HAMBURG, Germany—This past August, a group of 200 artists led by Daniel Richter took over a dozen disused buildings slated for sale and demolition in Hamburg's historic Gängeviertel district, moved in, and set up studios and galleries, declaring that with so much empty space available in the harbor city, the government should provide affordable space to artists living there — and that the historic buildings should be saved, to boot.

Months later, the artists are still there, reports the Northern German news network Norddeutscher Rundfunk, and have welcomed more than 10,000 guests to their impromptu art spaces and garnered more than 20,000 signatures to a petition asking for the preservation of the buildings, which have been sold to a Dutch firm, Hanzevast, which plans to demolish them to make way for new buildings housing offices, shops, cafes, and luxury apartments.

And while the protesters, who held a candlelight protest on Saturday evening that attracted hundreds of supporters, haven't quite secured the district's salvation, they have made inroads toward acquiring affordable gallery and studio space. On Saturday, Christine Ebeling, a representative for the group, called "Komm in die Gänge," announced that the city had offered the artists the use of empty, government-owned spaces; in exchange, the artists would have to vacate the ones in the Gängeviertel, which are to be handed over to Hanzevast.

"We haven't decided yet," said Ebeling.

Both the artists group and Hanzevast have indicated a willingness to meet to discuss the standoff, but no meeting has yet taken place; a round table scheduled for Thursday involving artists, Hanzevast, and various government representatives has reportedly been canceled.