The awards are associated with a high level of appreciation and recognition of individuals and companies who have made outstanding contributions to the community.
The purpose of the awards is primarily to reward and recognize the individuals and companies being honored. As communities are dependent on voluntary work in many ways, awards are an effective way of promoting this commitment. The award does not confer any special rights or obligations.
The honorary awards are to be presented in the form of certificates and town medals at a festive town reception.
The following were awarded in detail:
Honorary citizenship:
Honorary Councillor Erika Bolm has had a decisive influence on the fortunes and development of the City of Salzgitter during her 20 years on the City Council. As honorary mayor and long-standing chairwoman of the Social and Integration Committee, she has always enriched the city of Salzgitter. In addition, she has been involved for decades as a volunteer in the Salzgitter Reichbund as deputy district chairwoman and chairwoman of the Salzgitter-Lebenstedt local association. She was also active as deputy chairwoman of Lebenshilfe in Salzgitter and as deputy chairwoman of the working group of women's associations. With her voluntary work, she has enhanced the reputation of the town of Salzgitter and helped to shape our local community.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann has been a full member of the Group Executive Board since 1997 and Chairman of the Executive Board of Salzgitter AG since 2011. From 2001 to 2011, Prof. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann was Chief Financial Officer and, from 2007, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, as well as being responsible for the newly formed Technology Division. In 2013, he also managed the Steel Division on an interim basis. The city and the Group have enjoyed an exemplary working relationship for many years. He played a key role in the strategic realignment of Salzgitter AG, in particular through the acquisition of Mannesmann Röhrenwerke AG, and worked together with the Executive Board and the Works Councils to make Salzgitter AG fit for the future in extremely difficult times (e.g. after the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009 and the steel crisis of 2016/2017 triggered by cheap imports from China) through sustainable optimization programs. In doing so, it has made a lasting contribution to securing Salzgitter as an industrial location. The location and Group headquarters were undisputed during this period. As a lecturer at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, where he was appointed honorary professor in 2008, and as a member of the Senate and subsequently as Chairman of the Senate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, he also worked to promote young scientists in Salzgitter. His name has therefore been associated with the city of Salzgitter for more than two decades.
Hildegard Schooß is the founder of the Mothers' Center in Salzgitter, the first multi-generational house in Germany, which was established in 1981. Starting out in a living room as a meeting place, with the vision that young and old from Salzgitter could meet and support each other in an informal way, it has now grown into a 2500 square meter building complex. Ms. Hildegard Schooß is the "spiritual mother of the multi-generation houses", of which there are now more than 500 throughout Germany. Thanks to her commitment, Salzgitter has long been home to a pioneering mix of self-help, civic involvement and professional expertise. Her personal values have played a key role in helping countless people in our community. Her actions have made society even more humane than it already was.
City Medal:
Thomas Ohlendorf has been involved for many years as 1st chairman of the BUND Salzgitter district group. BUND is an environmental and nature conservation association that has been committed to sustainable development at local, regional, national and international level in Salzgitter for over 30 years. It is one of the largest environmental associations in Germany. There has been an active BUND district group in Salzgitter for 25 years. BUND is committed to consistent ecological policies in politics and administration. Over the years, Mr. Thomas Ohlendorf has been an extremely competent and committed contact person for BUND, who also enriches the Council's specialist committees as an appointed expert member. He has put his heart and soul into the interests of the community.
Wolfgang Pozzato has volunteered as Chairman of the Kleinkunstbühne for over 35 years. The Kleinkunstbühne Salzgitter-Bad e.V. has been organizing a wide variety of events in a former church, the Kniestedter Kirche, since 1981. Mr. Wolfgang Pozatto puts his heart and soul into organizing events in this remarkable location, which attract national attention. He is also chairman of the Salzgitter City Cultural Association, has been chairman of the Dr. Klaus Schmidt Foundation since 2008 and has been a member of the Salzgitter Education and Culture Committee for over 20 years. With his exemplary commitment, Wolfgang Pozzato has played a key role in making the city of Salzgitter a culturally diverse, vibrant and liveable city and has been particularly committed to the community.
Kevin Small is an elected councillor in Salzgitter's twin town of Swindon as a member of the Labor Party. He has been a leading member of Swindon Town Council for over two decades. However, he is not only a respected figure in his home town. In addition to several other memberships of political committees in Swindon, Kevin Small is Chairman of the Town Twinning Network - the twin town committee. This committee sees itself as a coordinating body to show individuals or groups how and in what form the existing town twinning can be maintained and promoted. The legendary Reg Clarke regarded Kevin Small as one of his "foster sons". He is now the "engine", the "locomotive" of the British-German Swindon-Salzgitter axis.
Rosemarie Streich is a co-founder of the Schacht-Konrad Salzgitter e.V. environmental protection forum. The now retired teacher has been a "fearless lady" against the final disposal of nuclear waste in our town since the beginning of the anti-nuclear movement. Her commitment also extends to the church. She has been active on the church council and in the provost synod for decades. Since 1987, ecumenical services of repentance, thanksgiving and petition have been held twice a year, once on Palm Sunday before Easter and once in the fall at the "KONRAD Bleckenstedt Shaft - End of the Nuclear Waste Roads" stone. She has put her heart and soul into the interests of the community.
