REGJO-Spezial: Expo Real 2011 (english)

The Economic Journal for Central Germany REGJO-Special: Expo Real 2011

Offprint from REGJO 3/2011 ISSN 1614-2837 www.regjo-leipzighalle.de

Expo Real 2011

PIECES OF ART KUNSTSTÜCKE Art in construction is an integral part of our real estate concepts, especially when it comes to shopping centres. We have been involved in art since our founding a quarter of a century ago. We are patrons and sponsors of art awards supporting contemporary paintings in the work place and modern sculptures as well as light art in shopping centres where a broad audience can experience them.

With every new shopping centre that we develop we ask renowned artists to contribute a large new piece of art, this of course also applies to the “Höfe am Brühl” which will be opened in autumn 2012. This way, notable sculptors, like Heinz Mack, Eberhard Fiebig, Fabrizio Plessi and Günther Uecker, give a very special, individual attribute to each of our centres and, thus, help to create a place for encounter, communication and discussion.

Furthermore, mfi AG wishes to support ‘Art in Construction’ as well as public art. This is why the mfi award has been set up to acknowledge outstanding ‘Art in Construction’ projects. It is awarded to artists for permanent pieces of art that have been created in Germany. The mfi art award has already been awarded seven times at the Folkwang Museum in Essen. Endowed with 50,000 Euro it ranks among the most significant art awards in Europe.

For mfi art is an inherent part of corporate culture.

management für immobilien AG Bamlerstraße 1 · 45141 Essen fon +49(0)201/820 810 · fax +49(0)201/820 8111 internet: www.mfi.eu · mail: mfi.essen@mfi.eu www.hoefe-am-bruehl.de

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Contents 02 ‚Occupying’ versus ‚squatting’: The ‚warden house‘ concept is being exported throughout the country.

04 Interview with Martin zur Nedden: Leipzig‘s Deputy Mayor for Urban Development and Construction.

To have and to hold

07 Lindenau Harbour: An exciting site development with potential on the waterside.

08 Saxony-Anhalt: Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH is in search of investors.

10 Halle surprises: And is undergoing a transformation – top academic performance and commercial innovations.

14 Revitalisation and Continuation: RKW architects are making the Leopoldina radiate with a new intensity.

17 Words and Figures: Number of businesses, freehold apartment prices and economic development in 2011.

18 Agencies promoting economic development: Geographical depiction of regional initiatives

20 Leipzig’s Klinger Villa: Historically significant building is being opened to the public.

22 Life by and on the Lake: History, unique features, present and future of Leipzig New Lakeland.

Dear Readers, Looking at the Central German region, it is quickly apparent that significant new real estate developments in urban areas have progressed at a fast pace, whether these are renovation projects or former industrial areas. This is nothing new, but ongoing, conservative, positive development. The primary task here has been to hold on to what is already there and to form it in such a way as to close vacant lots. In addition, the “property” should be appropriately embedded in our increasingly sophisticated requirements for living and working environments. Remodelling the “old”.

Naturally, new residential and - in particular - commercial districts are being added to the towns and cities. In this process it is not only the Central German regional centres that are developing strongly in both public and private sectors; the mid-level centres are also displaying the high-quality establishment of globally-active companies and groups. At this year’s EXPO Real in Munich they are all present, 144 hours of high-quality presentation of all stakeholders on the subject of regional development in the field of commercial and residential real estate. Embedded in the presentations of the metropolitan regions in Germany. A reading tip: The construction of the new Leopoldina in Halle (Saale), one of the financially strongest construction projects from the Konjunkturpaket II stimulus programme; practical and with an international reputation!

26 Space for development: Saxon mid-level centres present themselves at this year‘s EXPO REAL in Munich.

Regards

32 Living in a Waggon: In the Ruhr region Marco Stepniak and Vanessa Stallbaum are living out a childhood dream.

34 Innovative Immoscore valuation: Innovative Immoscore valuation system provides help for investors in buying property.

36 Urban Regions in Central Germany: Urban development in Central Germany.

39 Advise for investors made easy: Leipzig/Halle offers numerous consulting services and room for investment.

40 The place to be. It-place.: Transformation of Leipzig‘s southern periphery.

Paulus Project Management

‘Occupying’ versus ‘squatting’ The concept of ‘occupied buildings’ and ‘occupied stores’ has brought meaning to these vacant premises. The association ‘Leipziger Verein Haus- Halten e.V.’ has piqued the interest of many, and the idea is even being exported to the rest of Germany.

Text: Marko T. Hinz Photos: HausHalten e.V.

Neglected during communism, left vulnerable to financially weakened communities and heirs during recent times, and ignored by investors; there are a number of reasons for vacancies in eastern German states.

Like the ‘boomtown’, which is Hessian real estate speculator Dr. Jürgen Schneider’s nickname for Leipzig during its last peak period. In particular, buildings on main streets, which are vacant because of the severe noise and lack of proper maintenance, are subject to advanced decay. In Leipzig, these conditions are present in nearly 2,000 buildings. In fact, nearly 80 percent of the old buildings have been renovated since 1990. But this city of a half a million residents has lost nearly 100,000 inhabitants since then, 50,000 of whom moved into the city’s suburban area or to the countryside completely. Apartments here with some deficiencies in terms of location can hardly be rented out, which isn’t the case in Hamburg, Cologne, or Munich.

The ‘Wächterhäuser’, or occupied buildings, are mainly buildings from the Wilhelmian period, but not exclusively.

So what’s to be done? Since October 2004, the association HausHalten e. V. has been actively maintaining buildings of urban and cultural importance that are hardly acknowledged by ‘classic’ maintenance initiatives. And so the idea of occupied buildings was

born. The focus of the project is on buildings from the Wilhelmian period, which began in the mid 19th century and continued past victory the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 to reach a golden age ‘thanks’ to reparation payments demanded by the German Empire amounting to five million francs. In October 1873, during the ‘Wilhelmian Crash’, the speculation bubble ended. Thousands of buildings featuring rich facades remain in the ‘trade fair city’, for example in the Waldstrassenviertel, Europe’s largest continuous Wilhelmian neighbourhood. The activities of the association are not only limited to real estate form this period, however. ‘In general, buildings featuring protected monument status are the focus,’ explains Katrin Weber, official press speaker for HausHalten.

The concept The ‘Wächterhaus’ concept is comprised of perplexed owners of vacant buildings and involved users looking for space to present their ideas. Vandalism and the results of weathering damage are hindered, since there is always someone present in the building who is capable of quickly discovering and repairing problems. The premises are also heated and ventilated, which also hinders decay.

Temporary occupants include artists, associations, and other parties; only residents are forbidden. ‘Rental laws do not permit this,’ states an association employee. ‘Our permission agreements nor-

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mally expire after five years. At that point, owners may terminate usage. In the case of regular rental agreements, that wouldn’t be possible.’ Users only pay the owners for operating costs, and in return, the owners provide water and power connections and a functioning toilet on each floor. Windows and doors also shouldn’t just dangle in their frames, but should protect against wind and weather, and most of the remaining tiled stoves don’t just stand decoratively in the corner of the room; these are functional items that are actively used as a source of heat. ‘Currently, we’ve had 200 users in 15 buildings,’ reports Katrin Weber. But the number of buildings is growing at a rate that is clearly slower than the number of interested parties: ‘We have 1,000 email addresses in our mailing list.’

Permanent solutions: building societies and building extensions Three formerly neglected buildings were able to be transferred to new, standard usage contracts; these are the ‘occupied builds’ that have been rehabilitated. Three to four buildings should join these by spring 2012.

According to Weber, the goal of the project of course is not to find temporary tenants, but rather to crate a permanent solution. Building societies are especially suited to this. These groups would normally renovate their new property piece by piece.

In addition to building appraisals, HausH-

alten e.V. also advises involving taxes and financing and regarding correct legal forms, e.g. the classic GmbH, inherited lease, single residential community, or residential property company forms.

The association also provides support to ‘occupied stores’. Some buildings are in fact partially or completely renovated and rented in the regular way, but the ground floor remains empty. This causes the building to lose attractiveness, often the whole neighborhood if these conditions are present throughout.

‘Occupied’ stores counteract this and ultimately provide positive charm to shop premises, invigorate neighbourhoods, and rehabilitate shops for normal rental agreements.

The newest addition to the association’s services is its ‘developing buildings’.

The goal is to located ‘normal’ rental agreements for users. Katrin Weber: ‘This model enables us to support building owners during preparations for usage and during the search for renters and renter support during development work.’ In this case, owners don’t want to sell, but they are prepared to rent for a small fee. Renters can and must be prepared to get their hands dirty in exchange for their new home.This means plenty of work that is performed by an additional employee (who looks after interested inhabitants) and numerous volunteer helpers. The association finances itself via contributions and fees from the

patron membership scheme that users are required to pay. Until 2009, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Construction and Urban Development and the Federal Ministry of Building and Regional Planning also provided subsidies. In 2010, the city of Leipzig commissioned HausHalten e.V. with the ‘activation of vacant shop premises’ for a fixed amount, and the ‘occupied stores’ project was born.

‘Wächterhaus’: the concept is protected, the idea is being exported.

Since then, the original model of the ‘occupied building’ has been exported to Chemnitz, Erfurt, Görlitz, Halle, and Magdeburg. Passing on the idea was also one of the federal government’s conditions for financing. HausHalten e.V. has signed contracts with locally active associations, and according to Weber, consulting is available for a ‘small one-time fee’.

The spokeswoman continues: ‘There have been inquiries from other cities, and we are exploring whether the model is able to be implemented there as well.’ Recently, the cities of Bremerhaven and Gelsenkirchen have also shown interest.

The concept of the ‘occupied’ building is protected. Katrin Weber: ‘This acts as a guarantee of the quality.’

Additional information is available at: www.haushalten.org

Interview with Martin zur Nedden Mayor and Councillor for Urban Development and Construction in the City of Leipzig

Interview: Kai Bieler Master Plan and Photography: City of Leipzig

In the middle of August you celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for developing the 17 hectare area of Lindenau Harbour.

What is the further agenda for the project?

With the ground-breaking ceremony, we fired the starting pistol for work on preparing the construction site in advance of developing the infrastructure for the harbour area. This was preceded by tense negotiations on relocating two businesses, one on Plautstraße and another in the actual wet dock. Additionally, before purchasing the land, it was necessary to demolish the commercial buildings located on the future harbour basin. Construction work on the new access road for the future harbour district - the harbour has until now been accessed via Lützner Straße - is scheduled to start in spring 2012 and should be finished in spring 2013.

When do you expect to receive the grants for the Karl Heine Canal breakthrough and the start of construction on it?

We hope that the question of grants for the breakthrough will finally be settled in the fourth quarter of 2011 and that we can start the canal construction work after the winter break, in spring 2012.

How will Leipzig’s urban development benefit potentially from the area and additionally from the planned waterway network with the lakes in the south of the city?

Development and construction of this area, unique also from a landscape point of view, are intended to create a lively new city district by the waterside, offering a harmonious ambience for living, working and recreation in one. The harbour development will also provide new and important stimuli for the neighbouring districts of Neu-Lindenau, Plagwitz and Grünau and will continue to improve their residential environment and recreational quality.

Linking up the harbour with the regional waterways will additionally enhance these effects and will bring Leipzig and the regions of potential in the new lake district to the south, which will be connected, closer together via the medium of water. Finally and above all, this new infrastructure will form a breeding ground for new jobs in industries connected to water, including trade, tourism and other services. Ultimately therefore, we can expect positive effects not only for urban development, but also in the economic sector and the job market.

Where will the main focus of use lie in Lindenau Harbour?

At the end of 2008 an expert commission drafted a concept for urban development, park development and functional reorientation in the area around Lindenau Harbour. The City Council ratified this concept in the middle of 2010. In addition to district development and integration with the neighbouring regions, it defined the framework of urban development for construction sites at the existing harbour and the future canal connection. It specifies that the areas on the northeast side of the harbour, which

until now have been used in more or less inferior ways, will be designated as a mixed-use district. Its qualities will be drawn from its proximity to the water, its connections with the lakes to the south and the generous layout of the promenade and the public spaces this affords. In addition to the recreational sector, waterbased trade, services firms such as hotels, gastronomy and cafés,

Martin zur Nedden Martin zur Nedden, born 1952, has been Mayor and Councillor for Urban Development and Construction in the City of Leipzig since 2006. He is also Chairman of the Construction and Traffic Committee in the German Association of Cities and Towns. Martin zur Nedden studied regional planning in Vienna.

Among other things, he has worked as Technical Councillor in Unna and as Deputy Director at the Institute for Urban Development and Housing in Potsdam. From 1999 until taking up office in Leipzig, he was Councillor for Construction in Bochum, where he had previously headed the Planning Board.

technological facilities and some others, it will also offer housing.

The development plan, currently in planning, specifies precisely this heterogeneous structure, designating residential, mixed and commercial zones.

What opportunities can private investors find in the planned new urban district?

Private investors have exclusive rights to construct the district down by the waterside. The city will only provide the area’s public infrastructure, namely roads, paths, waterways and park areas, i.e. an attractive development and infrastructural connection of the district, waterborne investments such as expanding the marina on the north side of the harbour, connection to the existing Karl Heine Canal and erection of the promenade along the harbour and the new canal. However, the market will only absorb these new areas if the infrastructure provided is of a high quality and possesses a unique selling point - in this case location on the water, at the gateway to the new lake district in the south. Accordingly, attractive expansion of this infrastructure is a high priority for us.

When do you want to start marketing the plots?

The plan is to start marketing the plots parallel to developing the first stage of construction, so in spring 2012. In the same way that we place significant importance on attractive expansion of the “public”

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infrastructure, we are also striving for high standards in the design of the “privately” constructed architecture. Measures to ensure this include planning competitions.

