It was an exciting race: there were five applications from the East for the site of the new German Unity Center for the Future.
Now a jury has made the selection.
Halle - The city of Halle an der Saale in Saxony-Anhalt is to become the seat of the new future center for German unity and European transformation.
Chairwoman Katrin Budde announced the recommendation of the selection jury on Tuesday evening.
Five applications were in the running.
In addition to Halle, there were Frankfurt (Oder), Eisenach, Jena and the duo Leipzig and Plauen.
The city of Halle reacted enthusiastically, but the competition was disappointed.
The Future Center is intended to honor the achievements of German unification and make use of the experience gained for future upheavals and crises.
It should be a meeting place and research center at the same time.
For the university town of Halle with its 240,000 inhabitants, the selection not only means prestige, but also an investment of millions.
After an architectural competition, a “building with outstanding modern architecture” is to be built by 2028 for up to 200 million euros.
40 million euros per year are earmarked for operation.
The center is expected to attract up to a million people each year.
For the Eastern Commissioner Carsten Schneider, it is "one of the most important projects for strengthening German unity and cohesion in Europe".
According to the city of Frankfurt (Oder), it is the federal government's largest construction project in the current decade.
After hours of deliberation, Budde, a member of the SPD Bundestag, only explained to the jury: "The majority of the jury decided to propose Halle/Saale as the location for the "Future Center German Unity and European Transformation". Details and an explanation are to follow at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The federal government wants to follow the location recommendation of the jury.
In its application, Halle had primarily advertised itself as a science location, since the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has its headquarters there. There was a thematic connection to the contents of the future center, emphasized the people in Halle.
Added to this is the diversity of cultural institutions.
Both - science and culture - should be networked.
The city also emphasized its central location in Central Europe and its proximity to Leipzig and Berlin airports.
With these arguments, the city has already prevailed in its own federal state against Magdeburg, Dessau-Roßlau and Wittenberg.
The application also had the backing of Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU).
Haseloff responded with delight.
"Halle is an ideal location for this center," he said on Twitter.
Halle's Mayor Egbert Geier (SPD) was euphoric: "This is great, if not to say unique, news for our city, the region and the state of Saxony-Anhalt," he explained.
"Our months of tireless efforts have been crowned with success." The mayor thanked all supporters in the city, region, state and federal government.
This success is a team effort across all levels, said Geier.
Frankfurt Mayor René Wilke congratulated Halle, but was also disappointed: "It is an undeserved defeat for our city," Wilke wrote on Facebook.
Nevertheless, the application process has strengthened the city society and offers a good basis for further advancing the city of bridge builders together.
The selection process for the location dragged on for months.
The jury visited all applicant cities and critically questioned the respective concepts.
The committee also included the former Stasi commissioner Marianne Birthler, former Federal Minister Thomas de Maizière, Brandenburg's former Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck and former FDP Deputy Cornelia Pieper.
It is not yet clear how the center will work one day.
The federal government formulated the assignment as follows: "The conditions for a transformation of the economy and society are to be researched here and life's work is to be recognized." The center will offer space for culture, dialogue and lively discussions.
The idea goes back to a recommendation by the commission “30 Years Peaceful Revolution and German Unity”, in which Platzeck also played a leading role.
dpa
