Philanthrokapitalistisches Engagement in der Stadt. Memetische, hörbare und kartographische Perspektiven auf Heilbronn

Abstract. While philanthropic involvement in cities is not a novelty in itself, the integration of entrepreneurial logics into foundation activities and their influence on urban developments is increasingly being discussed under the term philanthrocapitalism. In the city of Heilbronn, the entrepreneur Dieter Schwarz (LIDL, Kaufland, PreZero) is currently being referred to in the media as “the king of Heilbronn” in his role as a local patron and founder (Dieter Schwarz Foundation). This article takes the case study of Heilbronn as a starting point and analyses some urban power relations in the context of philanthrocapitalist activities in the city. Empirically, perspectives from the residents of Heilbronn are taken up on the basis of memes, audio collages and interview mapping, which scrutinise the relationship between the city and the founder Dieter Schwarz. This raises fundamental questions about dynamics in urban power relations that need to be critically focussed on, especially in less prominent cities.