Dear fellow citizens,

The Advent season is approaching its climax: in a few days it will be Christmas Eve and Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who taught us to love our neighbor. The Christmas message is all about hope, love and peace, which come into the world through Christ's birth. It is about living charity, showing solidarity, practising gratitude and bringing light into the darkness. Christmas ultimately spurs us on to preserve our world and make it a better place.

And that is exactly what we should keep in mind during the Christmas season. It is not our material gifts that are important, but the gestures of friendship, love and charity that make others' eyes sparkle and the time we take for others. Our everyday lives are characterized by stress, deadlines and many challenges. However, we should not "lose ourselves" in this, as difficult as it may be.

Every day, our thousands of volunteers in Salzgitter leave behind great and lasting traces of charity. They do incredible things for their fellow human beings. And it is only thanks to their courageous commitment that our state and our urban society still functions so well in many areas. For example, it is the extremely active members of the volunteer fire departments, aid organizations, social associations, churches, trade unions, sports clubs, art and cultural associations, shooting clubs, environmental associations and council and local council members who shape public life in our 31 districts and thus give our city a face. They are always there when they are needed. They live charity out of deep inner conviction and with passion. They all do outstanding work for the people of our city and are truly role models. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers in our city!

Dear fellow citizens,

Despite the unfortunately still uncertain framework conditions and the strong international competition and pressure to act, our five major industrial companies - above all Salzgitter AG with its Salcos project for low-carbon steel production, Volkswagen with the battery cell production currently under construction and Alstom with the hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive - are continuing on the path towards climate-friendly drive and production processes. Our Wasserstoffcampus Salzgitter e.V. is developing better and better. Salzgitter is and remains a pioneer for industrial transformation. I am very proud of that. However, our five large industrial companies need support, planning security and a reduction in bureaucracy at European level and from our federal government so that these hugely important transformation processes can succeed in the long term.

And how was the year in our city hall?

Thanks to the enormous efforts of the city administration and the financial support of the state of Lower Saxony with the 50 million euro Salzgitter aid and the integration funds of the last 7 years of a good 35 million euros, three new daycare centers were able to open this year: the "Brotweg" daycare center in Thiede, the "Am Zingel" daycare center in Lichtenberg and the "Wiesenstraße" daycare center in Salzgitter-Bad. After a very short construction period, the four-form north elementary school also opened after the 2025 summer vacations. If everything goes according to plan, the elementary school "Wiesenstraße" in Salzgitter-Bad and "Am Zingel" in Lichtenberg will follow next year. Since September, the completely renovated and now barrier-free Aula Fredenberg, one of the most important event halls in our city, has been back in operation. This was also a major project. The course has now been set and the renovation of the auditorium of the grammar school in Salzgitter-Bad, which is the most important event hall in the south of our city, can begin next year.

Construction is also finally underway in the east and west housing estates in Salzgitter-Bad, which are still listed by the state. The renovation of the section of "Engeroder Straße" between the streets "Am Ziesberg" and "Rheinstraße" is a further visible step towards a new, positive development of the east and west housing estate in Salzgitter-Bad. "Engeroder Straße" and "Rheinstraße" are also home to the 146 apartments that we, the city of Salzgitter, have purchased with major financial support from the state of Lower Saxony and which will be modernized in stages from 2026.

Another major refurbishment project was also started this year by a private investor in the east-west estate. Gradually, a housing stock of 700 apartments is to be completely renovated and insulated. The outdoor areas are also to be attractively designed. Although it will take a long time to change the "face" of this neighborhood for the better, the necessary processes are underway. At the same time, the campaign "SALZGITTER. TOGETHER. SAFE. CLEAN". So things are moving forward there!

We have also been able to make a lot of progress in the area of "healthcare" with the support for GPs approved by the Salzgitter City Council in 2022. So far, we have provided financial support to a total of 15 GPs, two of them this year alone with funding of 150,000 euros. Only through this voluntary municipal funding option can we ensure that there are enough GPs to offer or even expand their services in our city. Here I call out to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Lower Saxony: finally secure your care mandate!

Finally, I have one more "perennial issue": on the one hand, our municipal finances have been suffering for some time from the continuing difficult economic conditions for our companies, which have led to a considerable drop in trade tax income. And secondly, as a city, we are providing more and more services for the state and federal government for which we do not receive full cost coverage. "He who orders the music must also pay for it" is a popular saying and I never tire of reminding and demanding this from the decision-makers in Hanover and Berlin and also in my role as Vice President of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and Towns. If, for example, we were fully reimbursed for the costs of ensuring the legal entitlement to childcare regulated by the federal government and the integration measures for which the federal government is responsible, our municipal budget would not have a budget deficit. The federal and state governments must change this as quickly as possible.

Dear fellow citizens,

Despite all the challenges, let us look positively to the coming year and the future together. You can rest assured that I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure the positive development of our town.

I wish you a merry, blessed and peaceful Christmas. Enjoy the coming holidays with your family and friends and take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life before you start into a hopefully successful, but above all healthy, New Year 2026!

"May the light of Christmas fill your heart, the peace of Christ bless your home and his love carry you through the New Year."

Yours