The location for this year's "Day of Urban Development Promotion" could hardly have been better chosen. "Quierschied and the Q.lisse represent what is nowadays often called 'best practice'," said Saarland's Interior Minister Reinhold Jost (SPD), "it is an example that should be an incentive for all of us."
The Quierschied artist Manuel Sattler sang as part of the event’s supporting program, which attracted representatives from all Saarland cities and municipalities to Quierschied. Minister Jost, in keeping with the good tradition of his office, brought not only grilled sausages but also funding approvals with him, enabling municipalities to finance upcoming projects. "Saarland stands by its cities and municipalities," emphasized Jost, who explained that in recent years over 600 million euros from funding programs of the state and federal government have flowed into more than 200 urban development projects in Saarland. Statistically, every public euro has attracted seven euros in private investments. This represents a tremendous boost for local businesses as well. "Urban development funding has been an important and reliable instrument over the past 50 years in addressing challenges, especially in city and town centers," the minister continued, "in the future, climate protection and climate adaptation will play an increasingly significant role in the concepts and implementation of the overall urban development measures."
And here too, Quierschied was, so to speak, a pioneer, as the renovation of the town center only really gained momentum after a heavy rain event and the resulting destruction of the town hall and cultural hall in 2009. Quierschied’s mayor, Lutz Maurer, therefore extended a particularly warm welcome to his predecessor Karin Lawall. The SPD politician had at the time involved committees and the population in the development of an overall urban development concept and set it in motion. After the completion of the Q.lisse, Quierschied received the "Polis Award" in 2019 for reactivated centers. “An attractive living environment, a good, neighborly coexistence, and attractive quarters – urban development promotion is one of the most important instruments for the development of our municipalities,” Maurer said, pointing out that the measures on the marketplace and the green area at Eisengraben are also part of the concept. The next construction phase is Triebener Platz, for which the Quierschied administrative head was able to receive an initial funding approval of 60,000 euros. “The village square in the Göttelborn district was also made more attractive for leisure, living, and working at the former concert forest. At the Göttelborn campus, students from the Police University of Applied Sciences and the HTW have long since felt at home,” Maurer invited the guests after the presentation of the funding approval to get an impression of the successful implementation of the measures on site. Just as the minister intended, who urged the administrative heads to support each other and learn from one another. “What’s important is that we link arms,” said Jost, “and anyone who needs help should get it.”
The next major project in the municipality is focused on the town center of Fischbach. The establishment of a consumer market is just one aspect. The redesign of the marketplace and the forest park area are additional parts. Here too, the administration aims to develop sustainable, smart solutions and concepts in close coordination with the residents, thereby further enhancing the reputation as a "model student of urban development funding." For this measure, the municipality also received an initial funding approval of 58,000 euros on this day.
