Marburg (dpa/lhe) - The skating season in Marburg in central Hesse has begun and for the first time on artificial ice. "The energy crisis has made planning extremely difficult, but we have now found a solution that is much more sensible and sustainable than the previous ice rink," said Mayor Thomas Spies (SPD) on Friday at the opening of the "Ice Palace". Until February 5, 2023, skaters can skate on the newly purchased rink, which is made of synthetic ice. According to the municipality, a system of special plates makes it almost like driving on a conventional track - but without the "enormous consumption of water and electricity to create the ice surface". In this way, energy costs can be saved many times over.
After a short warm-up, the skates should glide as usual. Well-ground runners are important for this, for which a special grinding machine was purchased. The "Ice Palace" is flanked by a program of events.
The city announced in October that it would spend around 243,000 euros on the synthetic ice rink. According to the information at the time, the municipality had previously rented a classic ice rink for around 65,000 euros per winter season, plus electricity costs of more than 30,000 euros for around 94,000 kilowatt hours and water costs.