Elke Zacharias (who died shortly after the council decision) worked full-time as a historian at the Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte e.V. since 1990 and took over the management of the Drütte concentration camp memorial site in 1994. She was also a member of the spokesperson's council of the interest group of Lower Saxony memorials and initiatives. Since 2005, she has been deputy chairwoman of the Foundation Advisory Board and a member of the Foundation Council of the Lower Saxony Memorials Foundation. Over the past 30 years, the Arbeitskreis Stadtgeschichte e.V. has developed into an authority on the history of Salzgitter and beyond. An essential part of its work, in addition to the wide range of educational and event offerings, is contact with former concentration camp prisoners, forced laborers and displaced persons and their relatives. Elke Zacharias has made an extraordinary contribution to the general public of the city of Salzgitter within the scope of her work. It is impossible to imagine life without her commitment.
Deserving employees:
Andreas Blechner has supported collegial and solidary cooperation for over 24 years as Chairman of the Works Council at Volkswagen in Salzgitter. He has also been a member of IG Metall for 42 years and a shop steward for IG Metall for 40 years. He has played a key role in ensuring that the VW engine plant in Salzgitter has always played a strategic role in the VW Group as a whole and has distinguished itself in particular through its research and development work. The long-term capacity utilization of our VW plant was always particularly important to him and he was prepared to fight for this and also to take creative approaches. He was also involved in the process of setting the course for electromobility. Mr. Andreas Blechner has accepted the responsibility that a works council chairman also has in entrepreneurial terms and has successfully implemented it for the site. He has demonstrated an outstanding commitment over many years to ensuring that employees are involved in company decisions with regard to cooperation, task fulfillment and the further development of the company.
Holger Danke has been Chairman of the Works Council of HELIOS Klinikum Salzgitter GmbH for many years. He played a key role in the merger of the Salzgitter-Bad and Salzgitter-Lebenstedt sites and the sale of the hospital to Rhön on January 1, 2005 and the change of ownership to HELIOS on January 1, 2014. In the process, there were several tough disputes on the matter and various agreements to safeguard the interests of the workforce, for which he worked tirelessly. Through his exemplary and intensive commitment, he has always been dedicated to the interests of the workforce. This commitment led to a high appreciation of his outstanding performance for the employees and at the same time for the community. Mr. Holger Danke was also on the Supervisory Board of the clinic for a decade.
Horst Gustav Ludewig was the 2nd authorized representative of IG Metall Salzgitter-Peine until March 2012. He played a key role in shaping the labor disputes that had to be fought to secure the locations of the Alstom, MAN and Bosch plants in Salzgitter in recent decades, working at the front line with the works councils and the workforce. The site safeguarding agreements that were concluded with the employers essentially bear his signature. His commitment, which went to the personal limit in the negotiations, deserves the highest recognition. In addition, he is also a long-standing member of the Arbeitskreis der Stadtgeschichte Salzgitter e.V.. With his outstanding commitment, he has always stood up for the interests of his fellow citizens in the community. Through his energy, he has provided valuable impetus for social cohesion and made a significant contribution to the preservation of jobs in Salzgitter.
Deserving entrepreneurs:
The company Lindhofer Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co KG was founded on October 1, 1977 by Herbert Lindhofer as a specialist electrical company. It is a master craftsman's business with specialized personnel in the fields of electrical installation, communication and security technology. Since its foundation, it has remained true to its mission of offering customers in-depth professional advice in addition to precision workmanship. In particular, the company's many years of involvement in the guild and as a district master craftsman should be emphasized. The company has established itself as a family business, handed over from Mr. Herbert Lindhofer to his son Mr. Michael Lindhofer on 01.01.2008, in Salzgitter and has become indispensable. The company is characterized by the philosophy of respectful interaction.
Möhlenhoff GmbH has been located in Salzgitter-Salder since the company was founded in 1951. By building new prefabricated halls and modernizing existing office buildings, Möhlenhoff GmbH has strengthened and secured the production site in Salzgitter for the long term. The company is one of the world's most innovative manufacturers of pioneering products and systems for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology. From its headquarters in Salzgitter, the company operates in over 60 countries worldwide and is globally active. The city of Salzgitter is particularly grateful for this loyalty to Salzgitter-Salder despite the difficult situation and expansions. The corporate philosophy is characterized by fair and honest dealings with business partners and employees, social commitment and the assumption of corporate responsibility. The company's social commitment ranges from its involvement in local life to the restoration of the railroad station and the installation of a locomotive.
Wiese Maschienbau was first founded in 1904 by Max Wiese in Breslau. After the end of the Second World War, the Wiese family reunited in Salzgitter. In 1948, the son, Bernhard Wiese, made it possible to restart the company in Salzgitter-Gebhardshagen. Since 2005, the traditional family business has been managed by Dip.-Ing. (FH) Rudolf Wiese jun. and is now in its 4th generation. As a traditional mechanical engineering company, Wiese stands for individuality and quality. For over 100 years, it has been a reliable and innovative partner for solving mechanical production tasks at the highest technical level, particularly in the food and packaging industry. The production and service spectrum ranges from classic metal processing to customized special machine construction from a single source. It should be particularly emphasized that Wiese Maschinenbau was and is a fair employer and has long contributed to the recruitment and retention of personnel with permanent contracts.