Jena (dpa/th) – With the application for a “Future Center German Unity and European Transformation”, the city of Jena is also hoping for better long-distance transport connections again. “If we succeed in bringing the future center here, then that will itself have a gravitational effect that will make the federal government or the railways, among other things, look at some questions differently,” said Mayor Thomas Nitzsche (FDP) on Wednesday.
He also referred to Chemnitz, which was selected as the European Capital of Culture 2025. Long-distance trains have been running from the Saxon city to Berlin since mid-June after a 16-year break. Jena lost its connection to the ICE network after Erfurt was promoted to the ICE interchange of the railways in December 2017.
With the Future Center, the federal government wants to honor the experience of East Germans with change and upheaval. It is to be housed in a new or remodeled building in eastern Germany by 2028. In addition to Jena, Thuringia’s Eisenach and Mühlhausen – together with Eschwege in Hesse – are also in the running. From other federal states, Magdeburg, Leipzig and Frankfurt an der Oder have thrown their hats in the ring.