Organisation of these competitions, the selection criteria and their emphasis are currently in preparation.

Do you already have prospective investors for Lindenau Harbour?

There is a clamour of interest for this extraordinary location on the local market in Leipzig. Planning of Lindenau Harbour is

under intense scrutiny. A large number of Leipzig-based investors have already been in touch with the LESG, contracted here for redevelopment and responsible for preparation, development and sales of the areas.

However, we by no means wish only to target the local or regional market. We are also looking for national and international investors. For instance, we already have close contacts with a group of 20 Dutch investors who researched business opportunities here at the harbour and to the south around the end of September 2011. This is

why Lindenau Harbour is a particular focus in our discussions at this year’s EXPO REAL in Munich. All in all I am extremely confident that we will be able to market the areas on Lindenau Harbour very quickly and that we will create a lively new urban district on previously derelict land.

Additional information under: www.leipzig.de Region LEIPZIG/HALLE in Hall A2, Stand 432

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Dynamo Dresden in 2010 during team building at the Canoe Park

Information and inquiries: +49 (0) 3 42 97–14 12 99 and business@kanupark-markkleeberg.com

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 7

Lindenau Harbour – How a Waterside District Developed Text: City of Leipzig Visualisation: Häfner/Jiménez, Berlin

Lindenau Harbour, never completed, was intended as the final destination on the southern wing of the Mittelland Canal.

Along with the Elster Saale Canal, also never completed, the harbour is one of the areas in the City of Leipzig offering the greatest potential. Revitalisation of the site, scarcely used beforehand, started in 2011, based on the emerging development plan.

Nestled in a green belt, the harbour has a unique location in the city’s west.

Only around 4 km from the city centre, it offers the special opportunity of structural development by the waterside in the neighbourhood of impressive historical warehouses. The large variety of possible development forms (compact block structures, city villas and townhouses) permits manifold styles of living and working.

This will be a lively new urban district, perfectly harmonising work, home and recreation in one.

Attractive promenades, fascinating squares and winding pathways in the adjacent Hangkanten Park with its varied

vantage points in the charming landscape of Schönauer Lachen constantly reconnect with the water and thus provide a special place to be. There is already a welloiled public transport system with buses offering shuttle runs to the harbour area and a network of tramlines. Lindenau Harbour’s good connections to the region and further afield represent an additional positive factor.

Lindenau Harbour is a key project in the regional waterways: metropolitan, late 19th century urban districts in Leipzig will be linked up with the high-potential areas to the south via quasi-natural watercourses and canals. Recreational and tourist facilities along the city centre waterways, some of which have already been opened, and by the flooded open-face mine lakes will receive added stimulus from the basic infrastructure around this harbour. Close by, the economic structure will benefit from the harbour and canal’s positive urban development effects and will also stabilise the job market.

The city has designated the central area of Lindenau Harbour as a development zone and has commissioned its subsidiary LESG as contracted redeveloper with preparing, developing and marketing the revitalised plots. Tendering of the plots, most of which are owned by the City of Leipzig, is scheduled to take place parallel to the development work in spring 2012.

A large number of investors and also the local housing sector have already signalled their interest. Tahere are also plans to allow owner-occupants the opportunity to invest. Drawing on around 20 million EUR, this project is largely funded with the aid of the programmes “Urban Reconstruction and Development Measures”, “Urban Redevelopment East” and also monies provided by the “European Fund for Regional Development” (EFRE).

Access additional information under: www.lesg.de

Interview with IMG manager Dr. Carlhans Uhle

Exhibitors at the IMG trade show booth:

What does IMG do?

· City of Magdeburg, www.magdeburg.de

As a state-financed company that has existed in its current form for five years, we’re active in three main areas: economic development, local marketing of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and tourist marketing. These three industries are involved with each other, and it is our task to show investors that they will not only find excellent working conditions in the area, but also a very good quality of life.

How do you proceed with locating potential investors?

First off, we analyse which companies at home and abroad might be interested in getting involved with Saxony-Anhalt, we contact them specifically, and then we try to indicate the advantages of local investment.

What kind of successes can you look back on at IMG in terms of economic development?

· City of Dessau-Roßlau, www.dessau-rosslau.de · 4. EWG Anhalt-Bitterfeld mbH, www.ewg-anhalt-bitterfeld.de · GSA Grundstücksfonds Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH, www.gsa-grundstuecksfonds.de · Graf Solms Investitionsvermittlung, www.GrafSolmsInvest.de · City of Haldensleben, www.stadt-haldensleben.de · City of Ilsenburg, www.stadt-ilsenburg.de · Mitteldeutsche Sanierungs- und Entsorgungsgesellschaft mbH, www.mdse.de · City of Sangerhausen, www.stadt.sangerhausen.de

As a one-stop agency, we show the companies that they are welcome here and support them in their search for a suitable site, qualified personnel and funding, as well as assisting them in meeting the requirements of the local authorities. A number of companies are now approaching us on the basis of recommendations from firms that have already settled here. We are naturally delighted with such positive “word of mouth”. For example, a few weeks ago a company from Austria approached us, having heard of us through the report of a company with which it is acquainted: a few days ago this company, too, decided to invest with us. In recent years, in cooperation with our partners such as the economics ministry and the sites themselves, it has proved possible to significantly improve the image of Saxony-Anhalt as an investment destination. This is also visible in the figures for companies locating in the state. Between 2006 and 2010 Saxony-Anhalt provided assistance for a total of 258 establishment and location investments.

· City of Schönebeck (Elbe), www.schoenebeck-elbe.de

Access additional information under: www.investieren-in-sachsen-anhalt.de

Booth A234 in Hall A2

· Hanseatic City of Stendal, www.stendal.de · District of Stendal, www.landkreis-stendal.de · Q-fin GmbH Magdeburg, www.Q-fin.de · Virtual Development and Training Centre of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operations and Automation, www.vdtc.de · Wirtschaftsförderung & Tourismus Anhalt GmbH, www.wf-anhalt.de · Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Magdeburg, www.wobau-magdeburg.de

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Saxony-Anhalt – land with potential Saxony-Anhalt presents itself at the Expo Real commercial real estate trade show featuring a broad range of exhibitors.

The focus will be on community commercial areas and on the bio-medical pharmaceuticals industry.

Text: Dörthe Gromes Photos: Investitionsgesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH

Authentic landscapes, historical cities, and numerous high-tech industry locations characterise the diverse and dynamic face of Saxony-Anhalt. The state will feature a selection of its numerous facets at a community booth at Expo Real 2011. Like last year’s trade show booth, this year’s will be supported by the state-owned Investitions- und Marketing- gesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt (IMG). With a total of 17 trade show participants, the range of presentations this year is very large, and exhibitors also include the communities of Magdeburg, Stendal, Sangerhausen, Schönebeck, and Haldensleben. The Virtual Development and Training Centre (VDTC) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operations and Automation and Q-fin GmbH will also be presenting the link between first-class research and innovative services.

Among other things, this will enable the VDTC to simulate products and services, and scientists work in an inter-disciplinary manner together with customers from service and industry in its high-tech labs. The needs of clients that commission research result in state of the art developments for practical business. Q-fin GmbH, which is also located in Magdeburg, develops financial software and provides advice to companies involving complex project management questions.

One indicator of positive economic development in the high-tech sector that Saxony-Anhalt can boast is local development in the bio-medical pharma industry.

According to IMG manager Dr. Carlhans Uhle, revenues in this industry have doubled over the past few years, and 3,700 employees are active in this industry across the state. In addition to other locations, Dessau-Rosslau has developed into a biomedical pharmaceuticals centre in SaxonyAnhalt. This industrial branch has can trace its roots to the 1920s in this green city on the Elbe. Today, IDT Biologika GmbH produces vaccines and pharmaceuticals for human and veterinary medicine on behalf of international pharma corporations here.

Business is so successful that at the beginning of September, the cornerstone of a new vaccine filling building was laid here, and the sum of the investment totals 40 million euros. Additional investment is being prepared. Together with other companies in the industry, IDT Biologika GmbH has located itself in Dessau’s 120 hectarelarge BioPharmaPark. Around 70 hectares are available for further development. BioPharmaPark gives companies the chance to concentrate on their core competencies, minimize business risks, and, if they desire, to profit from long-term partnerships with other companies that are located there. The goal for the future is to develop the location in an internationally recognized cluster of companies involved with the biopharmaceutical industry, where research and development, production, and services enjoy the best possible network.

As specialised as BioPharmaPark Dessau is, the industrial park located

on the northern edge of the small city of Ilsenburg in the Harz Mountains is open to businesses of all kinds. This areas, which was completed in 2007, is located immediately next to the B6, and it also features a connection with the local railway. Numerous internationally successful companies active in the automobile supplier industry produce here, e.g. Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH (a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG), aluminium processor CST GmbH, and Elektro- und Automatisierungs- technik GmbH Ilsenburg. Close to 25 hectares are available in various sizes for small and mid-sized companies interested in settling here.

‘Besides the automobile supplier industry, we have other strong supports, and of course, we’re open to new suggestions,’ explains the manager of Ilsenburger Grundstücks- gesellschaft, Silke Niemzok, with regard to further development of the industrial park. The charming and picturesque city of Ilsenburg also attracts numerous tourists, every year, but it can’t survive on this alone. ‘We are in the fortunate position that local tourism and commercial activities do not hinder each other, since they remain separate,’ continues Niemzok. More interesting details about BioPharmaPark Dessau and the industrial park in Ilsenburg as well as information about numerous other attractive projects and investment chances will be available at SaxonAnhalt’s booth in Munich.

Halle surprises Halle changes! – This has been the city marketing motto for some time now. A good look at the city on the River Saale reveals that it is not just changing, it is also surprising with its wealth of cultural highlights, top-notch academic facilities and business innovations.

Text: Dörthe Gromes Photos: Thomas Ziegler, Jens Schlüter

You could call Halle an underestimated city, a city whose visitors frequently show the following reaction: “Oh, I never knew how beautiful it is here,” or “I would never have thought there is so much to discover here”. In GDR times, Halle may well have been East Germany’s most clapped-out city. Decades of neglecting the buildings in the historical core, which essentially survived the Second World War unscathed, had them left to fall apart in favour of the prefab concrete tenement blocks that dotted the landscape from the 1960s onwards. “In 1990, we escaped death by the skin of our teeth”, is how Heinz Friedrich Franke, Head of the Economic Promotion and Development Agency in Halle, remembers these times, however unimaginable this image may be when strolling through the city today. Around 78 percent of the buildings have since been renovated, a phenomenal construction output and nothing to sneeze at.

City of science Halle has played catch-up and brought new life to developments broken off in 1945 in other fields also, for example its radiant history as a university and science city, and over 20,000 students are a breath of fresh air. Education has a long tradition in Halle.

In 1698, the staunchly conservative, Protestant theologian and pedagogue August Hermann Francke founded the Francke Foundations, now named in honour of him. Established initially as a school for the poor and as an orphanage, Francke’s work developed over the course of the 18th century to become a veritable school city with affiliate commercial businesses. This unique institution carried the name of the Saale city out into the entire world. It is due to the special commitment shown by former Foreign Minister and native of Halle, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, that the severely dilapidated foundations were saved after reunification. These days, numerous cultural, social and pedagogical institutions use the redeveloped buildings for their purposes, among them the Federal Cultural Foundation.

The Martin Luther University with its roughly 190 courses can also look back on over 500 years of history. The Burg Giebi-

chenstein College of Art and Design is the third largest of its kind in Germany and enjoys an extremely good reputation both nationally and internationally. The Protestant College of Ecclesiastic Music located in Halle since 1939 may be small, but it is a gem. In addition to these three institutions of higher education, the Leopoldina - National Academy of the Sciences - has also been based in the city since 1878. This academic institution, comparable in function with the Royal Society in London or the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, is home to over 1,250 scientists from all over the world, including numerous Nobel Prize winners. The Leopoldina’s two most important tasks are to provide political advice and to promote young scientists. It will move to its main building am Moritzburgring in 2012.

Numerous research institutions outside of the universities also achieve excellent results, including the Max Planck Institutes of Microstructure Physics, of Ethnology and for Enzymology of Protein Folding, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Material Mechanics and for Silicon Photovoltaic, the Leibniz Institutes for Plant Biochemistry, for Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe and for Economic Research and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle. There is a steady flow of information between the fields of business and research – distances are short in Halle, a huge boon for cooperation between the various institutions.

A special business location The weinberg campus is a prominent example of this kind of cooperation. Spread over 134 hectares, it is one of East Germany’s largest technology parks, second only to Berlin-Adlershof.

The former barracks grounds now house university and extrauniversity research institutions, along with a wealth of high-tech firms. The weinberg campus is Halle’s premium address in all things relating to the development and realisation of innovative, marketable projects. Entrepreneurs with an interesting business idea, especially in the fields of biotechnology, biomedicine, nanotechnology and associated disciplines, receive comprehensive

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 11

support and advice there. The grounds currently play home to around 50 firms, and, counting the research institutions also, over 5,000 people work there.

Halle consistently continued in the vein of this campus principle in the media industry also when it opened the Central German Multimedia Centre MMZ in 2007. The building, located in the west of the city centre and covering approx. 6,000 square metres of useful space is the nerve centre of an emerging media and creative industries district. The MMZ, which also houses a cinema auditorium and congress rooms, is already fully occupied, accommodating 40 companies and the university’s Institute for Media and Communication Studies. The radio headquarters of the Central German Broadcasting Company MDR and Mitteldeutsche Medien-

förderung GmbH underline Halle’s position as one of Central Germany’s most important media locations.

