Newsletter 101 from 06/09/2008

International Building Exhibition (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land

1. Laid: Foundation stone for Lusatian Lakeland landmark
2. Elevated: Overland boat comes to showground (building) site
3. Windswept: Culture on the breeze at the 4th Ilse Lake Festival
4. Opened: Klinge "Time Warp" open-air museum featuring replica mammoth
5. Articulated: Dutch conference highlights the work of the IBA
6. Register: For the IBA themed excursion on "New Territory"
7. Shown: "New Territory" documentary film on IBA Terraces
8. Focused: International Garden Symposium looks to Pritzen
9. Discussed: Ministers and schoolchildren exchange views on career prospects

(1) Laid:

Foundation stone for Lusatian Lakeland landmark

It is four years since the landmark design for the Lusatian Lakeland submitted by Stefan Giers won the IBA Architecture Award and now the foundation stone has finally been laid for the 30-metre high viewing tower on the Sorno Canal. The Corten steel edifice, or the "rusty nail" as it has been dubbed by the local population, will be erected in the next few weeks. The tower will symbolise the transformation from mining landscape to lakeland and act as a visible token of the development of the Lusatian Lakeland network of lakes linked by navigable canals. Having climbed the 172 steps, visitors will be rewarded with a magnificent view of Sedlitz and Geierswald Lakes and parts of Partwitz and Ilse Lakes. The completion and the big opening of the new landmark for the Lusatian Lakeland are scheduled for September. The laying of the foundation stone marks a major milestone in the IBA project "Sedlitz Lake Waterscape".

Caption: Klaus-Otto Weymanns of the Ministry of Infrastructure, IBA chief Rolf Kuhn and Senftenberg's building department head Elke Löwe bury the casket at the laying of the foundation stone.

(2) Elevated:

Overland boat comes to showground (building) site

The overland boat at the showground (building) site will be unveiled at canal 12 on 28 June 2008. Brandenburg's Minister for Economic Affairs Ulrich Junghanns will be attending the occasion and taking a cycle tour after the ceremony to see first-hand what is happening in the Lusatian Lakeland and to find out about the IBA project "Sedlitz Lake Waterscape". The walk-on installation will be open to the public at the showground (building) site and will provide a facility for locals and tourists to find out about the redevelopment of the mining landscape and the construction of the navigable canals, especially canal 12. The overland boat will be moved from one construction site to the next until the canal is completed. The IBA showground (building) site project is sponsored by Vattenfall Europe Mining & Generation AG.

(3) Windswept:

Culture on the breeze at the 4th Ilse Lake Festival

Some 153 million cubic metres of water have been routed into the former Meuro lignite pit in the south of Großräschen since flooding began in March 2007. The sheer size of the lake can be appreciated by visitors to the Großräschen Lake Festival which is being held for the fourth time from 13 to 15 June on the IBA Terraces and the promenade. There is a varied programme of events with fairs and markets, adventure tours in the emerging landscape at an introductory offer price, a fashion show, vintage car show, "Dance on Mars", and a special programme for children with she-devil Lucie. The "Wild Mustang" country club will bring a flavour of the wild West to Lusatia and an open-air rock 'n' roll concert starring "Joe Vegas and the Rockabillys" will recreate the American flair of the 50s and 60s. The festival will get underway on Friday at 21:00 hrs with a sparkling Neptune foam party and disco on the IBA Terraces.

photo: Steffen Rasche

(4) Opened:

Klinge "Time Warp" open-air museum featuring replica mammoth

A section of the "Time Warp" open-air museum was recently opened on the Eem site in Klinge where the sensational discovery of a mammoth skeleton in 1903 has proved to be without parallel anywhere else in Germany. The baby mammoth takes centre stage in the glass dome in the visitor centre. Klaus-Otto Weymanns from the Berlin/Brandenburg Joint Regional Planning Department was clearly upbeat that this phase of construction would be swift to bring "synergy effects for Klinge and the surrounding area". The open-air museum emerging on Klinge Lake is an important tourism milestone linking up with the Muskau Arch Geopark. The IBA supported the project by writing the application for funding and developing a user and operator strategy.

