SALZLANDKREIS 2024
5
“Nothing great was ever achieved without
enthusiasm.” Tis phrase has been my
constant companion – in my work as a
voluntary local politician, then later as a
town mayor, and for the last ten years, as
District Administrator for the Salzlandkreis
District; a region that lies between the
Saxony-Anhalt state capital of Magdeburg
in the north – now making its mark
internationally thanks to the multibillion-
euro investment of chip manufacturers
Intel
–
and
the
Central
German
Metropolitan Region to the south. A region
with a great salt mining tradition on the
edge of the Harz Mountains, idyllically
situated on the Elbe and Saale rivers,
where people appreciate both rural life as
well as progress and innovation thanks to
universities and research institutions.
Enthusiasm. It’s this feeling that drives me
in my work developing a region which,
thanks to multimillion-euro investments
in local infrastructure, no longer has to
hide itself away; which is aiming higher
and taking its future into its own hands. I
also feel this sense of enthusiasm in many
people in the Salzlandkreis District, for
whom a home worth loving and living in
is just as important as it is to me. Tese
people are volunteers in the fire brigade
and other support organisations, in sports
clubs or local/cultural associations. Of
course, they are also entrepreneurs, both
in small family businesses and medium-
sized companies. All of them put their own
stamp on the Salzlandkreis District and
contribute to the renewed sense of pride
we can feel towards our home region.
Something great. Tis is an area we’re
working hard on in the Salzlandkreis
District and in which we are making
substantial investments: In our schools,
our roads, but above all in our citizens
– afer all, they are our most valuable
resource. We network them, encourage
co-operation across city boundaries and
thus provide decisive impetus for the
development of the entire region. We may
be modifying the framework, but we are
not forgeting well-established structures
in the process. All our activities have a
special feature in common: All responsible
participants have developed a common
mindset and pursue a joint vision. Our
‘Salzlandkreis 2030’ future strategy, passed
by the district assembly, is an expression
of this. It is a roadmap that guides us in
all our enthusiasm, sets priorities and
defines key figures. It not only allows us
to examine ourselves, but our actions can
also be measured and thus reviewed.
With its diverse educational landscape, the
sustainable and innovative endeavours of
the district administration as well as its
towns and communities, over the past
few years the Salzlandkreis District has
developed into an atractive residential,
business and science location. Some say
that this development since the fall of the
Berlin Wall three decades ago is unrivalled
in Europe. In this special issue of aspekt
magazine, the authors paint a picture of a
region that has long since set out to write
a new and promising economic and social
history.
With that in mind, please enjoy reading
this special edition.
Your Salzlandkreis District Administrator
Markus Bauer
Dear
readers,