A further important branch of Halle’s economy is found in the services sector; just shy of half of the firms located here operate in this segment. In addition to the utilities firm Stadtwerke Halle GmbH and numerous companies involved in further education, the call centre sector with a workforce of approx. 5,000 employees is among the city’s most important areas of employment.

Two firms from the food industry have spread their wings further afield: Halloren Schokoladenfabrik AG and Kathi Rainer Thiele GmbH. They are both unexpected success stories from the time after reunification, exemplary for the innovative power and strong survival instincts

found in Halle’s economy. The chocolate factory Halloren Schokoladenfabrik, founded in 1804, is the oldest of its kind in Germany and now manufactures more than 100 products. The brand “Kathi” stands for a successful family business, undisputed market leader in East Germany in the field of baking mixtures.

Halle has been and remains an important chemicals centre, although this sector is not located directly in the city, but in the towns of Leuna and Schkopau to the south. But Halle is still the centre of the chemicals triangle Leuna, Buna, Bitterfeld. The chemicals industry started to settle in this area at the close of the 19th century already, reaching its statistical apex during the GDR era, but coming with the price of severe pollution. After reunification, strict environmental regu-

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lations effected sustained regeneration in the region, and companies such as Dow Oelfinverbund GmbH, the DOMO Group and Linde AG now manufacture according to cutting-edge standards.

In addition to this traditional branch of industry, Halle is also part of a newly created Solar Valley – a cluster association of solar power companies in Central Germany. Research, development and production of this state of the art technology are all located here. Companies such as Q-Cells AG, PV Crystalox Solar, Sovello AG and CSG Solar are found in the region, carrying a light out into the world.

sions to settle here were substantially influenced by the general infrastructure spread across the area. These companies include Porsche, BMW and also Future Electronics, Amazon, Schenker and Kühne + Nagel.

The airport grounds themselves also offer attractive development opportunities for companies in the logistics and property sectors. At the moment, over 130 firms, service providers and government agencies are located there, employing a workforce of more than 5,100. There is additional space available for development, offering potential investors a high degree of flexibility and planning security.

Logistical node Competent economic promotion The central location of Halle and its sister city Leipzig in the heart of Middle Europe make them nodal points of infrastructure.

Important motorways crisscross the region and a well-developed, dense rail network ensures rapid connections in cargo and personal transport. Leipzig/Halle Airport acts as a national and international hub providing roughly 50 destinations for passenger flights. In addition to European centres such as Paris and Vienna, supplemented from autumn 2011 by London and Rome, we also find daily flights to Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart and Cologne.

The airport is also rising in significance as Germany’s second largest air freight transhipment centre. This is one of the reasons why renowned firms are found in the direct proximity of the airport and whose deci-

When the GDR collapsed, Halle and indeed all of East Germany were faced with profound structural transformation, and the city remains confronted with the consequences. This transformation, which in a delayed reaction has also taken root in West Germany, demands targeted, counteractive programmes. Tailor-made economic promotion is one of these instruments. Dr. Heinz Friedrich Franke, Head of Economic Promotion in the city, believes this field requires far more than the classic tools of company support and inward investment. “The entire municipal context has to be in good nick: this includes, for example, adequate kindergarten and school network planning, also good facilities for vocational and higher

education, sufficient housing and an attractive cultural and natural environment”, he explains.

Companies in Halle can draw on extensive support: services provided by the Economic Promotion and Development Agency include the brokerage of commercial space and business contacts, assistance in the fulfilment of official requirements and consulting services for start-ups and in applying for subsidies. The agency places a special focus on looking after local firms, and it always has a willing ear for unanswered questions. Additionally, of course, it also actively promotes inward investment by new firms. The city has enjoyed two particularly pleasant success stories in recent times: Innotech Solar from Norway and GA Pack from China selected Halle as their production sites. The combined investment volumes for both companies in the first stage of expansion amount to 70 million euro, creating over 200 new jobs along the way.

Dr. Franke is certain that “Halle has good genes”, and with this positive predisposition, the city is gazing optimistically into the future.

Please find additional information under: www.halle.de and www.leipzig-halle-airport.de And at the Expo Real 2011 under: Region Leipzig/Halle: Hall A2, Stand 432

Revitalisation and Continuation With a new headquarters for the National Academy of Science, RKW has completed an exemplary revitalisation project, which makes it subject to the academy’s own motto, ‘never idle’.

Text: Tobias Prüwer Photos: RKW and Marco Warmuth

RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau combines contemporary architectural theories with practical experience in living environments. ‘One thing is certain: the buildings that RKWArchitekten has designed will definitely continue to shape the cities of the 21st century.’ This statement concludes the portrait of RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau in the Expo Real 2010’s special publication. The occasion was the company’s 60th birthday, which has strived since its founding to unify first-class architecture with the needs of consumers and the respective urban context. One year later, the completion of an outstanding construction project takes REGJO to Norbert Hippler, the general manager of Leipzig’s branch of RKW. Upgrading construction With its offices in the first floor of the Hansa Haus, RKW resides at the heart of downtown Leipzig. The complex was designed by the firm itself in 1995, and the connected Specks Hof courtyard, the oldest shopping arcade in the city, was given a thorough facelift. Directly in front of the conference rooms, the late Gothic spire of Nikolaikirche church rises up into view above modern glass, metal, and concrete surfaces. This is where the urban environment in which RKW has been active since its founding in 1950 becomes visible. As one of Germany’s most successful architectural firms, which has progressed with numerous partners, RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau determines the course of modern architecture along with its peers. The company has left its mark in central Germany, and it has played a major role in the development of the urban appearance of the region of Halle-Leipzig.

Upgrading work: Norbert Hippler, the manager of the Leipzig branch, sees the most attractive aspect of his work in the design and revitalization of inner cities and in the reinvention of living and working environments. ‘That applies to recently initiated apartment buildings to sprawling mega projects,’ states Hippler. And of course, the new Leopoldina building in Halle is something special.

Revitalizing skill Since it was named the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, the German academy of natural sciences at the Leopoldina has grown rapidly. The oldest academy of the natural sciences and medicine in the world currently has 1,400 members. In order to address the increased need for space and fulfill the needs of scientific consulting for politics and international exchanges, a new headquarters was required. An appropriate place was located in the so-called ‘Tschernyschewskij’ building, a classicist Buildings located in the park directly across from Moritzburg chateau. In a Europe-wide call for bids, RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau is able to assert itself with extensive experience in the restoration of historical buildings.

The Kroch high rise is a good example of this skill; the building was restored by RKW in 2010. Leipzig’s first high rise was constructed in 1927/28 as a building for the financier Kroch in connection with the Torre dell´Orologio on Saint Mark’s Plaza in Venice. In addition to the renovation of this nearly 45 meter tall shell limestone building, this construction contract included modernization of the floor that is occupied by the University of Leipzig. The lower three floors of the high rise house the Egyptian Museum and a unique

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 15

ambience, and the collection is featured in impressive harmony with the Art Nouveau interior: ancient Egypt in Art Deco.

A prestige structure for the Leopoldina ‘RKW’s philosophy can be easily recognized in the example of the Leopoldina,’ explains Hippler. ‘It’s always the overall concept and the customer’s needs that determine the optimal solution. Our architecture is oriented according to the condition of the location, the

climate, and the surrounding area, and that makes it clear.’ During the revitalisation process, historical research is the basis of every plan and draft. ‘What was it then, what is it now, and how is it intended to be used;’ according to Hippler, these are the essential questions. Besides the need for representative character of an internationally active academy and the practical aspect of the facilities, the new headquarters of the Leopoldina features an especially historical dimension. The building has been expanded numerous times

and reshaped architecturally, and over its 190 year history, it has had many uses and experienced many phases of construction. It was once the home of a freemason’s lodge, later it was an event hall and NSDAP regional office, a culture house for Soviet military administration, and a university lecture hall. Since 2001, it has stood empty.

Even today, the various building styles may still be easily identified alongside each other, and the different spirits of various epochs is visible. Norbert Hippler asserts that

Branch manager Norbert Hippler (in the middle) during a guided tour in the Leopoldina.

that’s the way it should remain. ‘We absolutely respect the protected status, and we document the former condition of the building together with other experts and restoration specialists.’ Restoration work takes place according to the motto ‘whatever has been preserved, stays preserved. According to the guidelines of modern construction regulations, we proceeded with safety and consideration of the building’s protected status in mind, and we maintained the historical model.’ On the exterior, the building has been restored in the style of the 19th century.

The arrangement of the rooms inside the building matches that of the plan from the 1930s. Individual rooms were decorated in the colours of the epoch they were created. In case of newly integrated elements, like the entrance hall, RKW applied a contemporary concept of form, which may be described as technical and straight, clean and clear.

In this way, the headquarters of the Leopoldina are presented functionally and complete in all aspects, a location where old and new are played off each other in an exciting manner. The building features an administrative and reception area with an events hall suitable for 400 people, executive offices, as well administrative, lecturing, and meeting rooms. Since the project was financed using grants from the economic stimulus plan, renovation work needed to be completed in just two years. RKW will be able to make the tight deadline, and it seems as if the implementation followed Leopoldina member Goethe’s words: ‘There are three things to look for in a building: it needs to be at the right spot, it needs to be well-founded, and it needs to be completed perfectly.’

‘Never idle’ RKW approached another design for a different location in Halle very differently. Just a few minutes by foot from the academy, the office in Grosse Ulrichstrasse, at the heart of the metropolis on the Saale river, is filling in another gap. For the new building on this business-oriented street, the design matches the needs of the client for a warehouse. The sober facade features large glass surfaces for a bright interior and transparency in the loading areas.

‘What use is a building that looks good but doesn’t function properly?’; Norbert Hippler states his responsibility for this urban structure directly. The role of the architect is a little like a moderator between the city, monument protection, and general contractors.

In this case,

RKW is focused on an integrated approach to the city, which is represented by the Leipzig project involving the Adolf Diesterweg Special School. After the renovation and additional closure of a structural gap with the sports hall and nursery area, the school has been operating once again since August. In order to provide the rather uniform rhythm of the retail shops a more unique nuance, RWK decided to apply a special facade to a corner building on Leipzig’s Grimmaischen Strasse. In terms of development, not much is available in terms of design options: since the building will be used as a hotel starting 2013, the window front should appear consistent. RKW planners added a matrix structure consisting of white concrete prisms that penetrate deep into the building’s surface to set a contrast in this case. In this way, the ornamental character of this historical building is connected with modern aesthetics. The interplay between light and shadows provides the folded wall surfaces of the facade with a sculpted profile. The effect lends the building a new character, without setting it apart from the rest of the street with great effort.

True to the motto of the Leopoldina, ‘never idle’: the contemporary redesign of the historical aspects of the building remains a task for RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau. Demographic change leads to structural modifications in neighborhoods and the use of buildings, explains Norbert Hippler. And architectural solutions need to be developed. For now, he’s looking forward to when the headquarters of the Leopoldina are transferred in November and the building comes back to life. Since after all, revitalisation and continuation are the ultimate meaning of the architectural revitalisation that RKW stands for.

Additional information available at: www.rkw-as.de and www.leopoldina.org

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 17

8482 10721 9018 8009 1703 473 COMPANIES REGISTERED IN 2010 IN THE AREA OF HALLE/DESSAU

COMPANIES REGISTERED IN 2010 IN THE AREA OF LEIPZIG

COMPANIES WOUND UP IN 2010 IN THE AREA HALLE/DESSAU

COMPANIES WOUND UP IN 2010 IN THE AREA OF LEIPZIG

THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF COMPANIES IN THE AREA OF HALLE/DESSAU

THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF COMPANIES IN THE AREA OF LEIPZIG

JENA

€

ZEITZ

€

average price per square metre of a 70m² flat, 10 year old building, standard facilities and condition

1310 €/m²

LEIPZIG

1065 €/m²

CHEMNITZ

940 €/m²

BAUTZEN

960 €/m²

ZWICKAU

850 €/m²

ERFURT

1280 €/m²

JENA

1550 €/m²

GERA

760 €/m²

ALTENBURG

850 €/m²

GOTHA

950 €/m²

MAGDEBURG

930 €/m²

HALLE

1080 €/m²

DESSAU-ROSSLAU WERNIGERODE

720 €/m² Q3 2010 +23

+29

TRANSPORT SECTOR

SERVICE SECTOR

Q1 2010 +2

+1

±0

RETAIL MARKET

Q3 2009 +4

CRAFTS INDUSTRIES

+10

+11

BUILDING SECTOR

+8

+10

+15

+21

+26

+27

+22

+25

+27

+34 +26 +10

OVERALL ECONOMY

Cyclic survey on the development of the business situation in per cent as compared to the previous year

-19

-16

-10

-8

-3 -10

980 €/m²

+36

ZEITZ

INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

830 €/m²

Q1 2011 +27

1550 720 Prices of freehold flats in 2011

in selected cities with a mininum of 25,000 inhabitants

DRESDEN

Sources: F+B Forschung und Beratung für Wohnen, Immobilien und Umwelt GmbH; Statistische Landesämter Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt; eigene Berechnungen der HWK Halle und Leipzig sowie der IHK Halle-Dessau und Leipzig; Konjunkturbefragungen der mitteldeutschen Kammern

Agencies promoting economic development in Central Germany Provincial capital Offices of Economic Development Promotion Agencies Autobahn

Airport Berlin-Tegel

This list of agencies promoting economic development is by no means complete. If you would like to present your community or institution to REGJO readers by listing your information on the REGJO Map of business promoting agencies in Central Germany, please ask about our fees and conditions. To contact us see the masthead of this edition or click on www. regjo-leipzig.de.

