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 Rhein/Main 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.