Congratulations from Klaus-Otto Weymanns of the Ministry of Infrastructure

(5) Articulated:

Dutch conference highlights the work of the IBA

The International Apeldoorn Triennial (Netherlands) will provide the background framework for the conference entitled "A Wider View on Cultural Landscape Challenges in Europe" and scheduled to run from 16 to 18 June. Accompanied by the exhibition "European Cultural Landscapes", the conference provides a forum for planners, geographers, ecologists, landscape architects, sociologists, philosophers and artists to meet and discuss landscape design options and to seek original solutions for this major challenge. The work of the IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land will be presented and discussed at the exhibition and conference as an important example of international interest.
http://www.triennale.nl

(6) Register:

For the IBA themed excursion on "New Territory"

The themed excursion organised by the IBA and intended as a lead-in to the next theme year, "New Territory", will take place from 19 to 22 September 2008 and will visit selected projects in the Rhineland, Lorraine, Saarland and the Palatinate. The aim of the trip is to compare notes on dealing with industrial landscapes and to discuss experiences with innovative projects and regional development processes. Stops on the journey will include Hombroich Island, the "Regionale 2010", the former Carl-Alexander colliery in Baesweiler, the former Anna coal mine in the heart of Alsdorf, the imposing World Heritage Site of Völklingen Ironworks, the mining museum in Carreau Wendel, the sand pits of Freyming-Merlebach, the Saarkohlenwald forest on the outskirts of Saarbrücken and the UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald. As in previous years the excursion is open to IBA project partners and to interested members of the public from the locality. Annett Skrzypczak is taking telephone bookings on 035753-370288 and email bookings at skrzypczak@iba-see.de.

(7) Shown:

"New Territory" documentary film on IBA Terraces

Freelance journalist and film-maker Holger Lauinger will be visiting the IBA Terraces on 11 June when his documentary film entitled "New Territory" will be showing at 19:00 hrs. on the big screen in House 3. Shot in 2007 with Daniel Kunle, the film addresses the issue of demographic shrinkage in the rural areas of East Germany. It takes stock of the situation between the end of an era and the dawning of a new age and presents various protagonists, pioneers and projects who and which are conquering uncharted territory - and sometimes not. Come to the IBA Terraces to go on this highly exciting voyage of discovery focusing on the people and the landscape. The film will be followed by a discussion with Holger Lauinger. Admission costs 4 euros. http://www.neuland-denken.de

(8) Focused:

International Garden Symposium looks to Pritzen

Potsdam will host the 3rd International Garden Symposium from 19 to 21 June 2008 which is being organised by the Brandenburg garden association Gartenland Brandenburg e.V. in cooperation with its national counterpart Gartennetz Deutschland e.V. The event will combine presentations of historic gardens and changing cultural landscapes with insights into the work of the IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land, taking the example of the heritage landscape of Pritzen and the Altdöbern land art project. Against this backdrop, an excursion to Fürstlich Drehna, Altdöbern and Branitz in Lusatia has been planned for 21 June 2008. http://www.gartenland-brandenburg.de

(9) Discussed:

Ministers and schoolchildren exchange views on career prospects

The IBA is putting on a raft-building camp on the shores of Lake Ilse from 18 to 27 July 2008 incorporating a careers guidance workshop for young people. As a foretaste to the event, a meeting between Minister of Education Holger Rupprecht and Lusatian schoolchildren has been scheduled for 25 June 2008 on the IBA Terraces when the topic at issue will be career prospects in Lusatia. The 15 to 19-year-olds will have the opportunity during the camp to design and build two floating raft houses. They will also be offered personality and proficiency tests, individual coaching sessions and a chance to talk to personnel managers from leading local companies in an effort to help the young people to find a career which might suit their skill set. Jörg Heidig from the Schülerakademie Lausitz is taking telephone registrations on 0174-9244 946 or email registrations at info@schuelerakademie-lausitz.de.