This year's main prize in the Saxon town center competition "Ab in die Mitte!" goes to Gröditz. The town in the district of Meißen came out on top against 60 other entries from 53 municipalities with its project "808 years later: We're forging a real town center", as announced by the Ministry of Infrastructure. This was the highest level of participation in the competition since it was launched in 2004.
Gröditz impressed the jury with its concept for developing a new town center around the renovated market square. The aim is to take up historical references to the blacksmith tradition and create offers for different generations. Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar (CDU) said at the award ceremony in Görlitz: ""Ab in die Mitte!" is not just a competition, but a strong commitment to vibrant cities."
Two special prizes, each worth 15,000 euros, went to Burgstädt (district of Central Saxony) for a youth participation project and to Adorf/Vogtland for an inner city project based around the historic production of mother-of-pearl. In total, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Economic Affairs provided more than 300,000 euros in prize money.
