(May 16, 2007) 15 years after Munich Airport's spectacular overnight move from the Riem district to Erding on 16 May 1992, a large special exhibition at the Riem Arcaden StadtQuartier complex from 16 May 2007 is showcasing the successful outcome of the subsequent development project.

Once the City of Munich had cleared approximately 1.2 million tonnes of rubble from the old Munich-Riem airport in accordance with environmental legislation, a totally new, sustainable urban district was planned for the levelled site: Messestadt Riem ("Trade Show City Riem"). The area has been home to Munich's new trade show centre since 1998 and upon completion in 2013 will provide ecologically sophisticated living space for around 16,000 people, as well as creating 13,000 jobs in the east of Munich. Back in 2005, Messestadt Riem was chosen as the location for the Federal Horticulture Show (BUGA), in no small part due to the district's exceptional landscaping and infrastructure. The new quarter is and remains a showcase of European urban development, attracting large numbers of interested visitors from both within Germany and abroad. In 2006, the City of Munich was awarded a major German town-planning prize for the project.

Messestadt Riem – with its internationally renowned trade show and conference centre – is already proving a compelling location for international and more local companies alike, who are attracted to the new business and technology park as well as the "StadtQuartier Riem Arcaden in der Messestadt", which figures prominently due to its combination of office space and a large shopping mall. Last year, for example, the Messestadt's new trade show site housed the international media centre for the football World Cup, as well as providing the venue for a church service with the Pope. This April, bauma, the world's biggest construction equipment show, attracted some 500,000 visitors in a single week.

The new special exhibition at Riem Arcades uses examples and around 50 display boards to document the years of development which have turned the site into an appealing and diverse living space, featuring a range of property types and developers. There is a very high proportion of green space, including an integral landscaped park and a lake for bathing. Furthermore, the new district offers a remarkable array of high-quality social and educational facilities, ranging from numerous services and initiatives for children and families to school, church, cultural and leisure facilities. "Already Messestadt Riem is demonstrating qualities that are almost certainly unique for a major project of this kind," says Munich's mayor, Christian Ude.
In an introductory section detailing the history of the site, the exhibition also highlights the area's previous role as an airport: Munich-Riem was an international airport after the Second World War and also hosted races in the 1950s that made it a Mecca for motorsport enthusiasts.
A special section is devoted to Munich's new airport – the state-of-the-art successor built on moorland at Erding which commenced operations punctually on 17 May 1992, one day after the overnight move.

The idea and concept for the exhibition came from Rudolf Huber, a long-time observer of Munich who has followed the development of the new urban district closely. Committed pioneers and stakeholders of Messestadt Riem have made the exhibition possible: Riem Arcades, Union Investment Real Estate AG (formerly DIFA), Nemetschek Deutschland AG, LEMO GmbH, the GEWOFAG housing association, the state capital's Municipal Department and development consortium MRG Maßnahmeträger München-Riem GmbH. The exhibition is also kindly supported by Flughafen München GmbH, FOAG-Lemkau GmbH and Messe MŸnchen International, together with numerous private individuals, persons involved in local politics and associated with the development, as well as experts at municipal bodies and archives. The exhibition was designed by the Munich office of SchwaigerWinschermann, with technical implementation handled by Reger Studios Munich and the Deko Style agency.

Entitled "With flying colours: The turning of an airport into a community. 1992-2007", the exhibition will run from 16 May to 16 June 2007 in the mall at "Riem Arcaden in der Messestadt". Admission is free. The opening hours (excluding public holidays) are Monday to Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

A detailed programme of supporting events is scheduled alongside the special exhibition, as well as a film and information programme: Environment Day on 19 May, Trade Fair Center Day on 1 June and Architecture Day on 15 June.

Further information is available on the website.