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Digital control center for West Thuringia starts: future for Arnstadt!
The West Thuringia digital control center started on July 1, 2025. Gotha is getting out, while Ilm-Kreis and Wartburgkreis continue.
Digital control center for West Thuringia starts: future for Arnstadt!
The West Thuringia digital control center began operations on July 1, 2025 and offers a coordinated contact point for emergency calls from the Ilm district and the Wartburg district. This new service will be run under the name “West Thuringia Control Center, Arnstadt Location” and will remain at its location in Arnstadt. Those responsible assure that the professionalism and support for those seeking help will remain in full, as [inSuedthueringen reports](https://www.insuedthueringen.de/content.digitale-leitstelle-startet-leitstelle-westthueringen- Nimm-betrieb-auf.9d94de13-394f-4163-a223-02338569b1d7.html).
However, the project to set up the digital control center in western Thuringia is not without challenges. The Gotha district has decided to withdraw from the partnership, which is regretted by the remaining partners, the Wartburg district and the Ilm district. Despite this turn of events, both districts want to move forward with the joint rescue control center while ongoing discussions with potential new partners take place. According to MDR, the Gotha district's withdrawal has no impact on the state's control center strategy, but could affect funding since these are tied to partnerships.
Background and challenges
A central control center was originally planned in Schwabhausen, which was to be put into operation in 2027. A suitable property has already been found for this purpose, but high costs of around 17 million euros led to intensive discussions. Since the Gotha district is distancing itself from the special purpose association “Central Control Center West Thuringia”, which was founded in 2020, the acquired property will now be transferred to the Gotha district. However, the remaining partners are confident that they will achieve the goal of a digital control center by the end of 2026 at the latest.
The need to restructure the control centers in Thuringia is undisputed, and the state has been pursuing the goal of reducing the number of rescue control centers for several years. There are currently twelve such facilities in Thuringia and the aim is to bring them up to date with the latest technology and at the same time save costs. Financing is provided by the state and the statutory health insurance companies. In the south of Thuringia, work is also underway on a joint control center in the Southern Thuringia rescue service association, a further sign of efforts to increase efficiency.
Although the path towards a modern and effective control center is once again riddled with hurdles, those responsible in Arnstadt and the surrounding districts are working together to overcome the challenges and guarantee citizens reliable emergency care. It remains to be seen which new partners can be won to further advance the digital control center efforts.