From chocolate factory to modern commercial campus: Panattoni is reviving Cologne’s history

For more than 100 years, the Gebrüder Stollwerck manufactured chocolate for the global market in Cologne. In the mid-70s the company moved production from Severinsviertel to Westhoven district and then has shut it down in 2005.  Since then the plot has developed into a highly desired last mile logistics and business park area and on occasion has served as a filming location for films and series including Cologne Tatort. Now, Panattoni Germany is developing the site on which brown gold was once manufactured for a new commercial use. The Panattoni Campus Köln Ost will be built on the former production premises and on an existing gap between buildings.

A mix of small and large-area commercial units which meet a wide variety of user requirements will be built on the 69,400 m² site. Ten units will be located in an approx. 10,400 m² City Dock and three additional units in a Panattoni Park on around 30,000 m² of lettable area. Both building complexes will be equipped with noise protection walls and share a deep courtyard to reduce emitted noise emissions. The combination of Panattoni Park and City Dock fits in well in the environment.

“We think the site is a very good starting position for entrepreneurial growth in the centre of Cologne,” says Fred-Markus Bohne, Managing Partner at Panattoni Germany and Austria. “Our campus concept offers the basis for this to be realized in an innovative and sustainable manner with the best use of space.” The Panattoni Campus Köln Ost will be erected with a direct connection to the A4 and near the A3, A59 and A559. The attractive location speaks for itself: Only nine kilometres from the Cologne-Bonn airport and the Colone-Eifeltor train station, the new building complex stands out due to its multimodal connectivity and good accessibility by public transit.

"Panattoni will increase the value of a property with history in the best-possible location with its development and thus create an attractive offer for urgently needed commercial spaces in Cologne,” says Manfred Janssen from the Cologne economic promotion firm, KölnBusiness, which is supporting Panattoni in the realisation of the project. “Panattoni is an important partner for Cologne in order to drive our city forward as an economic centre.”

The developer’s campus project will place a lot of value on sustainability measures. In addition to photovoltaics systems on the roofs, the storage and use of rainwater for the sanitary facilities is planned. Green areas with wildflowers and orchards as well as insect hotels and nesting boxes contribute towards biodiversity at the Cologne site. The aim is least to obtain certification in accordance In accordance with the German Sustainable Building Council (DNBG) gold standard.

The Panattoni Campus Köln Ost will be built in two construction phases. The start of construction on City Dock phase 1 is planned for the third quarter of 2025 and the completion for the fourth quarter of 2026. Phase 2 will start with the start of construction of the Panattoni Park in the third quarter of 2026 and will end with the completion in the third quarter of 2027.

The consulting firm Hackenberg & Co. GmbH from Königstein was responsible for brokering the spaces for the seller side.