Our Figures

The exhibition “Neumarkt kommt an” displays 26 life-sized figures in the Neumarkt urban area. They were designed by various groups, schools, social institutions, churches, and initiatives. Each figure tells its own story of arriving and belonging, and stands for diversity, inclusion, and togetherness in Neumarkt.

On the “Exhibition Locations” overview, you will find all locations of the exhibition and see which figures can be discovered there. The numbering corresponds to the order on the homepage under “Figures.”

The figures can be seen in the Town Hall, District Office, Hospital, University, City Library, EUTB, Hofkirche, Evangelical Center, G6, Knabenrealschule, Ostendorfer Gymnasium, vocational school, as well as in the community center and civic center.

The exhibition can be visited from September 22 to October 29, 2026, at the respective locations during regular opening hours.

Visitors can access additional background information about the respective groups and their works via QR codes on the figures.

In the picture, we see a boy and a woman. Both are standing outside and smiling. Together, they are holding a rollator. The boy is helping the woman, and both are doing something together.

The figure in the picture was painted by children during the KJR summer campus together with people with disabilities, accompanied by an artist from the Neumarkt Art Circle. People of different ages came together, worked creatively, and spent time with each other. Thus, a simple figure became a symbol of encounter and shared arrival.
This is exactly what “Neumarkt kommt an” is about: Arriving doesn’t just mean being in a place. It means belonging, being welcome, and finding your place in the community. A city where all people can arrive is a city where no one is excluded.

The joint painting of the figure shows how this arrival can succeed: people meet, get to know each other, help each other, and create something together. It doesn’t matter whether someone has a disability or not. Every person is part of the community and can contribute something.
The figure therefore stands for arrival, encounter, inclusion, community, help, and solidarity. It shows: The people who live in Neumarkt arrive when everyone belongs and can participate together.

Project within the framework of group and open programs at G6

The project theme was implemented in the treasure hunter group, queer group, art lab, girls’ meet-up, open youth club, and summer holiday program for young people.

The idea was to creatively introduce children and young people to the topics of diversity, belonging, and safe spaces. 30 children and young people aged 7 to 21 participated.
The group was diverse, both in terms of age and cultural backgrounds, interests, and personal life paths. This diversity is reflected in the resulting picture collages.

The participants were tasked with expressing their own thoughts and feelings on the aforementioned questions creatively or visually.

Where do you want to go?
What is a safe place for you?
Where does your path lead you?
Where do you want to arrive?
What does diversity mean to you?

The wooden figure was independently decorated with collage material. The pictures show different ideas of safe places and paths, different life perspectives and future wishes. They also reveal a different understanding of cultural diversity, as well as values such as respect, freedom, and cohesion.

The shadow figure forms a creative, colorful, and personal image of the children and young people who visit the G6.

Imagine you are 56 years old and in the prime of your life. Work, family, plans.

You think about your next vacation, your children’s wedding… And then, – piece by piece – something begins to disappear. Words, paths, faces.

You search for terms that were self-evident yesterday. You get lost in rooms you furnished yourself, and eventually, you start to lose yourself. Dementia at 45, 50, 60. That sounds wrong – because it doesn’t fit the picture.

But for thousands of people, it is a reality, even in Neumarkt. The figure stands precisely for these people who develop early-onset dementia, who are insecure, ashamed, and feel betrayed by life. Every day is a battle, a battle against forgetting. And for some relatives, a journey begins – a difficult journey.

The partner becomes a caregiver, the son a support, the parents seekers of support, help, or answers. They have to make decisions for which no one is prepared. They experience how the person they love slowly fades away. Caring relatives experience loneliness because the environment often doesn’t know how to deal with this diagnosis at a younger age. Early-onset dementia tears gaps – in families, friendships, existences. But what is most lacking is space. Space for what these people feel, what they hope for, what they need.

Therefore, Neumarkt must look, not look away!

We must begin to tell these life stories – and let people arrive with empathy, not pity. In this sense, let’s stay in touch.

Filimon’s Escape Story

At the age of 17, Filimon left his family’s home unnoticed one early morning at the end of April 2014. He began his escape without any papers – only with a student ID. Together with 33 other people, his journey first led him to Ethiopia, where he spent two weeks in a refugee camp. From Sudan, he crossed the Sahara within ten days and finally reached Libya. There he waited two months for his crossing to Sicily.

Around 700 refugees were with him on the ship – all with the same goal in mind: Italy. The crossing lasted 20 hours and was very psychologically stressful for him. In Sicily, about 3,000 people arrived simultaneously. His further route led him via Padua, Milan, and Verona, across the German border to Rosenheim.

