
Münchner Kindl Foundation
The Münchner Kindl Foundation for Munich’s Children was founded in 1961. Since then, it has supported the establishment and maintenance of children’s playgrounds, soccer fields, daycare centers, and kindergartens, as well as other projects in child and youth welfare, particularly in the field of education.