Ponder this question how does a building feed not just bodies, but also a city’s evolving story? We are standing before the Neue Mensa. This is more than just a dining hall. It is a landmark. It embodies Dresden’s resilience. The Neue Mensa is located in the Räcknitz district. It serves the students of the Technische Universität Dresden. The Studentenwerk Dresden operates it. The Neue Mensa stands on Bergstraße 51.
Once upon a time after the renovation of the “Alte Mensa” in 2007 this place also became known as Mensa Bergstraße. Back in 2011 this bustling hub served up to 4500 meals daily. These meals were dished out across five dining halls.
Fast forward to 2014. The dining halls upstairs closed due to planned renovations. In 2015 and 2016 the Neue Mensa was briefly repurposed. It became an initial reception center for refugees. After that it closed its doors indefinitely.
But the story of the Neue Mensa does not end there. Since 2020 this architectural monument of DDR modernity has been undergoing structural renovation. The grand reopening is slated for the first quarter of 2025.
Let’s delve deeper into its structure. The Neue Mensa sits southeast of Fritz-Foerster-Platz. It is nestled between Bergstraße and Zelleschen Weg. This places it right in the heart of the university campus south of the city. Across Bergstraße to the west stands the university’s Hörsaalzentrum. To the east is the Willers Building of the Mathematics Department. Southeast stands the Recknagel Building for Physics. South of the Neue Mensa at Bergstraße 53 is the main building of the Faculty of Law the Von-Gerber Building.
The Neue Mensa was built between 1974 and 1981. Ulf Zimmermann Eberhard Seeling and Olaf Jarmer designed it. The building is a flat square structure. Window ribbons and iron girders securing concrete slabs articulate the facade. Inside the Neue Mensa offered over 1000 seats. These seats were spread across the cafeteria and dining halls. The design placed emphasis on the walls and ceilings. Different materials clad them. The architectural elements served as parts of an overarching structure.
Since 1984 Hermann Glöckner’s metal sculpture “Mast mit zwei Faltungszonen” has stood before the Neue Mensa. At the time it was installed it symbolized socio-political change. It represented artistic freedom in the DDR.
The Neue Mensa first opened in January 1981. Since 2008 it has been a protected monument. It is an architectural monument of DDR modernism. Despite planned modernizations there was discussion of demolishing it due to extensive damage.
Due to fire protection deficiencies the dining halls and kitchen upstairs closed on August 22 2014. The cafeteria and Bierstube remained open on the ground floor. As a temporary solution the “Zeltschlösschen” opened on Nürnberger Platz in October 2014. The cafeteria closed on October 30 2014. The Bierstube ceased operations on December 15 2014.
The “Klub Neue Mensa” also resided in this building. The student club regularly hosted concerts in the Neue Mensa. It also operated the “Bierstube”. From October 2015 to the end of 2016 the Free State of Saxony used the Neue Mensa as an initial reception center.
The renovation of the Neue Mensa officially started in October 2020. The planned renovation of the existing building will cost 45 million euros. It will include 850 seats in three large dining rooms. There will be a terrace extension towards Willers-Bau cafeteria a coffee lounge and the legendary Bierstube. Up to 4200 meals will be served daily.
The Neue Mensa is more than bricks and mortar. It is a symbol of student life culture and community. As the renovation nears completion we eagerly await the next chapter in its storied history.