Nienburg. The jetty complex at the mouth of the Saale in Nienburg is truly a special place. For it serves as a connecting link – in more ways than one. From here, boaters and amateur skippers can explore the Salzlandkreis, either travelling upstream on the Saale towards Halle or downstream towards Magdeburg. However, it is also possible to take a trip on the Bode through the Salzlandkreis, travelling upstream towards the Harz Mountains. The Saale jetty complex in Nienburg also links three of the most recent major projects that the Salzlandkreis has realised in collaboration with the towns and municipalities, as well as other partners in the tourism sector: the Bode steps, the Saale jetty complexes and the refurbishment of the Europaradweg R1 cycle route, spanning no less than 16 kilometres.
District Administrator Markus Bauer therefore emphasised the importance of this at the jetty in Nienburg on Tuesday. "This jetty facility not only impressively demonstrates what we can achieve together if we as a region set ourselves common goals and work towards them. The entire new infrastructure will characterise the image of the Salzland district in the future and provide important impetus to invite even more guests to the Salzland district to linger or even stay overnight." The district administrator emphasised that every satisfied guest becomes another ambassador for the Salzland district and at the same time strengthens the region as an attractive residential, business and science location, as society as a whole benefits from every euro of turnover in the Salzland district - including through income tax returns for the towns and municipalities.
Nienburg's mayor, Susan Falke, added: "I am generally happy when we realise projects like the jetty facilities with the Salzland district. Because it makes sense to tackle together for the whole district what local authorities can't do on their own, as was the case with the broadband expansion or the cycle paths."
It is obvious that these investments in the tourist infrastructure in the Salzland district are exactly right. After all, the Saale is one of the most important and most beautiful rivers in Saxony-Anhalt, while the R1 European cycle route has always been very popular with active tourists due to its route to countless cultural and historical treasures throughout Europe. The district administrator therefore said that environmentally friendly and therefore sustainable tourism has now become a strong factor for the local economy. "We are already seeing that our joint projects are leading to investment in the private sector. This is exactly the right approach." He referred to the Salzlandkreis 2030 future strategy, on the basis of which the district administration has been successfully developing and implementing such projects for years - in the spirit of an up-and-coming region. "What we are still planning in local public transport with the Salzland Railway, we are already successfully implementing here in tourism. We connect regions!"
The jetties along the Saale were officially opened a few weeks ago. Since then, water hikers have been able to explore 38 kilometres of the Saale river landscape between Calbe in the north and Könnern in the south. In addition to Nienburg, there are entry and exit points in Calbe, Bernburg, Gröna, Großwirschleben, Alsleben and Könnern. The jetty in Könnern is expected to be completed at the end of May due to its special concrete construction. 4.6 million euros were invested, with the towns and municipalities providing their own funds and will also be responsible for future maintenance. The Salzland district acquired a total of 3.8 million euros in funding from the federal and state governments and pooled all the resources required for the project. The funding comes from the joint federal and state programme for the improvement of regional economic structures.
Markus Bauer once again took the opportunity in Nienburg to thank everyone involved for their cooperation. In addition to the towns and municipalities and the district administration's specialist department for district development, tourism and school transport, these include the planning office Seecon Ingenieure GmbH and the construction company Hydro Wacht GmbH. Hydro Wacht site manager Martin Neubauer was equally pleased with the completed jetty in Nienburg: "In terms of construction, it was quite a challenge for us here. We are therefore all the more pleased to have completed the jetty in time for the season." The Magdeburg Waterways and Shipping Office and the two state authorities for construction and property management and for flood protection and water management also contributed to the successful realisation.