New life at the Lady's House: Sonnenberger Platz ceremoniously opened!

New life at the Lady's House: Sonnenberger Platz ceremoniously opened!

The city of Sonneberg has taken another step towards urban development and resilience. Long criticized, the former department store “Haus der Dame” is bringing life back to the city center. Originally opened in 1897 by Carl Rosenthal, the historic site has seen many ups and downs over the years. After the department store changed hands over the course of history and was ultimately nationalized in the GDR, it fell into disrepair after the fall of the Wall and was demolished in 1994. After numerous failed redesign plans, construction work on a new lounge area finally began in autumn 2024. As insuedthueringen.de reports, the area was inaugurated on May 15, 2025 and funded with 300,000 euros ZiZ federal funding program financed.

A picture puzzle currently offers a special incentive for citizens, which helps to increase citizen engagement. 89 letters have already been submitted for the current competition, the winner of which, Edeltraud Rebhan, won a voucher from the Gessner home brewery. The next puzzle relates to a location in the northern hemisphere of the Sonneberg district, very close to the Morassina mine. The creative solution suggestions can be submitted until June 20, 2025.

A new chapter for Sonneberg

The city center of Sonneberg is transforming into a resilient place to live and work. The project aims to preserve the traditions of the former World Toy City and strengthen the city's identity. Local actors and specialist planners are involved in order to develop a future vision for the toy city of the 21st century. According to innenstadtprogramm.bund.de, the focus is on the following areas:

• Weiterentwicklung der Innenstadtmarke
• Platz- und Umfeldgestaltung
• Re-Design der Sonneberger Spielmeile
• Inszenierung der Spielzeugherstellungstradition

With a total budget of 855,327.04 euros, of which up to 656,331.76 euros were approved as federal funds, concepts, studies and structural investment measures are to be promoted. The project aims to increase the quality of stay and social-cultural life around the play stations and thus aims to appeal to all target groups beyond the city limits.

Urban development based on resilience

The challenges brought about by the corona pandemic have changed everyday life significantly since spring 2020. Cities and communities are looking for new solutions to remain sustainable. The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community launched an expert advisory board in autumn 2020 whose aim is to find ways to make cities resilient. The resulting memorandum on urban resilience, which was published on nationale-stadtentwicklungspolitik.de, formulates recommendations for action for robust, adaptive and sustainable urban development.

By implementing the findings from the memorandum, cities want to improve their urban space in the coming months and adapt it to the challenges of the 21st century. Sonneberg is making an important contribution to urban resilience with the redesign of its city center and the revitalization of the historic “Haus der Dame” and shows how commitment at the local level can bear fruit.