District park at Pleißenbach opens

On Sunday, 1 June, International Children's Day, 11 a.m., the largest intervention area of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 will be opened: the district park at Pleißenbach. Mayor Michael Stötzer will ceremonially hand over both the park and the corresponding section of the Wüstenbrand-Küchwald premium cycle path between Rudolph-Krahl-Straße and Paul-Jäkel-Straße to the people of Chemnitz. The event is open to the public and admission is free of charge.

Representatives of the media are also invited.

The opening ceremony will be filled with a colourful cultural programme for children and adults. Andrea Pier, Managing Director of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, will give an introduction to the micro-projects, while the musical framework will be provided by the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 micro-project "Klangbrücken" with the musicians from "Tuya Klangwerk" Mathis Stendike and Petr Krupa as well as the dancer Anna Harms and the subsequent DJ set by DJ Wenzelyzer. There will also be guided tours through Pleißenpark on the topic of waterway renaturalisation, the ADFC will be bringing along a cycle course, all kinds of roller sports can be experienced on the new promenade and small water wheels in Pleißenbach will be inviting visitors to play.

The neighbourhood park

The idea of redesigning the site of the Deutsche Bahn goods station in the Altendorf district, which had been disused for decades, dates back to 2014. Citizens were able to have a say in the design of the park during extensive participation processes.

The design of the newly created children's playground was also preceded by lively child participation.

In addition to a new inclusive playground as the centrepiece of the park, this intervention area of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 offers a refurbished former loading promenade with wheelchair-friendly surfacing, two table tennis tables and various recreational and leisure areas. A new section of the Wüstenbrand-Küchwald premium cycle path was integrated: between Rudolph-Krahl-Straße and Paul-Jäkel-Straße.

In addition to the continuation of the premium cycle path, which is around one kilometre long, new park paths were laid out, creating new path connections. High-quality plantings with around 100 standard trees, 4,000 shrubs, 7,500 perennials and 25,000 square metres of different seed mixtures were planted. The 59-metre-long viaduct spans the renaturalised and reopened section of the Pleißenbach at the Kochstraße stop and connects the premium cycle path with Limbacher Straße. The Pleißenbach has been transformed into a near-natural watercourse.

The structural realisation of the new park on the Pleißenbach combines a variety of design, ecological and infrastructural measures. The new play area is a particular attraction for families.

Before the initial construction work began, the construction site was cleared and trees worthy of preservation were maintained. In addition, compensatory and replacement planting was carried out, including areas for initial reforestation in Klaffenbach and Euba. Shrubs were also planted within the construction site as replacements.

The renaturalisation of the Pleißenbach stream was a key part of the overall project. The outdoor facilities, including pathways, green spaces, recreational areas and the premium cycle path section, were designed in line with the near-natural redesign of the watercourse. In the course of the construction work, a large number of materials were produced that had to be disposed of properly.

An interim bridge was also erected to enable citizens to cross the Pleißenbach stream safely and comfortably during the construction period.

Construction of the actual viaduct began shortly after the temporary bridge was erected. The new bridge structure creates a barrier-free crossing within the green corridor and strengthens the pedestrian connection in the district.

The costs for the construction project amount to EUR 3.53 million for the watercourse renaturalisation, EUR 3.06 million for the open space, EUR 1.35 million for the bridge structure and EUR 0.76 million for the section of the premium cycle path. (These are projected construction costs, as the final invoice is still outstanding).

The entire project was subsidised by federal, state and municipal funds and represents an important contribution to sustainable urban development and ecological upgrading of the district.

The restoration of the watercourse was funded to 90 per cent, the section of the premium cycle path was also funded to 90 per cent and the outdoor facilities, viaduct and playground were funded to two thirds.

Background

"Stadt am Fluss" is an infrastructure project that was given high priority at the workshop on the intervention areas with Chemnitz citizens in November 2018. It revitalises urban areas along the Chemnitz river: prelude at the source, city park - former river bath, city park - at the weir, railway viaduct, riverside park - industrial history on the river. The areas will become public (cultural) places to meet the "quiet centre" and enter into conversation with it.

As part of "Stadt am Fluss", the district park on the Pleißenbach is the largest of the intervention areas of Chemnitz as European Capital of Culture 2025. The site of the former Altendorf goods station between Beyerstrasse and Rudolf-Krahl-Strasse was characterised by fallow land, succession and an ecologically disadvantaged, heavily built-up natural space. Following the withdrawal of the railway, there was 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

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