From 32,000 to 17,000 – no city in the old Federal States has lost proportionally as many inhabitants as Altena. A creative mayor, and dozens of dedicated Volunteers brace themselves against the Shrink.
Maybe it was the stones, the action with the pavement. The Moment the people in Altena “click”. The moment you have understood that their city will continue to shrink, if you don’t get hands-on. Or as expressed by the mayor, Andreas Hollstein: “We have then seen how much of a virtue can be, which is gone in Germany, seemingly shedding: citizens are active in their communities.”
Some retailers in North Rhine-Westphalia, Altena had excited in 2001, on the pavement in the city center, which was torn in many Places. And were approached by the mayor to renovate the pedestrian area. Only: Altena had no money. “I told you, I can be in the country for a promotion. And then we meet in 2010, 2011. Or do we need to do it differently. Namely, the self.”
Since 1999, the mayor of Altena, than the CDU-politician in the former SPD-stronghold: Andreas Hollstein
Then something happened, which Hollstein had not at all expected. “The retailers have said to my complete Surprise: Yes, that’s what we do.” Days later, all Packed with. The retailers have improved and, together with the mayor and other employees of the city hall in painstaking work, the road, every day Volunteers came in. “Others have lubricated loaves of bread, and someone from the restaurant said: unfortunately, I have to stand at the counter, but when you’re done, you go in, the round’s on me!” says the CDU politician.
Why the Mietgipfel wrong priorities
Andreas Hollstein’s for almost 20 years, mayor of Altena. A city that was 50 years ago, yet twice as large. The is shrunk from a medium to a small town – because companies such as Nokia, 3,000 people were employed, are migrated. In which young people disappear, because you see there is no future, and now every third person is over 60 years old. And where there are in contrast to the 40 kilometers to the North, away in Dortmund, in the meantime, the living room en mass.
Altena is still an industrial city: Worldwide 18 percent of the steel wire are produced here
Altena and 580.000 inhabitants of the metropolis of Dortmund, are thus a symbol for all of this, what is called in Germany, so like to the city-country divide. And what is the great policy also cemented. “When Mietgipfel it is only going to affordable housing in the big cities. And not the fact that there is this housing on the country, there is a lack of but often in infrastructure,” says Hollstein. To recap: two out of three Germans living in places with less than 100,000 inhabitants. In small towns like Altena, for example.
As the mayor power in Altena initially unpopular
To be larger, in terms of urban development is a challenge. To be smaller but at least as. Especially, if there is no money. Hollstein, born in Altena, begins within himself, sold the service of his predecessor, a Mercedes car, and replace that with a VW Polo to work. Through an emergency budget. The administration is reduced from 180 to 120. Includes one of the two outdoor pools, underutilized kindergartens and two primary schools. And tears off the residential units and churches. In part, he reaps in angry protests.
In particular, on the banks of the Lenne Altena has modernized a lot in order to make the city more attractive
“I told the people that I want to do politics differently. To be honest, even in the Negative,” recalls the 55-year-old. “That is, open communication about what is going on and with the citizens, work together on how to solve a Problem”. People take, at eye level. The change is moderate. In Altena there are no hollow phrases, it works. “When I was elected, after five years, for the first Time as mayor, I was very pleased. But it has surprised me,” says the lawyer with a grin.
As a volunteer depressed mood can distribute
People, but for a structural change, it also needs to be looked after and the progress is to take. People like Annette Wesemann and Dorothee Isenbeck, for example. Wesemann is at the city and is responsible for citizen Engagement, Isenbeck, a trained social worker. Both have a big part in the generation of office “Stellwerk” you know, for the past ten years on a volunteer basis, the people in Altena together, and the life in the province a better place. So-called plant patent beautify the downtown with flowers, in a Repair Café, toys and computers to be brought in shot, young people, schools, Older people in digital technology, they pay us back with tutoring.
Annette Wesemann is a link between the city and the “interlocking”
The 51-year-old Wesemann recalls how her then the penny dropped, that needs to change in Altena something: “The mayor is invited to an information meeting and said, we can’t do that in the style. So, either we have to see how we can be in Altena always less or but we understand the decline as an opportunity.” At Isenbeck, however, Hollstein, not penetrating with his appeal. “The whole city had decayed into a kind of Depression, I also. We were desperate, and said, all this has no sense any more, we need to go, too.”
