The "Sustainable inner cities and centers" funding program aimed to strengthen inner cities and urban centers and make them fit for the future. It supported measures that contribute to the sustainable development and upgrading of urban areas. As part of the initiative to upgrade and sustainably develop urban areas, various buildings in the city center were fitted with temporary foil cladding. This unusual measure is part of a project and provides the public with important information about the "Sustainable inner cities and centers" funding program.
Immediately after the funding was approved, a first vacant property near Christuskirchplatz was decorated with information and the aims of the funding program. Further professional stickers were applied to the former Café Keller, the former Café Extrablatt and a vacancy in Otto-Decker-Straße. All three buildings are located in Oberstein's pedestrian zone, had been vacant for a long time and now beautify the surroundings with their colorful wraps. In addition to information about the funding program, interested visitors can also learn about exciting aspects of Idar-Oberstein's history. A long-standing vacancy in the Idar pedestrian zone has also been spruced up in this way.
"Pimp my City" is an urban initiative aimed at beautifying unused and unsightly areas in the city center. Through creative art projects and the involvement of local artists, urban spaces are upgraded and made more attractive to the public. Under the motto "Pimp my City", two unsightly corners in the Idar district were transformed into attractive selfie points. The first was a wall in the Maler-Wild-Platz area, which was created by designer Bärbel Busch with a thematically appropriate motif in time for the Jazz Days. Bärbel Busch had won an ideas competition as part of the City Mood inner city program. The response from passers-by to the artwork was so positive that the city's economic development department decided to breathe new life into the dreary concrete surface above the ice cream parlor in Idar and remove an unsightly graffiti hotspot. To this end, a call was issued to artists from the region to submit their ideas. The prerequisite for this was that the design should have a connection to the city and that the design could also be implemented by the artist themselves. The winning design was rewarded with an expense allowance of 2,500 euros and the good feeling of having left a lasting mark in the heart of the city. There were five high-quality ideas to choose from, from which citizens were able to select their favorite, and not just via the city's social media presence. Lena Fromm came out on top with her title "Eis Eis Baby".
"Concepts are good and important. However, visible results for local people are often even more valuable," says City Manager Lara Paulus, describing the very successful results of the "Pimp My City" project. After extensive and intensive cleaning campaigns, the two pedestrian zones have become more attractive. "Cleanliness in the city center is not only a visual factor, but also a sign of appreciation for public spaces and for the well-being of the citizens," says Sarah Wagner from the city's business development department, describing the efforts of the funding program. "A clean and well-maintained pedestrian zone promotes a sense of community and contributes to a positive image of the city. Investing in regular cleaning is therefore an investment in the future of our city centers," agrees her colleague Caroline Pehlke. The city council is therefore also appealing to everyone involved, from store owners to citizens, to work together to maintain a clean and inviting cityscape.
In addition, the funds from the program were also used to make the town entrance signs more colourful and modern. In the run-up to Christmas 2023, the town's highlights, the Felsenkirche church and castle, were impressively staged by the company AURA-Engineering. The exterior façade of the Felsenkirche changed colors and even the windows were illuminated. Energy-efficient LED spotlights were used to reduce consumption to a minimum. Together with the Christmas lighting, this created a very special atmosphere.