With the kind request for publication
PM_LEADER project "Windows to Europe" starts implementation
With the installation of the conveyor shield, the LEADER project "Window to Europe: Leidingen – one village, two countries, one border" has experienced its first visible implementation. During a press event, the Saarlouis district, together with the project partners, presented the current status of the initiative in the Wallerfang district, which will make the special history of the German-French border town tangible in the future with modern information and experience offerings for locals and visitors.
"Leidingen is located directly on the German-French border. Here, a national border runs right through the village, and yet the people have lived in good neighborly relations for generations. This impressively shows that borders may separate countries, but they can connect people. This story is a piece of lived Europe and deserves to be made visible and preserved for the future. With this project, we are creating a place that conveys exactly this in a modern way and makes it accessible to everyone. I am very pleased that it is now being realized on site and that this special idea is becoming a reality step by step," said Patrik Lauer, the district administrator of Saarlouis.
The project draws on the history of Leidingen on both sides of the border and makes it permanently visible. Planned are a striking zigzag sculpture along the border line, an information board, a bench, an outdoor display with an AI avatar, as well as an augmented reality application. They are intended to vividly convey the historical development of the place, life on both sides of the border, and German-French relations, and to preserve them for future generations. The completion of the entire project is scheduled for spring 2028.
“With the funding sign, the project will be visibly integrated into the local landscape for the first time. The conceptual preliminary work has been completed, and all contracts for 2026 have been awarded. Two more contracts will follow in the coming years. Now, the individual project components will be implemented step by step,” explained Jeanette Dillinger, head of the Tourism and Regional Development Department at the Saarlouis district office.
The project has a total volume of 206,509 euros. It is funded within the framework of the European Union's LEADER program for rural development and is implemented by the district of Saarlouis in cooperation with the LEADER action group Warndt-Saargau. The funding comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Through LEADER, 80 percent of the net costs, a total of 165,207 euros, are financed.
The district of Saarlouis continuously provides updates on the project's progress on the specially established project page at www.rendezvous-saarlouis.de/leidingen.
Photo credit:
Leidingen: As the first visible measure at the start of the project, the funding sign was installed. In the photo (from left to right): Christian Wahl, Jeanette Dillinger, District Administrator Patrik Lauer, Anke Klein-Brauer, Anna Tock, Roman Dobicki, and Jörg Lang.
