The winners of the state competition "Our village has a future" have been announced: the expert jury chose Ruppendorf in the Eastern Ore Mountains as the winner out of 17 participants. Dörgenhausen (district of Bautzen) and Mannichswalde (district of Zwickau) followed in second and third place. They will now receive prizes of 10,000, 7,000 and 5,000 euros respectively. The two winners will also represent Saxony in next year's national competition, as announced by the Ministry of State Development.
Maker mentality and innovative spirit
Ruppendorf impressed the jury with its combination of maker mentality and innovative spirit in many projects. These included a self-developed app for the clubs, the use of the ruins of the moated castle and a country market with a café in the old school. Dörgenhausen in second place scored points with a committed village community and living Sorbian tradition.
The award winners show how joint action and innovative spirit of the people can advance the development of Saxon villages, explained Minister Regina Kraushaar (CDU). "Administration and associations are pulling in the same direction." The winners and the other participants made it clear that the core of a lively and sustainable village is the community.
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