3rd construction phase of the Pleißenbach neighbourhood park begins

Today, Wednesday, Regina Kraushaar, President of the State Directorate of Saxony, handed over a funding decision totalling 3.8 million euros for the district park at Pleißenbach to Mayor Michael Stötzer. This means that the third construction phase can begin on this intervention area of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.

Centrepiece of the park is being created

A park landscape is being created on the former goods station site, forming the centrepiece of the district park. In addition to the renaturalisation of the stream, which is still straightened today, a park-like landscape will be created in various sections and a new pedestrian bridge will be built. Construction work has already begun.

The pure waterway construction work in the third construction phase extends from the "Am Stadtgut" bridge in the west to the abutment of the Erzbergerstraße bridge in the east, which was demolished in 2011. Over a further 650 metres, the Pleißenbach will be transformed into a near-natural watercourse by removing riverbed and bank reinforcements and other obstructions and extensively modelling the terrain. The redesigned, natural course of the watercourse not only serves to protect and preserve the flora and fauna, but also to protect against flooding. In addition, the design of the fallow land will be enhanced.

A total of around 4.2 million euros will be invested in the watercourse works of the third construction phase. 3.8 million euros is the funding handed over today by the Free State of Saxony from the Watercourse/Flood Protection Directive with a funding rate of 90 per cent.

Construction work on the watercourse is scheduled to end on 31 December 2024. The final remaining work, maintenance services and services by other trades will continue until May 2025. Provided there are no unexpected interruptions, the green corridor can be fully utilised from then on.

The entire project is being managed by the Leipzig-based planning office Station C23. Following a Europe-wide tendering procedure, the landscaping and gardening company Steinbach & Richter GbR, Lichtenau, was commissioned to carry out the work, as was the case for the first construction phase. The planning office Stowasserplan GmbH & Co KG from Radebeul will be responsible for the engineering biology and watercourse construction.

In addition to the renaturation of the watercourse, the open space around the watercourse will be redesigned in the third construction phase and the new viaduct will be built from late autumn 2023.

The area of the third construction phase will be cordoned off during the construction period. Access to the construction site is prohibited for safety reasons. Passers-by and local residents must therefore expect restrictions and detours or diversions, as the direct connection between Limbacher Straße and Gutsweg via the site is not possible.

First construction phases already completed

The first construction phase has already been completed. The renaturalisation of the Pleißenbach stream - including the design of the adjacent open spaces up to the newly built premium cycle path west of Rudolf-Krahl-Straße - has been completed since early summer. The once straightened and partially obstructed watercourse was given a new look; the ecological functions of the stream were revived by modelling a near-natural water profile.

In addition, nesting boxes for grey wagtails and dippers were installed and site-appropriate seed mixtures were planted on the ground. Larger trees and shrubs, however, will not be planted until autumn this year in order to avoid intensive watering over the summer months. The site will be maintained by the construction company Steinbach & Richter GbR for another three years.

A replacement measure for species protection, which was necessary for the clearing and felling work on the site of the former goods railway station, has also been completed. In spring, around 800 large shrubs such as cornelian cherry, blackthorn, dog rose and other native species were planted on an area of around 1.3 hectares on the Kalkstraße industrial estate. The area is currently fenced off to protect it from game browsing. In the long term, the area is to be extensively managed to ensure the colonisation of the garden warbler in particular - a small native songbird species.

Background: Pleißenbach neighbourhood park

As part of "Stadt am Fluss", the neighbourhood park at Pleißenbach is an important intervention area for Chemnitz as European Capital of Culture 2025. The site of the former Altendorf goods station between Beyerstrasse and Rudolf-Krahl-Strasse is currently characterised by wasteland, succession and an ecologically disadvantaged, heavily built-up natural space. Now, following the withdrawal of the railway, there is an opportunity to create a new part of the city with open spaces for public use as well as additional areas for housing, community use and commerce - including flood protection.

www.chemnitz.de/interventionsflaechen