Steinmeier loses in a dragon boat - laughter despite defeat in Neuruppin!

Steinmeier loses in a dragon boat - laughter despite defeat in Neuruppin!

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Neuruppin on July 1, 2025, where he contested an exciting dragon boat duel on Lake Ruppin. Despite the committed commitment of his team, he just had to give up the crew of the mayor of Neuruppin Nico Ruhle (SPD). Steinmeier accepted his defeat with a smile and the comment "as expected". It was part of his three-day stay in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin region, which falls into the "Local time of Germany" series. The initiative aims to promote the dialogue between citizens and politics and to experience local developments up close. This was already the 16th event of this kind for the President, who is obviously interested in the interests on site.

The dragon boat race was not only planned in his program. Steinmeier also visited a canoe club where he could look over his shoulders, and also plans a citizens' dialogue in order to go directly to the residents. These activities are part of a wider goal of learning more about the challenges and opportunities that exist in the different regions of Germany.

insights into the region

Steinmeier's commitment is particularly important because Neuruppin and the surrounding Ostprignitz-Ruppin have gone through remarkable change in recent years. Similar to many other places in Germany, the city has mastered economic challenges and reinvented itself. As part of his “local time Germany” trip, Steinmeier will also be in other cities such as Delitzsch, where he will pursue local economic development and infrastructural changes. Among other things, there is also a visit to a planned large research center, which should contribute to strengthening the regional economy and aims at the structural change in the region.

In addition to the sporting activities and citizens' dialogues, Steinmeier will also exchange ideas with committed and official representatives in order to make their perspectives audible on the development of the region. The collected impressions from Neuruppin and the surrounding area could not only be important for the president, but also help the region to strengthen their own voice in the German debate.

Overall, Steinmeier shows with his visit that a close connection between politics and society is essential to actively shape the future of our cities. The dragon boat competition will probably go down as a beautiful and entertaining start of his stay in the history of this "local time Germany" series.