Having arrived in Neumarkt, he endeavored to learn the language, attended vocational school, and eventually began an apprenticeship in hairdressing with Karl Heinz Lux. Through his passion for football, Filimon quickly made connections. Today he plays as a center forward for the DJK-SV Berg football club.

One of his reasons for coming to Germany was his enthusiasm for the German national team, which further strengthened his interest in football. Other family members of Filimon also fled Eritrea: two of his brothers live in the Netherlands, another in Cologne. Initially, he had little contact with his family, but has since been able to see them again in Ethiopia and now calls them regularly.

On a square in the city, a man enters the scene. He is of strong, upright stature, his movements both tentative and determined. In his hand, the white guide harness, by his side a dog – watchful, proud, and loyal. The animal leads, but the man carries dignity, trust, and determination within him. Together they appear, a well-rehearsed team, every step full of mutual trust and loving communication.

They arrive by actually reaching their destination after a long journey of shared searching and finding, entering the square, full of joy at having arrived, hearing the voices, the sounds, the footsteps of other people, being greeted and kindly received. The dog clears the way through the babble of voices, guides its human past obstacles, gives him support and direction. With every step, it becomes clear: arriving here is no coincidence, but an act of trust, training, and deep interaction between humans and animals.

“Arriving” means: becoming visible in a community, taking one’s place, being welcome. The man arrives with his entire story, his struggles, his strength, and with everything that makes him human. The dog is a symbol of loyalty and help, of the bridge between independence and connection. When the two arrive in the city, it becomes palpable: arriving does not just mean entering a place – it means being recognized, participating, not feeling excluded.

It is a silent but powerful arrival. The man brings not only himself but also a message: that barriers can be overcome, that arriving is always a shared journey – whether guided by a dog, by trust, or by the open attitude of the people who receive him.

Our figure shows a school child arriving at school – with a smile and full of curiosity. It symbolically represents what the Theo-Betz-Schule stands for: a place of arrival, acceptance, and togetherness.

Here, friends await, the community supports, and everyone is accepted as they are. We see diversity as an enrichment – people from different cultures, with different languages, experiences, and backgrounds shape our school life together.
Like the wooden school child, everyone at our school should feel welcome. For us, school is more than a place of learning – it is a second home, a place where we grow, learn, and support each other.

Our figure reminds us daily that arriving doesn’t just mean walking through a door, but feeling accepted and understood.

“Two souls, one home –
Hope, not religion, is reflected in their eyes.
Whether headscarf or open hair,
what connects them is more than a belief:
It is the smile they share,
the courage to start anew,
and the warmth of a hand.
For beyond all differences, only one thing matters:
Our humanity.”

Fanoos

Two girls hold hands and walk forward. They understand each other, even though they come from different cultures. The girl on the left comes from a country in the Near or Middle East. She wears a long dress and a headscarf. Both garments are colorful and brightly luminous, regardless of common stereotypes. The girl on the right comes from Ukraine and wears an elaborate traditional costume. The girls met at school, became friends, speak to each other in the new target language German, and look hopefully towards the future.

Fanoos comes from Afghanistan. She has lived in Neumarkt for a year and attends the vocational integration class at the Vocational School Center in Neumarkt. As a child, she never thought she would have to leave her homeland. The beginning was difficult; past images were constant companions in her mind. Fanoos longed for peace, security, friends, to finally arrive and belong. Disputes among other students in the class, which are part of everyday school life, always made her very sad. A classmate from Ukraine comforted her, later a second, and over time friendships developed. Although the friends come from different worlds, they have learned to understand and support each other. What might have seemed impossible before is now normal with attending a multicultural class.

Idea: Fanoos from Afghanistan

Designed by students of BIK 11a – Fanoos, Kamila and Uliana

A punk is also a very striking figure in our project. He is generally considered a social outsider, not always conforming or even well-behaved; sometimes even provocative and aloof. But even beneath his Mohawk and studs, he is a human being with feelings.

The question of what led to his often self-chosen departure from societal conformity is usually one that can only be answered individually. Biblical figures were also outsiders: Mary and Joseph were socially undervalued, who even had to settle for a stable as the birthplace of their son. This unusually born son later often went against the conventions of recognized religious representatives and the state.

Thus, the punk also questions many things. On the back of his studded leather jacket, there is a stylized nativity scene – it shines brighter than the sharp studs. He needs a compass in searching and finding his way. For him, arriving means finding peace with the environment and himself.

The figure depicts a young man in his twenties, without clearly recognizable facial features. This is no coincidence, but a conscious artistic device to show that identity and worth are not tied to external characteristics. This figure is Noah, but it could also be anyone else. It aims to express that Noah deals with topics such as diversity and toxic masculinity, questioning the superficiality of societal expectations.

