These weeks are particularly hectic, with one appointment after another, company and club Christmas parties, end-of-year meetings and much more. Hardly any time to reflect on ourselves and what is important to us in life. We should be careful not to let the hectic pace "eat us up" and lose sight of the essentials! Christmas Eve, the birthday of Jesus Christ, the greatest feast of Christianity, should be the beginning of a period of rest at the end of the year with family, relatives and friends. I sincerely hope that you find this peace!
Take the time to review the year 2012 once again. Look ahead and ask yourself what 2013 might bring. Well, it will definitely come, because the end of the world predicted by the Mayans did not happen - as expected.
Above all, I associate 2012 with the 70th anniversary of our city's founding. We celebrated our "birthday" with pride and joy on April 1 with the opening of the new contemporary history section in the Salder Castle Museum, a pop concert with Alex Parker and a reception with our five twin towns. In May, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder gave an impressive keynote speech.
Together with the council and administration, my aim was to celebrate with all generations and I am proud to say that we succeeded! This year, for example, we made the traditional Old Town Festival and Kultursommer particularly attractive and diverse with great attention to detail. Young and old came together and spent enjoyable hours together.
But just as important were the many small and large events, all of which were held under the motto "70 years of Salzgitter" and were therefore very popular.
Numerous clubs, associations and institutions took part in the celebrations. Many exhibitions and events breathed life into the city's 70th birthday. Everyone contributed to making 2012 truly a city birthday! I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone involved!
But what else happened?
One outstanding event was the completion of the E.ON Avacon technical center with around 200 workplaces in the city center of Lebenstedt - a project that is the result of the active partnership between E.ON Avacon and the city of Salzgitter. In Salzgitter-Bad, the conversion of the Ratskeller was completed and a nice bistro has enlivened the market square. This means that our traditional hotel has not only been preserved, but also greatly enhanced. The canteen at the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, which now has around 3,000 students, was expanded, the "Salzgitter Production Technology and Process Automation" innovation center was inaugurated at the Fredenberg vocational school and the pirate playground in the south of Salzgitter was given a corresponding counterpart in the form of the Roxy playground. In September, we were the German sports capital for three days at the "Festival of Sports". A well-attended and successful event. A big thank you to everyone involved!
In particular, I would also like to thank the management boards, the management teams, the employees, the works councils and the trade unions! Thanks to your great commitment, Salzgitter is the third largest industrial location in Lower Saxony. The Big Five - VW, Salzgitter AG, MAN, Alstom and Bosch - are not only of great importance for the state of Lower Saxony, but are also the lifeblood of our city! I am proud of the fact that together we have made a lasting contribution to securing the location with the significant extensions at VW and MAN. I am also very happy to include the achievements of small and medium-sized businesses and the skilled trades in my thanks! They are also an important part of our city.
I am particularly pleased that the investments in the child and family-friendly learning city are having an impact. My goal is to keep Salzgitter fit for the future and independent! And I am aware that this will take a lot of patience! We have already shown what we can do:
We came top in a regional ranking by the Braunschweiger-Zeitung! Salzgitter is in first place for childcare in the region! Among other things, we have created real location factors by making kindergartens free of charge and providing a third staff member in the crèche. Young families like to move here!
In 2012, we continued on the path together that began in 2010 with the guideline process. Citizen participation is an invaluable asset. The past year has shown this very clearly: be it the discussions in Salzgitter-Bad about the design of the market square, in Salder about the possible construction of a mobility museum, in Flachstöckheim about the establishment of a supermarket or the WEVG consumer survey on the pros and cons of using soft or hard drinking water from mid-2016. Dialogue with you is important to me and my team!
Dear fellow citizens,
I find it impressive how many of us volunteer for the community and contribute to a sense of togetherness in our city of Salzgitter. I would like to remind you of the fire at the MTV home. A wave of helpfulness and sympathy reached the club and gave courage and hope. A very impressive achievement and unique for Salzgitter. And I would like to mention two more examples. Firstly, the 25th anniversary of Salzgitter's Ortsheimatpfleger. People who record the past for all of us every day and remind us of it. And secondly, the 50th anniversary of the Salzgitter-Bad advertising association. An association that functions and works excellently. It really brings Salzgitter-Bad forward.
In addition to volunteering, our town is characterized by something else: Tolerance! More and more signs with the inscription "Respect - no place for racism" can be seen in our town. For me, our city is a diverse, multicultural city and home to people from many countries around the world. It should and must stay that way. There is no place for xenophobic and racist attitudes in our city! This attitude is not only to be read on the signs, but is lived every day!
It makes me proud to be the Lord Mayor of Salzgitter and to shape our city - the city of my birth - together with you.
I wish you and your families a merry and blessed Christmas and a successful 2013 filled with happiness and conviviality! Stay healthy and use the days between Christmas and New Year to reflect on yourself and what really matters in your life!
Yours
Frank Klingebiel
Lord Mayor