The political climate of our time is being shaped by a dwindling ability to engage in public dialogue putting democratic practices under increasing pressure In order to counter the trend towards retreating into the realm of self affirmation we need new spaces in which public debate is not only tolerated but stimulated With this in mind students at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences designed centrally located salons in Berlin and Frankfurt Main that could inspire interest in democratic engagement In summer 2021 the German Architecture Museum will exhibit these designs This book complements the exhibit with five essays by well known authors as well as a comic strip depicting a day in the life of the Salons of the Republic