Naumburg (dpa/sa) - The association Künstlerstadt Kalbe received the "Stadtumbau Award Sachsen-Anhalt 2022" for its commitment to revitalizing a small town in the Altmark with art and culture. The initiative based in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel and headed by the chairwoman Corinna Köbele prevailed against projects from Bad Dürrenberg, Dessau-Roßlau, Halle and Wernigerode on Thursday in Naumburg, according to the Ministry for Infrastructure and Digital, which awarded the undoped prize together with the competence center Urban redevelopment since 2018.
According to the information, a total of twelve projects were selected for the award this year, five made it to the final. The motto of the fifth round of the competition was "Design cities - revitalize inner cities". The variety of applications ranged from identity-creating art and culture projects to the revitalization of urban quarters through conversion to digitization projects to strengthen tourism.
According to its own statement, the association Künstlerstadt Kalbe has been countering the consequences of demographic change in Kalbe and the sparsely populated Altmark with art and culture since 2013 under the motto "Full in the shell". It is about creating perspectives to stay, improving people's quality of life and making immigration attractive. For years, the association has been organizing a summer and winter campus lasting several weeks. Artists from all over the world come to Kalbe on grants to work and present their art, for example on studio tours.
The cabaret festival "Brucca!" and the bank festival as well as the operation of an own gallery could be established in the cityscape of Kalbe. According to the ministry, the association now "examples" 15 previously unused properties in the city, including a cultural center.