Airport Berlin-Schönefeld

Airport Leipzig/Halle

Airport Dresden

Airport Erfurt

City of Leipzig Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact person: Dr. Michael Schimansky Martin-Luther-Ring 4-6, 04109 Leipzig Tel.: 0341 / 1235810, Fax: 0341 / 1235825 wirtschaft@leipzig.de www.leipzig.de

Airport Altenburg

City of Plauen Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact person: Mr. Eckhard Sorger Unterer Graben 1, 08523 Plauen Tel.: 03741 / 2911800, Fax: 03741 / 29131800 eckhard.sorger@plauen.de www.plauen.de

Municipality of Altenburg Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact person: Mr. Tino Scharschmidt Markt 1, 04600 Altenburg Tel.: 03447 / 594840, Fax: 03447 / 594809 tino.scharschmidt@stadt-altenburg.de www.investor-altenburg.de, www.altenburg.eu

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 19

Burgenland District Naumburg-Weißenfels-Zeitz Economic Development Promotion Agency Office head: Mr. Thomas Böhm Schönburger Straße 41, 06618 Naumburg Tel.: 03445 / 731308 Managing Director WFG mbH Mr. Günther Wienhol Tel.: 03442 / 261720

Saale District Economic Development Promotion Agency Section Head: County Commissioner: Mr. Uwe Lehmann Domplatz 9, 06217 Merseburg Tel.: 03461 / 401005, Fax: 03461 / 401012 uwe.lehmann@saalekreis.de www.saalekreis.de

Harz District Economic Development Promotion Agency Head of Department: Mr. Wilfried Strauch Dornbergsweg 2, 38855 Wernigerode Tel.: 03943 / 935816, Fax: 03943 / 935815 wirtschaftsfoerderung@kreis-hz.de www.kreis-hz.de

Municipality of Bautzen Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact: Ms. Heike Raue Fleischmarkt 1, 02625 Bautzen Tel.: 03591 / 534-592, Fax: 03591 / 534-599 wirtschaftsfoerderung@bautzen.de www.bautzen.de

District of Leipzig District Development Office Section Head: Ms. Gesine Sommer Stauffenbergstraße 4, 04552 Borna Tel.: 03433 / 2411050, Fax: 03437 / 984991050 gesine.sommer@lk-l.de www.landkreisleipzig.de

Municipality of Markkleeberg Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact person: Ms. Kerstin Kaiser Rathausplatz 1, 04416 Markkleeberg Telefon: 0341 / 3533235, Telefax: 0341 / 3533148 kaiser@markkleeberg.de www.markkleeberg.de

IMG Investment and Marketing Company Ltd. Am Alten Theater 6 039104 Magdeburg Tel.: 0391 / 56 89 90, Fax: 0391 / 5689950 welcome@img-sachsen-anhalt.de www.investieren-in-sachsen-anhalt.de

Development and Economic Promotion Agency Anhalt-Bitterfeld Ltd. Andresenstraße 1 a, 06766 Bitterfeld-Wolfen Tel.: 03494 / 638366, Fax: 03494 / 638358 info@ewg-anhalt-bitterfeld.de Niederlassung in Zerbst

Economic Development Promotion Agency Jena Ltd. CEO: Mr. Wilfried Röpke Markt 16, 07743 Jena Tel.: 03641 / 8730032, Fax: 03641 / 8730059 jenawirtschaft@jena.de www.jenawirtschaft.de

City of Magdeburg Business, Tourism and Regional Cooperation Councillor: Rainer Nitsche Julius-Bremer-Straße 10, 39090 Magdeburg Tel.: 0391 / 5402543, Fax: 0391 / 5402619 rainer.nitsche@ob.magdeburg.de www.ottostadt.de

Regional Management of the Leipzig-Westsachsen Region Regional manager: Ms. Anja Terpitz Business Centre in the District of Leipzig Schulstraße 67, 04668 Grimma Tel.: 03437 / 760807, Fax: 03437 / 760801 anja.terpitz@region-leipzig-westsachsen.de www.regio-westsachsen.de

Municipality of Delitzsch Department of Economic Development Promotion and Tourism Section Head Ms. Ricarda Steinbach Rathaus/Markt 3, 04509 Delitzsch Tel.: 034202 / 67109, Fax.: 034202 / 62897 ricarda.steinbach@delitzsch.de www.delitzsch.de

Business Initiative for Central Germany Ltd. CEO: Mr. Jörn-Heinrich Tobaben Nikolaistraße 28-32, 04109 Leipzig Tel.: 0341 / 6001612, Fax: 0341 / 6001613 E-Mail: tobaben@mitteldeutschland.com www.mitteldeutschland.com

European City Görlitz-Zgorzelec Ltd. Contact person: Mr. Christoph Ellsel Fleischerstraße 19, 02826 Görlitz Tel.: 03581 / 475712, Fax: 03581 / 475747 c.ellsel@europastadt-goerlitz.de www.europastadt-goerlitz.de

Economic Development Promotion Agency City of Aschersleben Section Head Mr. Matthias May Markt 1, 06449 Aschersleben Tel.: 03473 / 958980, Fax: 03473 / 958920 wirtschaft@aschersleben.de www.aschersleben.de

City of Markranstädt Section Head Economic Development Promotion Agency, City Marketing, Schools & Culture Contact person: Ms. Beate Lehmann Markt 1, 04420 Markranstädt Tel.: 034205 / 610, Fax: 034205 / 88246 wirtschaftsfoerderung@markranstaedt.de www.markranstaedt.de

Nordsachsen District Office of Economic Development Promotion, Agriculture and Tourism Section Head: Ms. Uta Schladitz R.-Wagner-Str. 7a, 04509 Delitzsch Tel.: 034202 / 9881050, Fax: 034202 / 9881055 uta.schladitz@lra-nordsachsen.de www.landkreis-nordsachsen.de

City of Halle (Saale) Economic Development Promotion Agency Contact person: Dr. Heinz Friedrich Franke Marktplatz 1, 06108 Halle (Saale) Tel.: 0345 / 2214760, Fax.: 0345 / 2214776 wirtschaftsfoerderung@halle.de www.wifoe.halle.de

Leipzig’s Klinger Villa The Klinger Villa is re-opening its doors after long years of neglect. In association with the Klinger Forum e.V., the building’s new owners are making portions of this building of cultural-historical interest available to the general public.

Text: Dr. Zita Ágota Pataki Photos: Steffen Jordan

The Klinger Villa located at Karl Heine Strasse 2 has been under new ownership since 2010: The real estate firm KSW is using this building of cultural-historical interest as its head office. Authorised signatory Holger Krimmling and company spokesperson Jörg Zochert aim to further promote Leipzig as a centre of industry and to contribute to the city’s high quality of life through first-rate housing concepts, particularly involving landmark buildings with a unique historical character.

In doing so, KSW is keenly aware of its responsibility to help improve Leipzig’s historic image, as witnessed by their painstaking restoration of the Klinger Villa.

Lovingly restored historical landmark building with careful attention to detail Ever faithful to the company motto “always focus on the essentials”, in restoring the villa KSW have gone beyond the minimal requirements for refurbishing landmark buildings and have personally ensured the restoration of historical details such as sandstone and stucco elements; they have also rejuvenated remarkable frescos and have returned the park-like garden to its original charm. The head office is much more than just a representative landmark building. Based on plans initiated by the villa’s previous landlord, Dr. Siegfried Unterberger, Holger Krimmling and Jörg Zochert have together established the Klinger Forum e.V.. The concept is to maintain the property as a memorial to the memory of Max Klinger the artist. According to Jörg Zochert “Our goal is to make the Klinger Villa what it once was: a place of meeting and inspiration, a new attraction for both the public at large and the arts scene, a cultural monument of supraregional significance”. The aim is create a lively, diverse melting pot for both civil society and the arts scene alike.

Only authentic Klinger property

Erected in 1868 by Klinger’s father, soap manufacturer Heinrich Louis Klinger, this renaissance style villa was one of the first to be constructed in the city’s newly built “Westmeile“ in the wake of town planning schemes.

This initiative was closely tied with the efforts of Karl Heine to establish Leipzig as an industrial city. Except for his father’s business premises, where today Max Klinger’s birth house still stands, the villa is the only authentic property closely related to Klinger’s artistic endeavours remaining in his native city.

After his father’s death, the villa became the centrepiece of Leipzig’s salon culture and a home to artists of all kinds. In 1895, he moved into a nearby artist’s studio at Karl Heine Strasse 6. With its arched wood ceilings, wooden floors and lofty hallways and high windows incorporated into the roof, Klinger used the salon ambiance of this spacious room to cultivate contacts with artist friends, patrons and customers alike: easels, castings, models, tools and representative furnishings also contributed to the atmosphere of the atelier, as did a concert grand piano. The atelier and villa became the place where he pursued his artistic ambitions − whether sculpture, painting or drawing – it is here that Klinger created his wall murals, drafts of the Wagner Memorial, the Beethoven bust – but it was also the point of departure for Klinger’s creative pursuits in the context of his professorial duties at the academy of graphic arts in Leipzig and his adherence to the Vienna Secession. His love for companion and muse Elsa Asenieff was also closely connected with this house. The villa was his starting point for, and refuge from his voyages to Paris and Italy for instance, where Klinger met artist colleagues such as Arnold Böcklin or Auguste Rodin and with whose influences he returned to his house in Leipzig, a home that well represented his artistic works and which he also put at the disposal of his artist colleagues.

After the initial display of selected works from the collector and arts patron Dr. S. Unterberger, the role of the Klinger Villa as an exhibition hall will again become the focus of exhibitions planned by the Klinger Forum.

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 21

(from left) Opening ceremonies of Klingerforum e.V. on 16.09.2011 – The garden-facing veranda of the Klinger Villa after restoration in 2011 – Insight into the exhibition featuring Max Klinger‘s sculptures on the ground floor of the villa – The family of soap manufacturer L. Klinger (re. Max Klinger) on the veranda of the villa (c. 1895)

“And God Created Woman”, is the title of the first public exhibit continuing until December 10th. This exhibitions features pieces from the Unterberger collection and presents a representative cross section of the multilayered creative abilities of the artist. These works range from bronze sculptures to paintings and drawings, in addition to ex-libris etchings that focus on a modern perspective vis-à-vis gender roles, the different facets of femininity as seen in Klinger’s oeuvre, the variformity of artistic styles around 1900, and Klinger’s own Leipzig cosmos.

Reviving salon culture – intellectuals, artists and patrons of the arts, particularly representatives of Leipzig’s grande bourgeoisie, gathered in Klinger’s Villa for their social get-togethers.

In addition to its curatory activities, the Forum strives to the revive the salon culture that was so closely linked to the villa and to Klinger, its initiator. Max Klinger often received friends including Julius Vogel, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, the painter and professor Hermann Prell, and publisher Georg Hirzel. Klinger frequented the grande bourgeoisie of intellectuals and artists, which in Leipzig and Hamburg had formed around Alfred Lichtwark and the great cultural networker, Harry Graf Kessler, and which ultimately resulted in the founding of the Association of German Artists (Deutscher

Künstlerbund). Salon culture at that time was personified by this engaging host, Klinger was able to create an authentic artistic environment in his own home.

Support needed from benefactors and donations Today, the challenge facing the Klinger Forum e.V. is to actively preserve this heritage. According to Zochert “Our model to promote art, culture, and science is based on the notion of patronage. In order to again durably fill the villa with artistic life we are happy to receive support from economic enterprises or private persons, for example in the form of donations or Stifterbriefen” − to be aware of the company’s responsibility to provide support for such cultural and social endeavours. The Klinger Forum e.V. provides a platform where different creative artists and the general public can find new enthusiasm for intellectual pursuits, in addition to all interested persons and supporters from industry and commerce from the City on the Pleisse and beyond.

By opening the property to a broader public, the Klinger Forum is actively promoting a revival of authentic salon culture, but if it is to blossom, it will need to be filled with vibrant artistic and societal activities. The Klinger estate has the potential to bridge the gap between

long established creative centres of “Western culture” on the one hand − Klinger’s work surely falls into this category − and Leipzig’s vibrant museum scene on the other: this goal is to be achieved through cooperation, not competition. Initial steps have already been taken in the form of cooperative projects with the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts, Friends of Max Klinger Society, the Klinger School Society, and new Leipzig Art Society. These relationships will contribute to elaborating, curating, and promoting future events. It is to be hoped that benefactors can be found to champion the objectives of the Klinger Forum in the form of support from both active artistic circles, as well as from the sphere of commerce and industry − together we will then be able to develop, implement, and sustain the Forum’s activities.

Contact Information: Klinger Forum e.V. Karl-Heine-Straße 2 04229 Leipzig Tel. 0341-989984-00 Fax 0341-989984-99 info@klingerforum-leipzig.de www.klingerforum-leipzig.de

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 23

Life by and on the Lake In place of the landscape once peppered with lignite mining and open-face pits, the now flooded basins offer an idyllic view over an evolved lake district and create the atmosphere of a charmed quality of life.

Text: Benedikt Kahlstadt Photos: Anja Wacker, Michael Bader, Chris Conrad

If we think of living by the waterside, we immediately have visions of chic coastal resorts in the 19th and 20th centuries dotted along the North and Baltic Seas or the idyllic mood of the Mecklenburg Lake District. Our thoughts patter through old-fashioned port towns or more modern urban developments under the motto of “back to water” in regions around Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg or also Copenhagen. But whether it be historically evolved or an urban development recapture, life by the waterside is and has always been a charmed quality of life.

A few days tucked away in a hotel with ocean view, a holiday home overlooking a lake, an apartment or office above a river or even a home by the water, all of us, in our own ways, seek contact with the most important of all elements. If we follow our instincts, we search for these opportunities along the coast, major rivers or ice age lakes while barely casting a cursory glance over Leipzig’s lowland bays. But we should!