The external appearance – overweight, dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie – may seem simple at first glance, but therein lies the challenge. It represents the image of a modern young adult that clashes with classical notions. Often, a young man is described as fit, muscular, and energetic to conform to the ideal image of attractiveness and masculinity. But Noah is meant to show that joy of life, well-being, and masculinity have nothing to do with such external standards.

The blank facial features symbolize the idea that the figure could be anyone. It’s about society letting go of the idea of judging people by their appearance. The decision to portray Noah as overweight is meant to be a sign that body diversity exists and should be accepted, without burdening it with negative connotations. Noah is not “fat but sweet” – he is simply himself, with everything that entails.”

The designed figure of a boy on a scooter embodies the diversity of our community. “We are different” – this is reflected in our different paces and appearances, in our different biographies and abilities, our age, and the colors of our cultures. Yet despite these differences, there is something that connects us all: the path we walk together.

Each of us brings a unique perspective that enriches our community.

We are all on a journey, searching for our place in the world. “We all want to arrive.” This shared longing for a goal, a place of belonging, unites us. The boy on the scooter symbolizes this dynamic and active path we take to realize our dreams.
“We all long for a place where we are accepted as we are” – with our colors, scars, wishes, and questions. Every scooter of life we ride can be designed differently, but it is the shared desire for acceptance and understanding that drives us to keep going and grow.

The figure of the boy on the scooter reminds us that there is immense strength in our diversity. By appreciating and respecting each other, we can create a community where everyone is welcome and where we can all arrive. Let us embark on this journey together and celebrate the beauty of our differences.

We, the 9th-grade students of Ostendorfer Gymnasium, have reflected on the role of Bundeswehr soldiers and the military in general in the population, in connection with the war in Ukraine. We agreed that there is a lack of appreciation and acceptance towards them. We explained this by the fact that only one classmate knows a soldier.

Since the suspension of compulsory military service in Germany, we and many other young people no longer have points of contact and can identify less with soldiers. Perhaps we also prefer to get involved in the peace movement, precisely because we hear a lot in school about the crimes of the Second World War, especially about the momentous role Germany played in it.

Even so, we all see that it doesn’t work without soldiers, and that on overseas deployments they would always be willing to give their lives for us.
For our figure, we chose a UN peacekeeper—someone deployed by the United Nations (UN) to restore peace in conflict regions and protect civilians. We can imagine how stressful that must be, and the fears everyone has in the process.

Our soldier lifts up a little girl. Maybe he has just rescued her. Or maybe our soldier is a dad himself, has just come home from a deployment, and his child has run up to him with joy: after all, Advent means arrival. Either way—one way or the other—it’s a truly moving arrival.

There’s real energy here!

Young people’s lives are colourful, diverse and dynamic. The skater symbolises the vitality of young people, which is important for our society. In all areas of youth work—e.g. the district youth council, clubs, associations or the church—young people bring fresh momentum to life.

This figure is meant to express a joy for life and, like the child in the manger lying there with open arms, the skater is meant to give his blessing to all children and young people.

Here you can see a sad yet smiling man arriving in Neumarkt at Christmas time, in front of the Reitstadel.

Holzmichl lives with depression and often feels down, desperate and anxious.
On the other side, he shows a smile, which he likes to put on like a kind of mask so he doesn’t stand out. Only Michl knows how he really is and what it looks like inside him.

He has many worries that weigh heavily on the very sensitive Michl—symbolised by the globe in his hand.
In addition, depression paralyses Michl in coping with everyday life; for example, he has trouble getting up in the morning and can no longer concentrate properly because he has sleep problems.
A heavy bag hangs from his walking stick, filled with many heavy stones. The stones have Michl’s problems and symptoms of illness written on them. Every movement becomes heavy and inflexible.

But Michl also has another, laughing side and takes his health into his own hands. His hand holds a sphere, and in that sphere, figuratively speaking, are all the mosaic pieces that contribute to health and wellbeing. Michl shows everything that is important for his recovery process and how he himself helps maintain his own health.
For Michl, arriving means feeling comfortable in his town, knowing people he gets along with, meeting up and talking with them, and doing nice things. He especially likes going to exhibitions at the Reitstadel.

The day centre for people with mental illness and the social psychiatric service help Michl to live better with his condition. With counselling sessions and many different services from the day centre, Michl can take part in society again and find a way out of his illness for himself.
You can find more information from the social psychiatric service and the day centre (a meeting place for people living with a mental illness) at www.diakonie-nah.de and on Instagram.