Legal framework
We chose the legal form of a co-op because it allows for broad participation — something that best reflects our collective approach.
Bottom-up instead of top-down
In contrast to corporations (such as a GmbH or AG) that act with profit maximization in mind and are typically structured top-down, co-ops are legally required (under the German Co-operative Act, GenG) to operate in a member-oriented way. A co-op means doing business collectively and pursuing shared goals. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board of a co-op work on a voluntary basis — which makes the structure fundamentally bottom-up.
Founding or supporting a co-op means taking a stance that is critical of growth, oriented toward the common good and sustainability, and proving that solidarity-based economics is possible..
Stable, adaptable, future-oriented, sustainable
Thanks to the annual legally required audit by a co-operative auditing association and its grassroots democratic principles, co-ops are considered particularly stable and adaptable. The structure of the Executive Board, Supervisory Board, and General Assembly, together with its “many-eyes principle,” ensures that truly relevant goals are pursued and that corrective mechanisms are in place. Risky or outdated actions — often possible in corporations through individual decision-making — can be stopped more quickly in a co-op, since decisions require majority approval.
Like many other cultural organizations, krakelee eG will need to evolve in response to social and cultural changes. Through participation and opportunities for co-creation, diverse perspectives can be brought in, and new ideas and solutions can be implemented more quickly. For this reason, co-ops are considered especially resilient and future-proof, even in economically turbulent times and amid the climate crisis.
Investing in a co-op is therefore a particularly sustainable and future-proof investment.
No profit, but social value
Even though investing in a co-op is generally safer than speculative investments, it yields little to no financial return for supporting members. The benefits are not monetary but ideational — the “profit” is social and cultural.
krakelee eG pursues primarily cultural goals. According to the German Co-operative Act (GenG), its purpose is to promote the cultural interests of its members through collective operations. This means that all of krakelee eG’s economic activity serves — and must serve — the cultural interests of its members. muss.
The cultural and ideological principles of krakelee eG are defined in its statutes and mission statement (e.g. »organizing cultural and dance events«). Any change to these requires a General Assembly and a two-thirds majority vote. In this assembly, full members have voting rights, while financing members do not.
Financing members support krakelee eG’s economic and cultural work through the purchase of co-op shares and thereby become supporting members of the co-op.
Those who support krakelee eG take a long-term stand for non-commercial culture in Cologne.
Culture needs urban space
krakelee eG also sees itself as a city-political project. In the past decade, many well-known and beloved clubs in Cologne have closed — including Jack Who, Barinton, Heinz Gaul, Stecken, Underground, and many more. Self-organized, socio-cultural projects like Kaffee Güzel, Wandelwerk, and Kartoffelkeller also lost their spaces, with no alternatives provided. Cultural projects are being pushed out of the inner city to make room for large-scale investor projects. This is happening despite the fact that, in early 2020, the German Bundestag officially recognized clubs as cultural venues (facilities for cultural use).3
As a cooperative club project we shape the city collaboratively and from the bottom up. Supporting krakelee eG means standing against the disappearance of clubs, and for clubs to finally be recognized as cultural spaces deserving their rightful status in public awareness. Culture needs space — right in the heart of the city!
Cologne needs a diverse club scene
Clubs play an essential role for local identity and vibrancy. Many alternative club concepts — something Cologne is lacking — want to avoid becoming mere marketing tools and prefer to operate away from the overhyped mainstream. There’s a paradox here: many projects lose their unique charm once they become popular. How “unconventional” a project can be while still enjoying public acceptance is a balancing act and depends on local conditions. In this regard, Cologne’s club scene remains quite limited. A more alternative concept like krakelee club would significantly enrich the city’s cultural diversity.
Supporting krakelee eG means standing up for the diversity of Cologne’s club culture — and for giving space to unique, unconventional concepts, too.
More alternative club projects are also needed because many established venues are not safe spaces for everyone. Night spaces serve as counter-spaces to a performance- and consumption-driven society, offering people the chance to express themselves in ways that everyday life often does not allow. Especially for those who feel uncomfortable in mainstream society, clubs can hold a vital, identity-forming role. They can provide safer spaces for marginalized social and cultural practices to be lived out. At the same time, nightlife environments can also carry risks of discrimination and boundary violations. krakelee eG takes these opportunities and risks seriously — from the very beginning of the club’s concept.
krakelee eG stands firmly against discrimination and strives to make club culture itself more diverse. Supporting krakelee eG means supporting the creation of a discrimination-sensitive club concept — and affirming the importance of such approaches in general. By supporting krakelee eG, you’re also making a political statement.
