On 12 January, Neuenhagen's mayor Jürgen Henze handed over the baton for the chairmanship of the Märkische S5-Region Tourism Association to his counterpart Olaf Borchardt at Eggersdorf Town Hall. Petershagen/Eggersdorf's mayor will now lead the association for two years, as stipulated in the association's rules. Claus Wunderlich, Head of the Specialist Group for Business and Tourism at Strausberg Town Hall, who has been involved in the association as a tourism expert for many years, will become Managing Director. From April, he will be able to devote himself fully to the association as an early retiree.
The association's work continues to focus on joint advertising through events, cooperation with Berlin and the expansion of infrastructure: "Some cycle paths would not have been built without our pressure," summarises Olaf Borchardt, looking back on six years of the association's history. The association currently has 24 companies, five clubs and two individual members.
Recovery through exercise - the association's motto remains true to the 2012 kick-off event: on 11 February from 10 a.m., the OTS-Schadock health centre (Försterweg 26) invites you to the 9th Vogelsdorf Nordic Walking Day in Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf.
The municipal race day at the Hoppegarten racecourse is also firmly established in the calendar of events in the Märkische S5 region. On 22 April, the horses will be racing and the region will present itself with a wide range of offers. As in 2011, the association will be on site with a stand on all race days. The Hoppegarten racecourse attracted around 80,000 visitors last year. On the Märkische S5-Region race day, the members of the association in particular will have the opportunity to present themselves to a large audience.
The Märkische S5 region will be cycling towards Altlandsberg on 29 April for the Sattelfest. The new tours are already being prepared. "These highlights in particular need to be further developed," says Olaf Borchardt. In order to be able to advertise supra-regional sporting events even more, the event flyer will be published every four months this year with a print run of 20,000 copies.
Every change in chairmanship brings new accents. "We will negotiate with the Oder-Spree Lakeland Tourism Association again in order to have a stronger presence there," explains Olaf Borchardt. The region is to be opened up even more to the Berlin area. This requires a professional website and informative materials, says Managing Director Claus Wunderlich. After the town of Strausberg was given greater responsibility in the association in mid-2011, the head office is now also being moved from Altlandsberg to Strausberg. The new treasurer is Strausberg Mayor Elke Stadeler, while Rüdersdorf Mayor André Schaller remains deputy chairman.
The Strausberg tourist information centre will be the hub of the Märkische S5 region. Here, as well as in the tourist information centres in Altlandsberg and Hoppegarten, guests will be able to find answers to all their questions about the Märkische S5 region.