Each of us, in our own ways, seek contact to the most important of all elements.

Visions of a lake district in the former openface pits all round Leipzig germinated early on; canals were thought up and dreams devised for a large, connected waterway.

And these formerly bold visions became concrete ideas, planning concepts and now reality. Numerous lakes have been and are being created around the city of half a million, enough space to fulfil the dream of living, working or simply enjoying close to water – irrespective of whether it is as a day-tripper, holidaymaker, water-sports enthusiast , resident or business owner. So let us take a closer look at four of these lakes, their history, what makes them special, their present and their future.

The local recreational area of Lake Kulkwitz was opened on the western reaches of Leipzig in 1973. Now almost 40 years old, this 150 ha lake is the oldie in

Leipzig’s new lake district and a seasoned example for the successful rehabilitation of a former open-face mine. Where once, for over one hundred years and into the 1960s, lignite was mined, we now find a popular local recreation area in the region and one of the best and most-loved inland diving sites in Germany.

Lake Kulkwitz, now almost 40 years old, the oldie in Leipzig’s new lake district The sensational visibility of over 10 metres in places especially is the icing on the cake. Anyone descending into the crystalclear waters can also expect a very special underwater world laid out with submarine trees, huge pike and wels catfish, a sunken harbour launch and even aircraft wreckage. Bordered by dense greenery, the lake itself offers a large repertoire of recreational options above the water. Bathers can dive directly from the sandy beaches or the floating platform into the 36 m-deep blue. Sailors and anglers bustle over the water and anyone seeking a special kick can pay a visit to the high rope course or the water-ski and wakeboard facilities. At Lake Kulkwitz, living by the water does not mean only sport and recreational fun.

Leipzigseen Projekmanagement GmbH creates just the right framework for a longer sojourn by the lake. From tents and bungalows to Scandinavian huts and small houses, the team around Chris Conrad has a lot to offer. The new meri-sauna on the West Banks shows that the transformation is not yet complete, even after forty years, and that there is more than enough space for further developments.

What Lake Kulkwitz is for divers, Lake Cospuden offers to sailors and swimmers.

There are reasons why it is known as Leipzig’s bathtub. Designed as an Expo Project for the 2000 World Fair, the lake, which numbers roughly 500,000 visitors per year, was flooded in the giddy pace of just five years.

Framed by the Leipzig Auenwald Forest in

the north, the town of Markkleeberg in the east and the forests of Neue Harth in the south, Saxony’s largest sandy beach emerged here along with Pier 1 and its Marina, holiday homes and gastronomy, a landscape park and not least the incredibly popular circular route around the lake. The connection to Leipzig’s waterways, which was completed this year, and the start of construction on the canal to Lake Zwenkau round off this impressive lake development.

There are reasons why Lake Cospuden is known as Leipzig’s bathtub.

Pier1 GmbH & Co. KG was not just behind the initial development, it was a true pioneer and driving force. The company developed the harbour village and marina right on time for the Expo World Fair in Hanover and has since managed the facility. The protagonists are constantly on the move keeping Lake Cospuden shipshape and sparkling in keeping with the motto “if you rest, you rust”. There has been a lot of movement over the last few years. The harbour itself has been expanded; several lakes came together in a joint marketing scheme under www.leipzigseen.de and the company even bought its own passenger ship. And the next project is on the cards: new guest accommodation is set for construction soon right next to the picturesque harbour. Then, at least for a moment, even more people will have the opportunity to enjoy all the facets of living by the water here with us.

Anyone wishing a little bit more than a holiday by the established lakes “Kulki” or “Cossi” and seeking instead to play an

active role in cultivating the lake district, should just cast their eyes a little to the south.

One of the fledgling waters in Leipzig’s new lake district was not flooded until the spring of 2010. Roughly 600 ha of water surface transformed the former Witznitz open-face mine into Lake Hain. Located just 20 km south of Leipzig, it offers manifold opportunities for sport, recreation and recuperation on its banks and in the water. Kite surfers have already put down roots on the north bank, while jetties have sprung up and hobby captains scud over the lake. The first businesses, a sailing school and a boat hire shop, have already arrived by the lake. The areas on the north bank designated for development (holiday grove) and in the Kahnsdorf lagoon have already rolled out the red carpet to other businesses or tourist facilities.

Roughly 600 ha of water surface transformed the former Witznitz open-face mine into Lake Hain.

As François de Salignac de La Mothe-Fénelon said: “Water is created to carry the wonderfully floating structures known as ships”.

Rapid development on the west bank of Kahnsdorf lagoon shows that the water does not necessarily have to carry just floating structures. A glance shows us that right next to the tranquillity of Kahnsdorf with its historical Schiller House, riverboats and holiday homes are being constructed - unique in the region - directly on the water. Last year, when the “Architecture Summer Saxony 2010 - Architecture by the Water. Building Culture is Living Culture”

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 25

was held, it took quite some imagination to envisage the future lagoon development, even with the architecture guidelines laid down. After all, apart from the Blauswasser Seemanagement GmbH showroom, there was not a lot to see. Strolling down the access road today, though, or - even better - drifting across the lagoon in a boat, we glimpse numerous boathouses stretching out into the water and offering their inhabitants life not only by, but also on, the water. Gaps in the development dotted around the banks reveal beautiful views of the lake from land. This unique opportunity of living right on the lake is naturally most appealing, and it is no surprise that most of the lakeside properties have already been sold.

Whereas Lake Hain is now fully flooded, offering peace and tranquillity with its rural environment, the water by the south bank of Lake Zwenkau is still roughly 12 metres away from the urban harbour quarter, “Cape Zwenkau�. It will take until the end of 2013 before the largest of the lakes in the south of Leipzig has reached its total surface area of 970 ha.

Naturally, though, this neither prevents the project developers from Sächsisches Seebad Zwenkau GmbH & Co. KG nor the first contractors from planning, investing and building.

It will take until the end of 2013 before the largest of the lakes in the south of Leipzig has reached its total surface area of 970 ha.

Quite the contrary! Everyone involved is aware that this kind of development opportunity only comes once and that two years pass in the twinkle of an eye. It is no surprise then that the next projects to prepare the harbour operations are already underway: holiday apartments directly by the harbour and development plans for the sport, recreation and recuperation facilities on the north bank of Lake Zwenkau. And while this is going on the first buildings are rearing up on Cape Zwenkau, proving that the high standards the developers defined for urban development and architecture at the location are paying off and underpinning the special qualities. The development plan, quality manual, consul-

tancy and of course the design committee and the architecture show have all come together to produce a conclusive overall picture consisting of individual residential and business properties. So just 20 minutes by car from the centre of Leipzig, Zwenkau with its 9,000 inhabitants and unique and special location, is stretching down towards the water. Restaurateurs, hotel-owners, retailers, tourist managers, wellness and health facilities and naturally also private investors still have the opportunity to play an active role in fashioning the present and future of Lake Zwenkau.

Lakes Kulkwitz, Cospuden, Hain and Zwenkau, these are four examples of life on and by the lake. In their different stages of development, they reveal how former mining districts can be rehabilitated to create new qualities of life.

Find additional information on the four lakes presented here under: www.leipzigseen.de www.zwenkauer-see.com

Space for development and perspectives In Saxony’s medium-sized centres, like Grimma, Delitzsch, Markranstädt, Oschatz and Zwenkau, a special focus is placed on economic development. The regional management of the Leipzig area organizes an annual presentation at the Expo Real in Munich.

Text: Leipzig Western Saxony regional management Photos: Leipzig-Western Saxony Regional Management, Stadt Grimma, Stadt Markranstädt, Stadt Delitzsch, Stadt Zwenkau, Stadt Oschatz / Andreas Seidel

For the first time, mid-sized cities will be presenting their commercial areas at the world’s largest real estate trade show. ‘The goal is to get into contact with investors, project developers, and companies that are looking for commercial space in the Leipzig area,’ declares regional manager Anja Terpitz. ‘The Expo Real provides a platform for marketing location in the Leipzig region,’ continues Terpitz.

The delegation, which consists of district administrators Michael Czupalla and Dr. Gerhard Gey and the Mayor of the regions of the district of Leipzig and Northern Saxony, will be implementing a strict programme at Expo Real. The city and district representatives will present commercial spaces within the scope of a forum. ‘Besides information concerning commercial locations, we also have a brochure along with us that presents the developing areas in Leipzig’s reclaimed lake area,’ states Gesine Sommer, director of the agency for economic development and district development. ‘The special thing about this is the brochure’s newly developed corporate design, which also includes the new logo of the region of Leipzig,’ continues Uta Schladitz, director of economic development for the region of Northern Saxony.

Delitzsch - a strong mid-sized area in the Leipzig area and an economic location with a bright future.

The centralised positioning within the Leipzig and Halle/Saale ‘economic triangle’ within a range of 30 km and the nearby connections to the A9 (Berlin/Munich) and the A 14 (Dresden/Magdeburg) offer traditionally very good infrastructure for businesses that want to settle in the area. A direct railway connection and the intercontinental airport Leipzig-Halle, which is only 15 kilometers away, are also great advantages in terms of transportation. In the community industrial areas, contiguous areas featuring services of up to 52 ha are available. Thanks to their location, these areas are outstanding for industrial suppliers of all kinds.

The city of Delitzsch and its economic partners have been involved for many years in the area of energy and resource efficiency, and this is highlighted by numerous projects. For example, in the countrywide competition ‘Energy Efficient Cities’, Delitzsch received an award from the Free State of Saxony as a generating

Aerial view of Delitzsch

community. The most important location factors are the centralised position in the Halle/Leipzig region, target-oriented administration, satisfied companies, and trend-setting energy generation.

Grimma – a city where anything is possible.

The fact that Johann Gottfried Seume, one of the most famous writers of the 18th century, started his trips across Europe in Grimma, certainly had nothing to do with any lack of work, history, or pleasing landscapes; on the contrary. Today, this part of the Muldenland area is a little bit of paradise for hikers, cyclists, and those of us who enjoy ‘the good life’.

At only thirty kilometers from Leipzig and fifty kilometers from its airport, Grimma is located at the A14 Autobahn exit featuring the same name; it’s very near enough to a large city, but it’s also far enough away from it, too. The old city, which is a good fifty hectares large, features a famous Renaissance-era city hall, and it is one of the prettiest and most complete historical

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 27

centres in all of Saxony. Almost every school, sports hall, and kindergarten here has been rebuilt or renovated in the last few years. Residential and commercial areas surround the old city and make Grimma the perfect example of a complete city. On the

lake has offered relaxation and recovery directly next to the city since 1973. The outstanding water quality, the untouched nature, the outstanding inland diving area, and numerous opportunities for sports make the oldest lake in Leipzig’s reclaimed lakes area popular beyond local borders.

In 2010, the city of Markranstädt was awarded the special prize of ‘Community of the Year’ at the ‘Mid-sized Grand Prize’ event, which honours the city’s outstanding performance and the success of development of mid-sized economic structures.

Companies located in Markranstädt are networked commercially throughout the world, especially the company Asmus, which provides maintenance services for wind power facilities around the world, or Hydraulik Markranstädt, which exports scissor lifts to the USA in particular. With commercial revenues of 375 percentage points, approx. 4,500 social insurance-obligated jobs, and an unemployment rate less than 9 percent, the city certainly features impressive economic conditions. At this location, economic development is a professional item of business, and that means comprehensive and personalised support of business and

View of the historical city walls in Grimma

other hand, this compact character is effectively bordered by the Mulde, the popular river that often reminds citizens that no man is against nature, but rather that we should work together with her to enhance and complete our lives. The city is currently the fourth largest in Saxony, and it features 55 local centres. More are expected to join these, and anyone who is familiar with community politics knows that this is rather unusual. So it seems there must be something to Grimma.

In Markranstädt, comprehensive support for companies and new developments is a professional item of business.

The city of Markranstädt has developed into a lively city over the past 20 years, and it counts as one of the 42 cities and communities of the district of Leipzig. With 17 local centres and approx.

15,200 current residents, Markranstädt has advanced to become a thriving community with some of the characteristics and facilities of a mid-sized centre. Because of its numerous educational, cultural, sports, and recreational facilities, it has also become a popular residential area, especially for families. Markranstädt is characterised by a rich offering of care facilities, which already covers 85% of nursery school children and 100% of kindergarten children. Surrounded by 300 ha of vegetation, Kulkwitzer See

Lake Kulkwitz by Markranstädt

new developments. The centralised positioning near Leipzig and the airport of Leipzig/Halle, within the Autobahn ring A9, A14, A38, and five serviced commercial areas speak for themselves.

Children’s institutions, grammar schools and secondary schools, medical care, good shopping facilities, the availability of residential space and residential areas, and the opportunity to participate in the development of this attractive city provide a very good social infrastructure.

Oschatz – the city at the heart of Saxony.

In close proximity to Dresden, Leipzig, and Chemnitz the large district city of Oschatz offers outstanding conditions for midsized production facilities. Surrounded by an idyllic landscape, the heart of Oschatz is based on curiosity and openness to the world. Qualified and motivated technical services for nearly any industry are available. Tailor-made industrial and commercial areas flanked by a modern social infrastructure and relatively low-cost wages offer optimal conditions for trend-setting investments. Regional business networks and child-friendly working and living conditions highlight Oschatz as a traditional location with potential for innovation. In terms of infrastructure, Oschatz is located along the main route between Dresden and Leipzig, which means that it is only an hour from the airport

Zwenkau itself is one of the oldest cities of Saxony, and it is able to look back on an exciting history. In recent years, it has become a location for renewable energy and environmentally friendly industries, which is preparing it for a secure and successful future.

