Newsletter 101 from 06/09/2008

International Building Exhibition (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land

1. Laid: Foundation stone for Lusatian Lakeland landmark

(1) Laid:

Foundation stone for Lusatian Lakeland landmark

It is four years since the landmark design for the Lusatian Lakeland submitted by Stefan Giers won the IBA Architecture Award and now the foundation stone has finally been laid for the 30-metre high viewing tower on the Sorno Canal. The Corten steel edifice, or the "rusty nail" as it has been dubbed by the local population, will be erected in the next few weeks. The tower will symbolise the transformation from mining landscape to lakeland and act as a visible token of the development of the Lusatian Lakeland network of lakes linked by navigable canals. Having climbed the 172 steps, visitors will be rewarded with a magnificent view of Sedlitz and Geierswald Lakes and parts of Partwitz and Ilse Lakes. The completion and the big opening of the new landmark for the Lusatian Lakeland are scheduled for September. The laying of the foundation stone marks a major milestone in the IBA project "Sedlitz Lake Waterscape".

Caption: Klaus-Otto Weymanns of the Ministry of Infrastructure, IBA chief Rolf Kuhn and Senftenberg's building department head Elke Löwe bury the casket at the laying of the foundation stone.