Magdeburg on the way to becoming the City of Science
Not only outstanding starting prerequisites, but also clever minds and innovative ideas are required for a successful urban development. Only in this way can a living vision of a metropolis of tomorrow emerge. The City of Magdeburg shows how this can look like. The proximity to the Elbe River, park landscapes and the nature preserves east of the Elbe make the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt a place where one gladly lives. At the same time, the urban development benefits through the concepts of the International Building Exhibition (IBA). These are construction projects such as St. Catherine’s Tower or the sciences which ensure that the residents of Magdeburg are able to harmonise working, living and habitation perfectly with each other.
For instance, the Magdeburg Housing Cooperative (Wobau) is investing a total of 13 million euros in order to revitalise the former “Haus der Lehrer” (“The Teacher’s House”). The high-rise building was an annoyance in the Magdeburg cityscape for over 20 years, and in the future will provide the initial spark for the northern inner city as a landmark in the skyline. “The former monofunctional house will be a multifunctional building that comes up with modern offices, apartment dwellings, ground-floor commercial areas and diverse catering offers”, says Wobau chief executive Heinrich Sonsalla. “Absolute highlight is the roof area with a 360-degree view of Magdeburg.”
However, not only is great value placed on modernity during the implementation of redevelopment measures, but the arch to the past is also closed. The Haus der Lehrer is closely associated with Magdeburg’s city history. It is still located exactly at the spot where St. Catherine’s Church was demolished by the regime of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1966 and the cityscape was finally removed. In order to embrace this historico-cultural dimension, the former ground plan and still preserved parts of the church shall flow into the reconfiguration.
The close integration of history and modernity is also found again in Magdeburg’s harbour area. The former commercial harbour is gradually being developed as a centre for innovations and transfer of knowledge. Then a diverse, lively urban quarter with areas for science and commerce, habitation and services, leisure time and tourisms will emerge in the new “Science Harbour”.
Projects such as “Elbe Office” – an office and research building – or the “Denkfabrik” (“Think Tank”) as the domicile of numerous research institutions have already been successfully completed. Magdeburg is transforming itself from the city of heavy machinery construction to the “City of Science”. With institutions such as Otto-von-Guericke University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation or the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg not only ensures the clever minds of tomorrow, but also a further lively development.
Contact:
Dezernat für Wirtschaft, Tourismus und regionale Zusammenarbeit
Julius-Bremer-Straße 10, 39104 Magdeburg
Phone: +49.3 91.5 40 26 66
+49.3 91.5 40 25 43
wirtschaft@magdeburg.de