Especially young families have discovered how Zwenkau has developed over the past few decades into a modern small-sized

MS Santa Barbara in Zwenkau

city with an extraordinary quality of life, and many even call it home now. Besides the dynamic character of the city, they also enjoy Zwenkauer See lake. The extraordinary infrastructure, unique recreational opportunities, outstanding natural area, and the proximity to the city of Leipzig are all appreciated.

Oschatz, garden city in the heart if Saxony

of Leipzig/Halle and Autobahn junctions A4/A14, A14/A38, and A14/A9. The port on the Elbe in Riesa may be reached in just 15 minutes.

Zwenkau – future home of the largest lake in Leipzig’s reclaimed lakes region.

At the centre of the central German lake landscape, you will find the city of Zwenkau, a loveable mid-sized city worthy of living in that is also dynamic and future-oriented, where the unique landscape has developed from brown coal mining to tourism and recreational areas. Zwenkauer See lake will feature a capacity of 970 ha after flooding is completed in 2014,

making it one of the largest lakes in the southern part of the Leipzig area. The new urban area and the carefully reclaimed landscape are already a drawing point for many tourists. The sundeck of the exhibition pavilion, a trip with the touring ship Santa Barbara, and the various viewpoints around the lake all provide a great opportunity to admire the development that is taking place in the area.

Contacts and inquiries: Regionalmanagement Region Leipzig-Westsachsen Regionalmanagerin Anja Terpitz Haus der Wirtschaft im Landkreis Leipzig Schulstrasse 67 04668 Grimma Telephone: 49 3437/ 760 806, Telefax: 49 3437/ 760 801 Email: info@region-leipzig-westsachsen.de Web: www.region-leipzig-westsachsen.de More information is available at: www.delitzsch.de www.grimma.de www.oschatz.org www.zwenkau.de www.markranstaedt.de

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 29

D E V E L O P M E NT

Photo: ARS GmbH

Photo: Holger Mombrei

L E TT E R O F I NT E R E S T

A Jewel at a Property at Dresden

Clean Diagnosis

In an attempt to complete a historic real estate ensemble, the Free State of Saxony continues to offer the last large undeveloped section of land at Dresdner Neumarkt until 21 October.

ARS GmbH in Merseburg has developed a leak detection pig for pipelines.

complete a series of reconstructed palaces in Dresden and thereby close the final gap in this project.

The highlight of the marketing campaign involving the free Quartier will take place in 2011 at the Expo Real, where this exclusive investment opportunity will be presented by the Staatsbetriebes Sächsisches Immobilien- und Bauma- nagement at the State‘s won booth. According to Saxony‘s Minister of Finance, Prof. Dr. Georg Unland, the Quartier represents the ‚choice filet‘ of the Saxon expo event.

‚Thanks to the high degree of innovative skill, excellent local conditions, cultural benefits, and the natural beauty of the landscape, Saxony has managed to become one of the most attractive places to live and work in Germany and Europe.

We want to make this potential visible to an international audience, thereby blazing a trail for further successful,‘ explains Prof. Dr. Unland.

The holes that this leak detection pig is able to find in a massive pipeline system are only 0.5 millimeters large. The technology implemented by these systems from Merseburger Anlagen und Rohrsysteme Betriebsführung & Service GmbH (ARS) are used in live operating pipeline systems. Within a few hours, the company’s own detection system is able to precisely analyze whether lines used to transport materials hazardous to water are sealed, and if not, where the leaks are located. This speedy analysis process is one of a kind worldwide; under normal testing conditions, a pipeline would have to be put out of service for days.

‘We ensure that the lifelines in central Germany are functioning,’ says manager Roland Karge. ARS has specialised in servicing and operating pipeline systems.

Nearly 3,000 kilometers of lines are currently supervised by this subsidiary of the Preuss Group in Germany. Other customers include renowned companies like die Dow Olefinverbund GmbH, TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH, and dOMV Deutschland GmbH. SAE

With rising returns on real estate in Dresden‘s flourishing Altstadt, it‘s natural that the demand for commercial spaces and living areas in this exclusive inner city area are also increasing. Even now, the prices per square meter and the rents have reached the top range. Investors are now being offered one final chance via an international letter of interest for Quartier III/2 at Dresdner Neumarkt; the goal is to close a historic gap and participate in rebuilding the one of a kind ensemble surrounding the first-class area around Frauenkirche.

The selection process, which will last until 21 October 2011, should enable the Free State to discover which investors or consortiums are prepared to purchase the property and develop the 8,804 squaremeter area. Since the entire area that has been rebuilt around Dresden Neumarkt features the architectural style that was present prior to its destruction, Quartier III/2 comes with a special responsibility to recreate the former ‚Adelspalais Hoym‘ as the main building, which will

More information is available at: www.juwel-dresden.deund www.exporeal.sachsen.de The Free State of Saxony at the expo Real - Hall A2, Booth 430

KT

For more information, please visit: www.pipeservice.de

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 31

Photo: Deutsche Post AG

REPOSITIONING

Photo: AWImmoware

IT

Software from the Cloud

Great Prospects

A new generation of software from AWImmoware scores points with the real estate industry due to its flexibility and low costs.

Capital city ranking 2011: Leipzig, Dresden, and Jena placed at the top.

investments, immoware24 may be used right away, allowing the user to focus on his main business. Plus, users can take advantage of the security of a German high-performance computing centre, starting with the first unit they manage.’

immoware24 offers all of its management processes online as a bankindependent computing centre solution.

For example, sophisticated functions and convenient program wizards simplify the entire accounting aspect. Reminder services are able to calculate late interest precisely to the day, and an integrated document management system (DMS) ensures quick access to any document all the time and from anywhere. Users also have access to a number of legally up-todate document templates, e.g. templates for rental agreements, and these are able to be altered easily according to individual conditions.

Online management of real estate is now a reality. Numerous work processes have been made much easier, and users’ mobility has been increased.

HS

Successful industrial location and positive headlines: in a competition involving economic perspectives, Leipzig managed to jump into the top ten of 60 of Germany’s commercially strongest cities. This result was provided as part of a current city ranking commissioned by the economics magazine ‘Capital’. According to this study, the ‘Trade Show City’ managed to rise to 45th place in the last decade, and now it has reached 4th place. The city ranking is based on calculations made by the Feri economic research institute. In a Germany-wide comparison, Leipzig scored points especially for its economic focus on logistics and the auto industry.

According to forecasts, the city’s economic power is expected to increase by one fifth by 2017. Companies like Porsche, BMW, and DHL are responsible for this, but numerous companies in the supplier industry also play a role.

The population is expected to grow by 1.6%, new employment positions by 7.2 %, and purchasing power (per person by one tenth) should also increase by 2017.

The capital city ranking includes the state capital Dresden (6th place) and the university city of Jena (ranked at 10).

SAE

Whether in the office, on the train, or on-location in a meeting: these days, the mobile office is something that just can’t be ignored. For the real estate industry, cloud computing (access to applications and data via the Internet) has become a part of daily life. A pioneer in this generation of software is immoware24, a product from the industry’s AWImmoware. As a software as a service solution, it offers real estate and apartment companies a completely new opportunity to communicate via the cloud, independent of location and time, in real time, and a way to secure a clear competitive edge via technological advantages.

‘immoware24 is a workplace-independent real estate management system that guarantees maximum data security in addition to all maintenance tasks,’ describes Alexander Wolff, one of AWImmoware’s managers, with regard to the product’s advantages. ‘Users benefit from clear cost and time savings.

Instead of getting involved with their own IT infrastructure, making expensive

More information and the opportunity for owners, real estate companies, and apartment companies to test immoware24 for 30 days is available at www.immoware24.de

For more information, please visit: www.capital.de

Living in a Waggon Two old mail cars find their final resting track in the Ruhrgebiet and are turned into comfortable ‘caravans’.

Text: Marko T. Hinz Photos: Marco Stepniak, Meike Wirsel

“I’ve financed a few mosques in my time, but never anything like this.” The manager of the Sparkasse Vest Recklinghausen savings bank couldn’t believe his ears when he was asked for credit to finance someone living in a waggon. This is the tale recounted by Marco Stepniak who, nevertheless, was able to convince the bank manager – about to go into retirement anyway – fairly quickly to give him the financial go-ahead. “It was a youth project in Dorsten that gave me the idea”, says the native of Herten, a “Ruhri”, as those who live in the Ruhr region call themselves. Youths there had converted decommissioned railway waggons into a meeting place. The steel youth club has long since been scrapped, but Marco’s childhood dream remained. Fortunately, his current girlfriend Vanessa Stahlbaum let herself be infected by his enthusiasm about a home on rails. (They both met, by the way, in an Intercity express train – as befits true railway fans.)

Two mail cars – as expensive as an upper mid-range car In the meantime, they don’t just own the rolling stock, but also 1,600 square metres of property in Marl, 20 kilometres away from the birthplace of the original idea. This is where two decommissioned mail cars have found their final resting track. Marco and Vanessa have been living in them since New Year’s Eve 2010, he a freelance photographer, she employed as a senior photo editor.

They had to go a long way before their dream could become reality; the savings bank credit was only one of the many milestones along the way.

Even getting the waggons in the first place turned out to be an adventure. “It’s possible to get a railway waggon for 5,000 to 8,000

euros, but not in as good a condition as our two”, says Marco Stepniak. He and his girlfriend from Meckelfeld near Hamburg managed to strike lucky in Switzerland, via the online marketplace of the German Museum and Tourist Railway Association. There were two decommissioned waggons in Basel that once belonged to the German Federal Post Office, an institution that no longer exists. “The Swiss owner wanted 40,000 euros for both of them!”, recounts Vanessa. A respectable amount. On the other hand – the interior furnishings were still in such good condition that one could have started sorting letters and tying postbags straight away. However, as the couple did not want to compete with the post office, but rather make a home for themselves with all central European comforts, this meant gutting the waggons, dismantling them for the most part and then putting them back together again. “In all of these conversions we wanted to keep as many of the furnishings as possible, whether it be an electrical switch box, the emergency brakes or some of the curtains with the post horn on them”, says Marco.

In order to insulate the waggons, for example, the interior trim was removed – but very carefully. And the Formica® plates were put back again afterwards just as carefully.

Before starting the interior work that was to take place on the Marl-Sinsen property, the outer shells of the waggons had to be sanded and painted in the original colours of ocean blue and beige.

At the same time, a suitable property had to be found. Vanessa lists the hurdles: “To just put our waggons in a residential area was not possible due to the develoment plan. And to move to a purely industrial area was not an option for us. “ Furthermore, there should of course be room for a photo studio, which a freelance photographer needs – and for a house, to which both waggons could be

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 33

connected. A socalled mixed use area (for residential and commercial purposes) in Marl-Sinsen provided just that.

nut tree. Two gingkos, courgettes, fennel, carrots, radishes… And 81 tomato plants.

“There were 84 but we gave three away to Hamburg”, says the 35-year-old.

Heavy haulage with a police escort Recommended for imitation The highlight of the living-in-a-waggon adventure was, however, in Marco’s opinion, the journey from normal tracks to the “final resting track”. The Swiss company’s railway workshop is at its German branch in Krefeld, so both waggons were rolled there for maintenance. The run from Basel to Krefeld was easy, due to the wellestablished railway network of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and the German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG. The run from Krefeld to the suburban railway station Marl-Sinsen also posed no problems. For this part of the journey Marco and Vanessa rented a private locomotive and registered the trip with the Deutsche Bahn. But then…

“It took three days to transport the two railway waggons via heavy haulage.” No small wonder, considering that each of them measures 27 metres and weights 40 tons. This escapade also had its price: 26,000 euros for renting a low-loader and two cranes for getting the waggons off the heavy goods vehicle and onto the property – closing off of the road and a police escort included.

Yet there is no need for the couple to go hungry due to such expenditure. After all, they are not just railway fans but also hobby gardeners, especially Marco. There are thus sufficient plants of all kinds growing around the waggons: an apple tree, a pear tree, a horse chestnut tree, a chestnut tree, a cherry tree, a plum tree, a wal-

What tips do the occupants of the waggons have for imitators? “They should just do it”, is Marco’s laconic reply. “We only ever dealt with one task at a time.” However, some talent for manual skills is of course necessary because “a lot of companies don’t even want to attempt such work!” His 29-yearold fellow occupant knows one of the reasons for this: “The heating company, for example, didn’t earn much on this job.”

And even though she knows it may sound unusual: “In spite of the stress involved, the project has never got on our nerves. It was, and still is, very demanding, but it feels as though it’s getting easier.

We’re starting to enjoy things now.” However, neither of the two occupants of the waggons is counting on having completely renovated and furnished their home on rails for another one or two years yet.

Indeed, the credit that the couple have been granted will be demanding a lot of them for a lot longer: the savings bank credit from the Sparkasse Vest Recklinghausen has a term of 17 years in total, the same as that from the Volksbank Marl-Recklinghausen. Indeed, for the latter they even had to pledge their personal pension policies for press members as security. To raise a mortgage on the waggons was not possible, only on the property, which is classed as undeveloped by the Volksbank. By contrast, the

Sparkasse savings bank has accepted the intermediate building as security (together with the pension policies for press members). After all, construction of the intermediate building cost 50,000 euros, the photo studio another 30,000.

Nevertheless, Vanessa and Marco already have plans for non-scheduled repayment – so that they can call the (wagon-)roof over their heads their own even sooner.

Year of manufacture of the waggons: 1974/1975 Waggon type: Post mrz (Post: owner was the German Federal Post Office, m: length of the waggon greater than 26 m, r: highperformance brake with automatic load-proportional braking system, z: central energy supply from the main electrical power line.)

