The future of the gasworks site in Bern has been a topic of discussion for years. Having acquired this brownfield site on the alluvial plain below the Monbijou Bridge in 2020, the city then set up a competition for its development. At the same time several interest groups argued that the site should be kept as an open space. Since the 1980s it has been a popular location for an alternative youth culture. The steam centre and gas boiler are a symbol of this, communal left-wing autonomous housing projects like the “Freies Land Zaffaraya” and “Anstadt” were created there. What was once a shadowy spot beneath the Monbijou Bridge, a weighty concrete structure built over the Aare in the 1960s, is now awakening new interest. Located beside the river, along with the Marzili Baths this area provides an important open space for leisure and recreation in the inner city.