Schwedt’s got the power!

“Proszę się rozejrzeć” (Prosche schje rosejschtsch), - “Take a look round” - this friendly greeting appears on a “Double-Dutch” card game given as a hospitality gift to customers from Poland and the Czech Republic, and is typical for the enterprising openness to be found in Schwedt an der Oder. With a note of pride in his voice, Peter Schauer, the go-getting major explains that his town recently won an award in the competition organised by the German Association for Housing, Urban and Spatial Development. Extensive contacts to east European neighbours are an old tradition in Schwedt – when “old Europe” was busy welcoming EU newcomers, the citizens of Schwedt had networks of professional and private contacts with them stretching way into the past.

They are after all masters in the art of building bridges. The town itself was founded on the only crossing of the river Oder between Stettin and Oderberg and received its first official mention as early as 1265.

In the 1960s the then 8000-strong community became a centre for the petroleum and paper industries and its population rapidly expanded to some 52,000. Today, with the population down to just 38,000, the town thought it high time for a little cosmetic surgery. The urban development programme it adopted is based on a quality-not-quantity approach and aims more for family houses than high-rise tower blocks. By the end of 2005 5000 housing units will be converted to low-rise apartments with the removal of whole storeys or building sections. A keynote feature of the programme is the new river promenade along the Hohensaaten-Friedrichstaler-Wasserstraße. The popular promenade with its cycle track and ship moorings is co-financed with a grant of € 1.075 million from the ERDF.

Companies like LEIPA GmbH and UPM-Kymmene Papier GmbH & Co. KG have turned Schwedt an der Oder into one of Germany’s major paper industry centres. The ingenious solutions brought forward by LEIPA Logistik were financed with a grant of € 9,460 from the ERDF. And with the PCK Raffinerie GmbH, Schwedt plays host to one of the biggest refineries in Europe processing 11 million tonnes of crude oil a year to the highest environmental specifications. At the same time construction is underway for plants producing bio-ethanol, bio-diesel and bio-combustible wood pellets. 7% of all export goods from Brandenburg now come from Schwedt.

The town is also a pioneer in logistics and a shining example of how to transport 90% of all goods by rail and water. Rail connections have been developed to allow for the daily transport of 1000 tank wagons. What’s more, three industrial estates, a commercial zone and a Technology and Business Centre, all with a superb infrastructure, give plenty of room for further investment.

In terms of culture too Schwedt has a lot to offer. The Uckermärkischen Bühnen is one of the most popular theatres in Brandenburg and upholds the tradition of theatre and culture founded by Margrave Friedrich Heinrich over 200 hundred years ago whilst the “Unteres Odertal” national park with its unique water meadow landscapes is a marvellous place for strolling and relaxation.

Arguments enough for more than just a trip to the Uckermark and a flying visit to the other side of the Oder. As the cards say “Proszę nas odwiedzić ponownie” (Prosche nas odwjedschitsch ponownje) – “Come again soon!”