Munich's Halle 2 second-hand store marks 25 years with public auction in Pasing

Halle 2, the second-hand department store run by Munich's municipal waste management company (AWM), was set to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a public event at Peter-Anders-Straße 15 in Pasing on Saturday 17 October. The highlight of the programme, which was scheduled to begin at 10.30am, was a large auction of special second-hand items.

Throughout the year, AWM collected notable used goods for the anniversary auction, which was due to run from 11am to 1pm. Lots included a single-action pedal harp by Riedel with a starting bid of 800 euros, a large painting by the artist Emma Andijewska with a starting bid of 400 euros, and a vintage racing bicycle by Francesco Moser with a starting bid of 300 euros.

The celebration was to open with a welcome from Mayor Mona Fuchs and Dr Alexander Dietrich, the city's new head of the municipal services department and first managing director of AWM. Ms Fuchs said: "For 25 years, Halle 2 has shown that much of what is no longer needed is far from finished. What is surplus to one person can be exactly the right thing for someone else. I think it is wonderful that sustainability and the joy of discovery come together here. Halle 2 has long been an established part of Munich and makes reuse completely normal."

Halle 2 opened in Giesing in 2001. Its name comes from the former "Vehicle Hall 2" at AWM's then headquarters on Sachsenstraße. It moved to its current premises in Pasing in 2016.

What began as a central collection point for used goods is now an established second-hand department store with a constantly changing range. It sells furniture, household goods, books, records, CDs and DVDs, jewellery, and electrical and IT equipment that has been tested for safety and function. The idea behind it is simple: well-kept, working items should be used for as long as possible rather than becoming waste.