GERMANY: Streetart Dortmund - Speicherstraße - Graffiti Hall of Fame - Main Page

On April 9th in 2022, the new Hall of Fame on Speicherstraße in Dortmund’s harbor district was inaugurated with a big opening jam featuring more than 80 artists. Since then, spray painting and creativity on the walls have been permitted there freely and legally. The project was initiated by the Wirtschaftsförderung Dortmund, in English „city’s economic development agency“, and d-Port21, a subsidiary of DSW21 and Dortmunder Hafen AG. The Quartiersmanagement Nordstadt was strongly involved, as well the local urban art and design agency MORE THAN WORDS, which is the patron of the spray space and regularly organizes colorful graffiti events.

The 625-meter-long wall on Speicherstraße separates a fenced-off industrial wasteland at Dortmund harbor from an allotment garden in the east. Unfortunately, the wall is never higher than 1.80 meters, and only 1.60 meters in the middle part. This results in very unfavorable proportions for the pieces, namely flat and long, and of course it greatly limits the effects of the works. But spraying is definitely tolerated here. In addition to the low wall height, the wild vegetation growing on the wall, especially in summer, is worth mentioning. Called “Butterfly Bush” (although no butterflies settle there) and nasty blackberries increasingly cover the pieces, especially in the high-quality northern part of the hall. Sometimes a writer can be found with a scythe or garden shears to clear the wall. For visitors, this means that if you want to see the really good styles, you should come in the spring or hope that someone has cleared the wall. Once those parts of the wall are overgrown, not much happens there during the rest of the year.

Opposite is an approximately 500-meter-long wall separating the industrial wasteland from a railway track to the west. This wall is not actually legal, but is used for spraying. The northernmost 240 meters are freely accessible, but will be heavily overgrown again by spring. The other 260 meters are fenced off, but sometimes there are holes in the construction fence to also reach the southern part. In generaly the entire area around “Schmiedinghafen” is richly decorated with graffiti, murals, stickers, and some leftovers. Jams and events also take place regularly, such as the “Hafenspaziergang” on August 30th 2025.

The best way to explore the area is to walk from the tram stop “Hafen” along Speicherstraße to the southern entrance of the wasteland at Bülowstraße 12. Before that, follow Speicherstraße to number 54, where some great works have also been sprayed, then turn back to the “southern entrance.” Leave the Hall of Fame at the north end on the corner of Schäferstraße, follow Schäferstraße westward, then turn south onto Überwasserstraße. This allows you to walk around the northern side of the harbor basin and to enjoy a pleasant and colorful stroll. At the end of Überwasserstraße, you will find yourself in front of another Hall of Fame. If you continue walking, this circular route will take you back to the starting point at the “Hafen” tram stop.

Below is an alphabetical list of the artists we currently have in our archive for the Hall of Fame at Speicherstraße. We have just started compiling this collection, so for now we have added works from the early days of the Hall and from the opening, but many more will follow. If you also would like to contribute to this documentation and if have photos of your own, just contact us at info@vagabundler.com.