Steinbach in Thuringia, a picturesque town with almost 1,200 inhabitants, received the silver “European Village Renewal Prize” in Hinterstoder last Friday. Since 2012, Steinbach has been in a municipal association with the nearby town of Bad Liebenstein in the Wartburg district. In the course of the community amalgamation, the search for their own identity began, followed by a village renewal.
“Steinbach Way”
In 2017, while trying to breathe new life into their place, the people of Steinbach from Thuringia discovered the so-called “Steinbacher Weg”, which was developed in 1987 under the then mayor Karl Sieghartsleitner in Steinbach an der Steyr. At first it was only the interest in the successful and innovative development of the municipality of the same name in Upper Austria, but a little later the Thuringians also noticed numerous topographical and historical similarities between the two places: There is the church, which stands out prominently at the highest point of the place, the in the background on a steep slope laid out cemetery, the knife trade and last but not least, of course, the common name.
Historical similarities
Almost exactly four years ago the time had come: direct contact was made, visits to Steyrtal and Thuringia followed, working groups got together and the application for a transnational LEADER project was launched. One day after the award ceremony, the specialist delegations from both locations met in the Hotel Explorer in Hinterstoder for a lively exchange of ideas. The first working groups were set up to deal with the use of empty buildings, the direct marketing of regional products, the founding of a network cooperative and the processing of historical similarities and differences. The association “Steinbacher Zukunft” with chairman Mayor Christian Dörfel and the “Stadt Bad Liebenstein” with Mayor Michael Brotfuhrer will be responsible for the project.
Source: Nachrichten
