structural development
Large district town - large train station
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WSW community station is picking up speed!
Last Friday the station construction site opened at Weißwasser station, which so far hasn't made a particularly inviting impression.
It was supposed to start at 2 p.m. - but the festival tent, which had been set up against the constant rain, was hopelessly overcrowded long before then. Mayor Torsten Pötzsch opened the start of construction ceremoniously and visibly touched. "The plans for this beautiful project of a 'citizen or cultural station' as a 'gateway to the city and region' are the tangible results of a participation process with the residents of Weißwasser."
Jörg Huntemann, the interested gentleman in the left picture at the front, is the representative for structural development in Lusatia and the Leipzig region as well as head of department in the Saxon State Ministry for Regional Development, where he is responsible for coordinating structural development in the Saxon lignite mining areas (Lausitzer Revier and Central German Revier). is. We already know him from the jury of the 1st ICL .
He was also happy that things were now starting at the train station.
The fact that citizens are looking forward to the train station, which is scheduled to be completely redesigned by the end of 2024, was evident from the response to the start of the construction site. Around 2 p.m., more and more interested people, armed with umbrellas and rain capes, streamed to the festival tent on the station forecourt. Here they got in tune with a live piano concert, festive video speeches by MP Michael Kretschmer and District Administrator Dr. Stephan Meyer and a moving speech by Mayor Torsten Pötzsch celebrated the start of construction. District Administrator Dr. Meyer emphasized again that he was pleased about the important start of construction and continued to “hope that Weißwasser will soon become an express train station”. But first there were other, happy things to do! The celebratory “kick-off”:
Structural developer by profession: ENO managing director Sven Mimus (far right), as well as head of the economic department Thomas Rublack (to the left of him), must have staying power. As structural developers, they work day after day according to the motto: "what takes a long time will finally be good" - and like to toast with ENO innovation manager Saskia Brosius (third from left) on a holiday like today.
With the aim of revitalizing a building that is historic and typical of the region's architecture as a business card and gateway to the city, the station building is now being renovated, expanded and made available to various users (Deutsche Bahn travel center, tourism information, supply options for travelers and a reading room in the city library). made available. And this doesn't just benefit the residents: the town of Weißwasser is located at the center of several UNESCO natural heritage and cultural sites, including the transnational Geopark , and is the starting point for many tourist destinations.
What could be more obvious than to restore the station building that belongs to the city to as chic as it originally was and to combine it with modern times? The new floor will appear above the old Mitropa in a modern design. "We combine the historical with the new. That's building culture." says Dorit Baumeister, the building authority manager, happily.
The city library will set up a reading room in the old Mitropa, which will be available to all guests of the station. From spring 2025, visitors to the train station will be welcomed at a large counter where information will be provided about the surrounding attractions for tourists and day trippers. And last but not least, there will be sanitary facilities and a bistro that will be open from early in the morning until late in the evening.
Until then, travelers will have to live with some restrictions. The route to the tracks will be changed and signposted, and the previous travel center will be moved to a container on the forecourt. However, the timetable, which connects Weißwasser with Cottbus and Zittau every hour, remains the same.
Yes, it rained. But the FoXettes, the cheerleaders of the ice hockey foxes, as well as the committed citizens, didn't really care. Everyone celebrated this happy day after the ceremony with drinks and a buffet in the train station.
We think: the Bürgerbahnhof is a really nice project as part of structural change . Of the total investment of around 8.2 million euros, the majority of which comes from the coal phase-out pot provided by the federal government, the city of Weißwasser only has to cover around 390,000 euros itself. But this structural change project is only the first, not the only one, with which Weißwasser is moving towards the future:
After the station construction began on October 27th, construction will start on November 24th on the site of the old Gelsdorf hut so that the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) can settle there. Other municipal structural change projects that have already been approved include converting the engineering school into a training center and converting the DRK kindergarten .
We wish you good luck and keep reporting!
Best regards
Your TaFo structural development from ENO
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