Why Altena is not out of the woods yet
The concrete opportunity: the Bertelsmann Foundation selects Altena 2006 as a nationwide six municipalities for the project “New ageing in the city”. The project will initially improve the quality of life of seniors in Altena. However, because more and more people join in, it is also the quality of life for all residents of Altena. “A group in which I was also, developed ideas, we can beautify the city image, another took care of the meeting centres and a barbecue designed, and a third has thought about the cultural and Youth services”, thinks the 75-year-old Isenbeck, “in the end we were 80 people!”
Dorothee Isenbeck was there from the beginning, at the Initiative of “interlocking”
The project finally leads to the Initiative of “interlocking”, the care in close cooperation with the city of all the requirements of Altena’s. So, too, the refugees – Altena was recorded in 2015 many more people than intended, because they wanted to get young people in the small town. The city and the volunteers from Altena mastered the new Situation on the basis of their project experience, much better than other cities, with so-called “Kümmerern” caring for each family. Altena is on the right path? “We need more young people involved,” says Wesemann, and Isenbeck, added: “We need to make the Lennestraße a business street!”
Why the Lennestraße is not yet back to the old
The Lennestraße is Altena’s pedestrian zone, however, as a business street Shine, it’s still a long way off. To a house, a life hangs in a large Spiderman on the facade: but Peter Parker should be here, probably too boring. Although there is a pharmacy, a Bank, a travel office, a Kiosk, and also a Greek Restaurant, but in between the shops that are empty – about 20 in number. The mayor tried to “Pop-Up shops” to counter this trend: those who are interested can try it out for three months with an idea and get out of the city for a grant. The business is running, you can extend.
Also for Spiderman a Herculean task: The Lennestraße in Altena revive
Potential customers and the shop owners have to make not Worry: because every day, dozens of people from the Elevator of the castle Altena, the landmark of the city, in the pedestrian street spit. In half a Minute it is 85 metres down – or upwards. Again, as an idea of Andreas Hollstein, a proposal that is not met with only on the consent. “At the time, already feared a few people, that is a million grave. There are in Germany many examples of that something can go wrong,” says Stephan scythes of the Brandenburg cultural Foundation castle Altena. “We did not know, how technically demanding the Whole thing is, but we started at the end of 2012 with the construction, and in April 2014, the lift was ready.”
As tourism is a shrinking city can help
Since then, 130,000 people flock every year to the castle of Altena, twice as many as before the lift. And then the medieval festival at the beginning of August, which attracts the viewers. The shrinking city should benefit further from tourism. And creative ways. “The Elevator is not only a means of transport, but an entertaining experience Elevator, which will be played on the way there, virtually, with the myths and legends of the Region,” says Sensen the concept.
Stephan scythes has his share of it, that the County and city work together better
The castle from the 12. Century, offers visitors not only a variety of multi-media exhibitions, but also the site of the first youth hostel of the world: 1914 is opened before the start of the First world war, it is now every week full to the brim with students from Germany, the Netherlands and Latin America. “The subject of tourism, have discovered the city and the circle, nevertheless, much too late,” says the 55-year-old scythes, “we have lost too much time.”
Where Altena in the next few years, the focus of
Strengthening tourism, urban infrastructure adapt and modernise, and a policy for all generations, with increased civic Engagement – Altena’s a magic formula in order to cope with the Shrinking of the city. Together with the Italian town of Isernia, and Igoumenitsa, Greece Altena is to develop a common approach at the European level, such as citizen participation is a Chance for smaller Small and medium – sized cities can be. Altena is a so-called “LEAD Partner” of the “Urbact”, a European program to promote sustainable urban development.
Altena’s true characters, with which people identify to “150 percent”: the castle
The small town remains so on the Ball, it must do because if you stand still, you can’t allow yourself. “We need to modernise our industrial area, we have 20 years of grinding. We need to have the expansion of broadband service to the ran, each must be connected to the Internet. And we need to implement new residential projects,” says Andreas Hollstein, the plans for the next few years. But the mayor remains a Realist: “We must not dream of. As a Small – and medium-sized town in Germany, you can set only the goal to keep the level somewhat. And this is also sustainable Finance.”