A wooden creature with bat wings carved from a single tree trunk has captured the hearts of sculptor Dieter Kiefer and his daughter Teresa at first sight. After watching a quick video on their phone, Teresa immediately decided she must have the hand-carved Wolpertinger with wooden bat wings for her farm estate. Whether it's actually a mythical creature or a dragon doesn't matter much to the family - Teresa's brother Max suggests they'll likely name it Tyrion, after the father of the dragon Tabaluga.
The search for new homes for these unique art pieces comes as the sculpture workshop at the Falkenheim Youth Culture Workshop in Frankfurt's Gutleutviertel district holds a clearance sale. For 32 years, this workshop served as a place where young offenders completed their community service hours, creating hundreds of wooden, stone, and metal sculptures. However, the workshop must now vacate the premises as the Conversion Real Estate Development Company (KEG) plans to rent out the workshop hall on the Milchsack site as a skate hall starting in October.
Dieter Kiefer, himself a sculptor and painter from Frankfurt's Berg district, has his eye on several other artworks beyond the wooden dragon, including a horned, devilish wooden head. His role is clear - he'll serve as the pack mule to transport these treasures. The Youth Culture Workshop was forced to give up its sculpture workshop because the safety and health protection requirements for necessary renovations would have been financially impossible to meet.
The clearance sale represents both an opportunity for art lovers and a day of farewell - saying goodbye to the location, to 400 remaining wooden, stone, and metal objects, and to longtime managing director Petra Väth, who will soon begin working for the Office of Cultural Management in Offenbach. "I remain connected to the support association in friendship and am now handing over to my successor Sabine Schmitt after exactly 22 years," Väth explains. Currently, the work with young offenders is on hold and is expected to resume in January 2026 with new projects and new facilities.
Among the buyers at the sale, wood sculptor Hannah Schmider purchased a kiln, heavy-duty cable, and several nails and clamps for gluing for 100 euros for her workshop at Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach. As a former intern, she hopes, like Väth and Schmitt, for a successor project for young offenders. Petra Boß-Hammer selected a handmade chair and a soapstone elephant for herself. In the background, the sound of a compressor being polished can be heard, as even the tools are being sold.
Many of the wooden, stone, and steel works that young people labored over with dedication and sweat must find new homes quickly. Large objects especially would otherwise have to be disposed of due to lack of storage capacity. Only a few beloved pieces like an iron cyclist would be exempt from disposal. "We would even stack those," says Väth, emphasizing the workshop's determination to preserve what they can.
Schmitt is already looking ahead to the future, explaining their search for new spaces: "We're looking for new rooms, preferably in the western Gallus area near our workshop on Herxheimer Street, also toward Griesheim." The planned activities include upcycling and restoration of various materials. For 100 to 150 square meters, they could manage cold rent of up to 2,200 euros. The proceeds of approximately 3,500 euros from the clearance sale will help with the new start, providing crucial funding for the workshop's next chapter in serving the community and young people in need of guidance.