Dimensions of the waggons: 26.40 x 3.00 m (external dimensions) Living space per waggon: approx. 70 m2 Weight of the waggons: 40 t each Total living area: 170 m2 Area living room: 30 m2 Terrace: 24 m2 Cellar: 26 m2 (incl. house’s connection room) Photo studio: 30 m2 Size of the property: 1.600 m2 Special features: geothermal heat pump, wooden house For further information see: www.wohnwaggon.de

Dr. Tobias Just (Head of Sector and Real Estate Market Analysis at Deutsche Bank Research)

From left to right: Christian Knorr, Hagen Lehmann, Wolfgang interview series.

Investment security thanks to innovative Immoscore valuation Investors are becoming increasingly interested in the German property market. Opportunity-conscious investors are on the lookout for true gems in the states of former East Germany also. It is important to have reliable partners with extraordinary market insight and innovative valuation facilities during this search - such as Immoscoring GmbH with its unique valuation system ‘Immoscore’.

Text: Christian Knorr Photos: Benjamin Sommer

Mid-September, the exclusive Club International in Leipzig provided the perfect setting for a special event: Immoscoring GmbH presented Central Germany’s first “Property Barometer” to roughly 120 invited guests and media representatives. At the kick-off evening, Hagen Lehmann and Frank Donner, Managing Directors of the company founded in Leipzig, welcomed interested parties from all the different market segments.

The premiere certainly went down a treat: instead of hysterically bewailing the crisis, the exciting presentation by Dr. Tobias Just, Head of the Industrial and Property Market Analysis Department at Deutsche Bank Research in Frankfurt / Main,

revolved around selecting the ideal location on the German property market. The well-known analyst and university lecturer was the evening’s keynote speaker. And Dr. Just quickly painted a positive picture of strong economic and income development in Germany, despite the background of European debt crisis: in the West and the East, the German property market deserves the core descriptions “stable and attractive”. Property investments are and will remain a safe bet, said Just: “The German property and real estate market is an insurance”.

Investors need to be aware of their “personal financial level” they must on no account exceed, irrespective of how low cur-

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 35

Mücke and Dr. Tobias Just in discussion for the Immoscoring The Spiegelsaal at the Club International Leipzig was the perfect setting for the fascinating presentation of real estate expert Dr. Just.

rent mortgage rates may be, for example.

Further, reliable and experienced partners are required for evaluating future trends on the property market. In this context, Dr. Tobias Just refers to the multiplicity of challenges that may await non-institutional investors in a complex market such as property in particular. Oftentimes, the desire to invest private assets in crisis-resistant and high-yield properties encounters a lack of market insight among investors and insufficient valuation facilities for potential investment objects.

Consequently, investors must always ask themselves: is the location right, is the price right and does the object suit me? Is the object I have been offered also worth the price? Germany’s unique rating system ‘Immoscore’, developed by Immoscoring, provides the ideal opportunity to find comprehensive answers.

Hagen Lehmann in his welcome address to the guests: “For the first time, ‘Immoscore’ enables valuation and scoring of a property’s attractiveness, condition and value in addition to the standard criterion of “structural state” . Easily under-

standable, the innovative seal of approval provides detailed information on the fundamental qualities of a property project, summarised in the factors ROI, location, sustainability and structural state. A property’s ‘Immoscore’ also serves as a practical, comparative value to other properties, and a property’s attractiveness rises with its score. The ‘Immoscore’ is calculated using a complex performance measurement system and reflects strictly defined quality standards. Immoscoring Managing Directors Hagen Lehmann and Frank Donner emphasise that experts constantly review these standards, ensuring adherence and meaningfulness. After all, the ‘Immoscore’ draws its credibility and valuation competence from the entire spectrum within the property industry: architects, surveyors, principals, house management services, accountants, asset managers and financial specialists all play a part in the constant development of this unique valuation system.

Immoscoring has rapidly built up a dense network of partners throughout Germany in order to enable fast, secure

and transparent contact between all parties involved and the client. These are precisely the parameters that leading property experts such as Dr. Tobias Just want and increasing numbers of market protagonists call for.

Fixed asset experts within Immoscoring GmbH additionally offer individual, professional and transparent consulting services in all matters relating to properties. Interested parties can purchase their desired object directly via Immoscoring, transparently, efficiently , and valuated using ‘Immoscore’.

Contact data: Immoscoring GmbH Springerstraße 7 04105 Leipzig Tel.: +49 341 46374-100 Fax: +49 341 46374-999 info@immsocoring.de www.immoscoring.de

Urban Regions in Central Germany Why are urban regions frequently so insubstantial and why has the driving force of reunification failed to create more time for quality? A brief foray.

Text: Anette Ehlers Photos: Press Office at the University of Leipzig / Randy Kühn

We can now look back on 20 years of architectural culture in reunified Germany, embedded in a Europe currently reinventing itself.

The euphoria of the once proclaimed blossoming landscapes has given way to the reality of competition between individuals, capital and the regions. Vast amounts of public and private funds have been invested. The market, initially unfettered in its competition, encountered in many cases devastated regions and areas. Investors clamoured for viable profits; instruments of subsidisation created more than just a foundation.

Appraising the beauty of architecture and the development of urban regions has always lain in the opportunities of the respective beholder, while experts have judged the feasibility. The old rules of the game with their special regulations, opportunities and burdens in equal measure, provided the leeway for action in Germany’s new states. Restricting the constitutionally-guaranteed freedom to build in favour of a more moderate development of construction laws would have required paramount justification in the interests of the general public. There was no way of comprehensively enabling the common consciousness to shift the balance of power away from capital’s dictates and towards a strategic quality in the (empty) spaces.

Nowadays we see new lake districts next to rediscovered culture and late 19th century houses. In the West, they failed to escape the wrecking balls of the 70s. Gaps between houses dating from the wartimes and periods of GDR dilapidation are still being filled. Some of the tenement estates have been preserved, some torn down, while the discounters of this world, as it seems, have only just started with their expansion. Once temples to consumption had spread over the green belt and drained the city centres dry, the city centres their counterparts, agitating for unfettered spending. Western standards were adopted and the almost extrajudicial mood of the early 90s paved the way for the robber barons of capital.

In the success story of Germany’s social market economy, the constitutional state proved and transformed its qualities in the legislative, executive and judicative in a unique manner. Faced with the difficulties its inherent complexity automatically posed, this could only succeed with the flaws that had already been put in place in the Federal Republic of Germany before reunification, but without grievous harm to the principles of democracy. The guiding light was to harmonise the natural powers of capital and the necessarily rapid executive processes dictated by globalisation with irreplaceable democratic standards.

In a regulatory sense, the Treuhandanstalt privatisation agency restructured capital to suit the realms of functional responsibility requiring funding. There were significant tax incentives to invest in clapped-out regions. This led to a veritable stampede on the marketplace, jacking up the prices to levels stripped of any reason. At the same time, the principles of real estate valuation had been adopted from the infrastructural standards found in former West Germany, although here the infrastructure was practically nonexistent. Accordingly, the market was not equipped to deal with plummeting land prices at the end of the 90s. In the thrall of tax benefits, investors had invaded the new states hot on the heels of the brigades of sales reps, entirely ignoring the fundamental principles and old rules of the property industry with its bedrocks of “sustainability” and “location”.

Supply and demand determined the high construction prices.

This always means that investors are required to put a lot of money on the table to get in on the deal, not counting the agents’ commissions on top. Consequently, all possible means must be exploited to ensure the profits (naturally) and above all the returns on investment promised to the funders are achieved. This leads to mediocrity in planning and implementation, while the primacy of maximum exploitation creates quantity to the detriment of quality.

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 37

Old and new university building in the city centre of Leipzig.

Additionally, capital and velocity, the rapid “turnover” in real estate, encountered in some cases substandard skill in building codes and planning policies. The human weakness to embrace capital in private enterprise and the fledgling administrative entities crashed into the market’s unscrupulous nature. Regrettably, this also produced architecture without substance and without quality. The towns and cities were either unable or ill-equipped to occupy their position as property owners, contracting authorities and regulatory bodies and hence to unite the traditional with the modern in a spirit of regional quality.

There had been a historical chance in the question of ownership already, as the proprietary regulations of compensation instead of restitution under the SMAD Ordinance had, until 1949, left many proper-

ties in the hands of the local government authorities. The Investment Priority Act provided statutory legitimacy to sell these properties despite registered claims and put quite some local government employees in the difficult position of explaining to original owners how it is possible that other people’s property could be sold legally.

Nevertheless, the (transitional) provisions frequently did not provide the legal foundation to demand suitable structural implementation, for instance in sales from the public sector. These days, as a consequence, the industry is faced with the coherence requirements imposed by the EU and also the control instrument of projectrelated development plans. City development offices intervened with the options offered in the urban renewal plans. But this still met with resentment from many mar-

ket protagonists, as they were suddenly up against regional restrictions to combat the rank growth of discounters and feel-bad buildings. However, this was a boon for the inhabitants of towns and cities who were given the opportunity to help fashion a temperate urban development. All in all, the unique historical opportunity has not been wasted. Some things could have been developed or built better, but other things shine out from the cities and landscapes as perfect examples. The infrastructure and redevelopment standards stand as role models in the unified republic and spoil us in our demand for quality of life.

Additional information, also on the author, under: www.anette-ehlers.de

Never Was heard ist der of Südplatz?

Südplatz?

BeSie curious!

Seien neugierig.

For sales information about purchasing apartments Eigentumswohnungen in historical landmark buildings see: Verkaufsinformationen über die die denkmalgeschützen erhalten Sie über:

d3p 3D Projektentwicklung GmbH Maistrasse 12 • 80337 München • Tel.: 089-55 29 62 88 E-Mail: od@d3p.de www.margaux-gmbh.de • www.d3p.de

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 39

Advise for investors made easy Over the past twenty years, the Leipzig-Halle Logistics Network has developed into a modern, efficient business location for successful commercial activities of international importance.

Text: Claudia Schmidt Photos: IHK Leipzig

Our goal is to bring together the competencies of the various actors under one roof so that we can offer a broad spectrum of counselling services at no cost to the user, for example: • Advice on procuring commercial properties, commercial space and production/ storage properties • Providing contacts to companies planning to purchase or rent commercial or logistics properties • Advice regarding the construction of, and best concept for commercial and logistics properties • Advice for companies looking for skilled works in the logistics sector, and • Advice in obtaining financial support.

The Leipzig/Halle region offers ample commercial space for capital investment projects.

We currently have sufficient available capacities in terms of commercial space and rental production/storage facilities for short-term investments. Further advantages of this business location include favourable property costs and financial support for relocating logistics companies. To provide potential investors with an optimal

overview of what we have to offer, partners from the Leipzig/Halle economic region maintain a business location information system on their website www.immosis.de.

This online system can be used to access a broad spectrum of information about available commercial space and production/storage facilities that are ideally suited for businesses wanting to settle in our region. The provided information ranges from detailed descriptions of available buildings, to available commercial zones, in addition to all data required for a successful relocation such existing infrastructures, equipment and furnishings, location details and the relevant contact persons. An interactive business location map shows all commercial zones and spaces currently available in the region.

Close cooperation between the spheres of industry and politics is needed in order to best market the attractiveness of our business location and to drive its ongoing development. The Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) has taken on this responsibility in the context of the Leipzig-Halle Logistics Network. Here, logistics service providers, suppliers and shippers, public administration, chambers, associations, as well as research

and education facilities, all work together to achieve the common goal of further improving the overall efficiency and productivity of the logistics region Leipzig/ Halle.

The main focus of the Leipzig-Halle Logistics Network is to attract investors to the region. Network members offer investors extensive counselling services about the advantages of settling in our region. One working group under the leadership of Rita Fleischer, Deputy Managing Director of the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and Industry, develops the appropriate instruments and reaches out to service providers that can help economic development promotion agencies, in order to more efficiently address logisticians and shippers.

Contact the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) for information about relocating your business: Frank Hahn: hahn@ leipzig.ihk.de 0049 (0)341 / 1267-1277 Matthias Weiland: weiland@leipzig.ihk.de 0049 (0)341 / 1267-1265 EXPO REAL 2011: Halle A2/Stand 432 Internet: expo.wirtschaftsregionleipzig-halle.de

The place to be. It-place.

One of the megatrends of our age is the desire for urban life in modern cities. But just a few urban districts embody this legend.

They appear more lively, younger and produce permanent transformation: in Leipzig, the Südvorstadt is changing from an entertainment district to a real home for modern bohemians.

Text: Oliver Dittmann Photos: Christoph Ruhrmann

What is the Südplatz?

High birth rates with a simultaneous rise in education levels and the symbiosis of work and consumer spending on culture, recreation and eating-out are measurable dimensions of change, all of it characterised by an inherent spatial cohesion that leaves no room for handed-down structures of the global brand name industry with their landscape of retail outlets. Viewed emotionally, corner shops offering home-grown vegetables are more valuable than an Aldi market or a pedestrian zone with flagship stores. A displacement of values is taking place in the ethical-moral sphere, while the egomaniacal fixation of a Gordon Gekko, who may be rich but stands alone in the centre of his world, is willingly replaced by ethical association with the common goals of an emerging future generation. And the net yield chain is following these early movers; banks holding moral positions and local car dealerships in place of showrooms are spreading in the wake of the ecologically sound shops.

These new brand worlds are shaped by lively individuals; proximity alone to the University of Medicine prompts as an example

the students of the 90s who have since climbed the career ladder from consultant to senior physician and even professor, but who have nevertheless decried relocation to more upper-class districts as bourgeois and indeed superfluous. So now the status symbols of prosperity are moving in their direction; now we find more than the bakery down the road, also the Italian delicatessen and the French wine dealer. The residential neighbourhood is undergoing an upgrade. Cheap commercial space with low rent levels is being ousted by superior uses.

