"The redesign of Helmut-Kohl-Europaplatz is closely linked to Urban Development Day," explained Mayor Marx in his speech. Back in 2019, a public ideas workshop on the redesign of the square was held on this nationwide day of action, on which cities and municipalities provide information about their projects, plans and successes as part of urban development funding. After a lengthy planning phase and a number of political discussions, the ground-breaking ceremony for the conversion work took place on last year's Urban Development Day. "And this year we can open the new facility, well done," praised the mayor. He thanked the municipal departments involved, coordinated by Dirk Thomé, the technical manager of the municipal building department, the Bierbaum.Aichele planning office and the company carrying out the work, Garten- und Landschaftsbau Torsten Berg from Morbach, "who have done an excellent job here."
"The project was not without controversy, but despite all the prophecies of doom, I can state today: The Helmut-Kohl-Europaplatz has gained considerably in quality of stay and design thanks to the new concept," emphasized Friedrich Marx. A lot has been done to achieve this. The playground area was redesigned and equipped with new equipment - including a teepee play tower with climbing area and slide as well as a double swing made of stainless steel. The edge of the fountain has been newly edged to create a seating area that invites children to linger, and new benches and additional sports equipment have also been installed. In addition, the entire area was redesigned to be climate-friendly: The lawns were reduced as they evaporate a lot of water and are susceptible to drought. Instead, climate-resilient and insect-friendly plants were planted. A mineral mulch was used, which evaporates less water. This protects the soil from drying out and at the same time reduces the amount of maintenance required. The fountain is not quite finished yet, it still needs to be repointed. The weather has been too cool and unstable for this in recent weeks.
"In my opinion, however, the highlight is the newly designed bank and embankment zone on the Idarbach," emphasized Mayor Marx. This was provided with four rows of limestone seating steps, the area was revitalized in terms of landscaping and planted with native shrubs. This will make the Idarbach visible and tangible again and he is firmly convinced that this area will be well frequented, especially on warm days. The investment volume for the conversion amounts to 740,000 euros. "We have received funding of around 545,000 euros for this as part of the federal program 'Adapting urban spaces to climate change', for which I would like to thank Dr. Joe Weingarten," said Marx. The member of the Bundestag had campaigned for the project in Berlin.
Stefan Tatsch
Stefan Tatsch
Stefan Tatsch
Stefan Tatsch
Stefan Tatsch
Stefan Tatsch
"Making a beautiful square even more beautiful is easy. But when a difficult site like Helmut-Kohl-Europaplatz undergoes such an improvement, it's great," emphasized Dr. Weingarten in his welcoming address. It is important to do something about urban spaces, especially in view of climate change. That is why he fought for the Idar-Oberstein project to be included on the funding list.
Julia Klöckner also found the redesign very successful and recalled the square's namesake, who had not only made an outstanding contribution to German unity, but also to European unification. The Helmut-Kohl-Europaplatz is therefore also a symbol for the communal coexistence of different cultures.