This constant change is without beginning or end. Tomorrow’s urban trends can just as well be born in the Südvorstadt in Leipzig as in Munich or Berlin. In all of these urban ideas, we therefore find a new definition of the term “home”.

What is home?

In a child’s mind, the term home stands for a home. Conversely, adult associations with the word home are different and there-

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 41

fore often mundane, as they fail to incorporate the interactions between what home means for the individual and vice versa.

But precisely this interaction underlies demand for housing in the development of a suitable quality in supply. The S端dvorstadt in Leipzig was not created on a drawing board. Young people moved here when there was plethora of vacant space, and with them came their value systems.

You walk, shop locally, know your neighbours in the street and chat with them about this and that. What has re-emerged here is straightforward everyday life that has long since sunk in so many newer urban residences. This bundle of innovative thoughts is so potent that it attracts a constant stream of new personalities; this is

where we live, because this is how we want to live. And thus a philosophical home becomes a physical home, houses become homes, the area you feel at home in. Not until this has happened can an apartment be a home, a personal feel-good space of immense importance for every human being to feel secure and nested.

New/old residential properties have the task of absorbing these trends.

Statistical demands of the future assume that households will shrink increasingly and require more flexible use. This ensures the density required to keep the streets lively. In addition to this twofold housekeeping, there is growing interest in comfort and of course in ethical values also; clean buildings with high energy effi-

ciency are much in demand. Development of housing on S端dplatz strives to meet this goal; there are numerous layouts with variable options for use, comfortably accessible by lifts to all floors. Buildings are renovated in an ecologically sound manner, drawing on progressive technology to render them energy-efficient for the coming decades.

The shops on the ground floor are preserved and create a lively residential environment. The ground floors also house a bicycle room to provide security for those travelling on two wheels.

Additional information, also on the author, under: www.d3p.de

Photo: Seaside Park Hotel

MA R K E T G A P

Photo: Seaside Park Hotel

T R AV E L

Photo: Damm|Rumpf|Hering Vermögensverwaltung GmbH

E Q U I TY MA R K E T

Robust East

Travel in Style

Abito: Feel at Home

Established companies in the new states prove their crisis resistance.

Tradition and contemporary spirit are combined in an unforgettable way.

A completely new overnight stay concept awaits on the roofs of Leipzig.

Once a month the asset management firm Damm, Rumpf, Hering calculates the East German Share Index (OAX). To do this, the experts from Dresden and Zwickau list the 30 most financially sound East German companies. Their total share value amounts to around eight billion euro. “Essentially, the OAX can be roughly divided into four segments,” says Lutz Hering, Executive Partner at the asset management firm. These are established companies such as Halloren Schokoladenfabrik or the bicycle manufacturers MIFA. “They have already weathered a few storms and proven their strong profitability, but do not have exceptional growth potential,” says Hering. In the field of new energies, companies such as Q-Cells and the biofuel manufacturer Verbio brought growth to the index for a long time. Now they will “stagnate or even fight for survival.” Hering states that the stable firms include manufacturers of medical equipment such as Carl Zeiss Meditec and Geratherm, while among the strong-growth candidates we find software and online computer game manufacturers like Yoc and Frogster.

SAE

Leipzig fascinates its visitors with numerous cultural events, exquisite shopping arcades, an exciting nightlife, and last but not least, with the largest number of restored Wilhelmian buildings in Germany.And at the heart of Leipzig’s historical inner city, directly across from the main train station, stands the Park Hotel. Built in 1913 and opened as the Grand Hotel, this building features a rich tradition.

Restored with loving care in 1993, it was eventually reopened in 1995 as an up to date four-star hotel of the Seaside Group. The privately managed Seaside Park Hotel features an attractively unique atmosphere and stylish Art Deco ambience.

The hotel’s restaurant, STEAKTRAIN, is designed to look like a historical railway dining car, and the charm of past epochs invites guests to dine on first-class steak variations.The perfect location makes the Park Hotel interesting not only to business travelers, but it’s also the ideal starting point for city tourists to discover Leipzig.

GT

Product innovations featuring keen ideas and good design will provide the Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V. (German Travel Management Association) with new chances to grow. Since 2010, Leipzig has possessed just this kind of idea: the abito suites. Directly in the city, over the roofs of Grimmaischen Strasse, guests will find 18 luxurious suites and junior suites. These rooms feature a lot of space for little money. Depending on the season and the size, the rooms cost between 115 and 145 euros per night, and they feature Italian designer furniture, Treca beds, illy espresso machines, and W-LAN, LOEWE TV, and flat-rate telephone service. Even though there is no lobby and no restaurant, there’s no lack of amenities. Firstclass restaurants are located in walking distance, and the check-in features an automated booking service. The target group of this concept is modern, discerning, quality and price-aware city and business travelers. abito suites offers five-star service at moderate prices, which enables them to fill a gap in the market.

GT

Find additional information under: www.drh.de

More info is available at : www.parkhotelleipzig.de

More info is available at: www.abito.com/www.abitosuites.de

REGJO Central Germany EXPO REAL 2011 43

M a rke t D eve l op m e n t

Photo: Westend-PR

Solar Know-how

Confirming gut instinct in figures Stefan Naether, CEO of Naether-Makler-Gesellschaft für Immobilien mbH, on the Leipzig property market and his tasks as member of the expert committee.

REGJO: How would you briefly describe the situation on the property market?

Stefan Naether: The discussion of tangible assets and the advantageous interest rate situation have enlivened demand in recent months. This has brought the two camps in the city out into the open, although they were there all along. The situation in Dresden is even more extreme: the city is truly cut in half. There are locations where West German prices are paid and others where people don’t even want the house if they inherit it.

REGJO: What can you do in that kind of district? Can individuals make a start?

Stefan Naether: No, you need the big picture. Individual redevelopments are without a chance. Even if someone plucks up the courage, the banks just turn a deaf ear and the tenants pay in the end.

REGJO: What is your view of the market development?

Stefan Naether: The market is markedly focused on capital investment and outsiders in particular are active. 90 percent of the capital Additional information under: www.naether-immo.de

for freehold apartments comes from former West Germany. But the tide is turning. As a landlord, I have certain misgivings concerning the current wave of new constructions and redevelopment, as ultimately the buildings we have will suffer. But there are opportunities if more and more good people move into the city. Leipzig has potential for the future.

REGJO: You sit on the City of Leipzig Expert Committee. What is its task?

Stefan Naether: We draft an annual market report listing all purchases, draft reports for local government institutions and naturally publish the standard land value map. You could say that we make trends in market development visible.

REGJO: In your work-life-balance, how do you justify this additional involvement?

Stefan Naether: For me, work on the expert committee is exciting in two ways. In addition to penning and drafting a summary of the Leipzig property market, I can also see in some cases how my gut instinct is confirmed in figures.

TP

When Roth & Rau Oberflächentechnik GmbH was founded in 1990, it had one primary objective: to market its founders‘ - formerly scientists at the Technical University in Chemnitz - knowledge in plasma technology. Information provided by the company shows that in the following years, it mainly developed technologies for surface processing, tailoring them for system concepts to suit the needs of customers in the fields of research and industry. The company was reformed as Roth & Rau AG in 2001 and went public, listed in Frankfurt, in 2006. For over ten years, the global operators in the solar machine engineering sector with headquarters in Hohenstein-Ernstthal has concentrated in the development and manufacture of plasma process systems for the photovoltaic industry. According to company data, Roth & Rau is one of the leading providers in this field. The group employs a workforce of around 1,200 between Germany, India and the United States.

The Swiss solar system manufacturer Meyer Burger has since taken over its rival Roth & Rau. Nevertheless, the company is set to continue at its main location.

Mobile Zeitgeist A young firm of software wizards from Berlin is one of the flagship names among the largest publicly-listed companies in East Germany, as shown clearly in the development of the East German Share Index OAX. According to this source, YOC AG is among the high-growth newcomers.

The young technology services provider with headquarters in Berlin lists a workforce of over 220 at seven locations in Europe and the United States. The YOC Group is among the world‘s leading providers in the field of mobile advertising.

In the technology segment, the company claims to license software products for creating mobile internet portals and integrated mobile marketing campaigns.

Founded in Berlin in 2000, the company now has over 500 clients across all industries, including banks and media groups operating throughout Europe, mobile telecommunications providers and online portals. In the fiscal year 2010, details released by the company list the YOC Group turnover rising to 30.5 million euro.

THE REGION’S SPEcIALISTS IN

BIOGAS SySTEmS

Impressum: REGJO EXPO REAL Special 2011 Special Edition

Project development and consulting for investors

Drafting of funding and finance applications

Permit applications under the German Pollution Control Act

Construction management in all phases of development

Main copy deadline: September 12, 2011 Deadline for ads: September 19, 2011 Publication date: 30.September 2011 Production and Publishing: REGJO – Magazinverlag Mitteldeutschland GmbH Moschelesstraße 7, Steche-Haus 04109 Leipzig, Telephone: (03 41) 9 75 60 39 Fax: (03 41) 974 72 58 www.regjo-leipzighalle.de REGJO is a registered brand name (39867052)

by REGJO – Magazinverlags Mitteldeutschland GmbH www.regjo-leipzighalle.de info@regjo-leipzighalle.de Authors: Tobias Prüwer (TP), Marco T. Hinz, Sabine Ernst (SAE), Dörthe Gromes, Oliver Dittmann, Prof. Anette Ehlers, Benedikt Kahlstadt, Katja Trumpler (KT), Kai Bieler, Marco Mädge (MM), Claus-Peter Paulus, Gitta Jonek (GT) , Christian Knorr Translations: Knut Janetschke INTER.CONNECT SPRACHEN, James Parsons ICC Sprachinstitut Leipzig Editing: Franziska Reif Art Direction & Layout: Matthias Hiller www.matthiashiller.com Photography: Marco Warmuth, Christoph Ruhrmann, Anja Wacker, Michael Bader, Chris Conrad, Holger Mombrei, Andreas Seidel, Marco Stepniak, Meike Wirsel, Randy Kühn, Sylvia Dorn, Thomas Ziegler, Jens Schlüter, Benjamin Sommer, Dr. Zita Ágota Pataki Title Photo: RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky GmbH + Co. Kommanditgesellschaft (Grimmaische Straße in Leipzig)

ENGINEERS Matthias Thorwirth

The agricultural construction experts

Ads and Advertorial: Steffi Emde, Claus-Peter Paulus, Philipp Thorwirth, Scharfe Media e.K. Chief Editor and Assistant to the Management: Katja Trumpler Sales Assistant and Accounting: Franziska Krüger Trainee: Annette Steffens Intern: Daniel Tieg Business and Project Management: Claus-Peter Paulus (legally responsible for content) Druck: Druckmarie.de i-combinat agentur für digitale medien Käthe-Kollwitz-Str. 13 04109 Leipzig www.i-combinat.de

Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 136 14558 Nuthetal OT Bergholz-Rehbrücke Tel: +49 (0) 33200 51340 Fax: +49 (0) 33200 513423 Email: thorwirth@thorwirth-planungsbuero.de

www.thorwirth-planungsbuero.de

Stark in Dresden – auch bei Büroflächen.

Sprechen Sie direkt mit uns!

Das Zwinger-Forum auf dem Dresdner Postplatz

Vis-à-vis: Dresdner Zwinger und Residenzschloss

Moderne Architektur in historischer Nachbarschaft

Viel Raum für Design: Hauptmieter Motel One

Variable Büroflächen in bester Lage

Abgestimmt auf individuelle Bedürfnisse

Geben Sie Ihrem Büro die Adresse, die es verdient: Ziehen Sie in das erste Haus am Platz. Mitten im barocken Stadtzentrum, auf dem Dresdner Postplatz, entsteht das neue Büro- und Hotelgebäude: das Zwinger-Forum. Hauptnutzer des modernen Baus wird die Hotelkette Motel One sein. Der verbleibende Gebäudeteil ist für Läden und Büros reserviert. Das Zwinger-Forum ist die Top-Adresse für Unternehmen, Kunden, Gäste und Mitarbeiter. Die zentrale Lage garantiert eine hervorragende Infrastruktur. In unmittelbarer Nähe befinden sich nicht nur Zwinger, Residenzschloss, Semperoper, Hofkirche, Taschenbergpalais und Schauspielhaus, sondern auch die neu erweiterte Altmarkt-Galerie mit rund 200 Geschäften. Darüber hinaus gibt es in der Nachbarschaft zahlreiche Bars, Cafés und Restaurants.

Die TLG IMMOBILIEN vermietet in Ostdeutschland Büroflächen in exponierten Lagen. Profitieren Sie von der Nähe zu renommierten Unternehmen und Entscheidungsträgern. Hier lassen sich wichtige Kontakte knüpfen und starke Partner finden. Verwirklichen Sie Ihre Ideen in diesem innovativen Umfeld. Werden Sie Mieter bei uns.

TLG IMMOBILIEN GmbH Niederlassung Süd I Budapester Str. 3 I 01069 Dresden Ansprechpartner: DIrk Heinrich I Telefon: 0351-4913 236 I E-Mail: dirk.heinrich@tlg.de

Die Nr. 1 für Immobilien in Ostdeutschland: Büro. Einzelhandel. Gewerbe. Wohnen.

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SAXONY-ANHALT

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Investment and Marketing Corporation The Economic Development Agency of the German Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt Am Alten Theater 6 D - 39104 Magdeburg Phone +49 (0) 391 568 99 0 www.invest-in-saxony-anhalt.com European Commission European Regional Development Fund INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE