125 years of the Queckborn waterworks - for Stadtwerke Gießen, this anniversary was a reason to celebrate. The waterworks therefore opened its doors and gave numerous interested parties an insight into the complex process of producing and supplying drinking water.
Why has the good Queckborn water been coming to Giessen for over 100 years? What characterises its quality? And how does it travel the 20 kilometres or so? These and many other questions were answered by experts from Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) during the open day at the Queckborn waterworks. The occasion was the 125th anniversary of the historic brick building. "Back in the 19th century, those responsible in the city of Giessen showed foresight when they discovered the purity of the Queckborn water and entered into negotiations with the municipality of Queckborn to develop these water sources for the citizens of Giessen," Matthias Funk, Technical Director of SWG, summarised in his welcoming speech.
Grünberg's mayor Frank Ide emphasised the good cooperation between the town of Grünberg and SWG: "Over the decades, both parties have always worked in partnership, acted sustainably and for the benefit of all parties involved." Queckborn's mayor Wilhelm Zoll emphasised the value of pure drinking water and appealed for the responsible use of this precious commodity.
125 years and still up to date
The main item on the programme of the open day was a guided tour of the waterworks and the associated fountain garden. Before Peter Keller, Head of Networks Energy & Water at SWG, invited the guests to take a tour of the waterworks and fountain garden, his colleague Ina Weller, SWG company spokeswoman, explained what awaited the visitors at the waterworks on this day. "The popular Fabius holiday games are on the programme for our younger guests. The popular SWG wheel of fortune will also be available and refreshments will also be provided." Keller then took over the task of entertaining the guests with in-depth expertise on the subject of water. "The clinker brick building, which is typical of the late Wilhelminian era and has since been completely renovated, is not only beautiful to look at; it still fulfils all requirements today". And he provided the reason for this: "We always keep the technology inside the waterworks up to date and attach great importance to quality, especially when it comes to drinking water production."
Not just water
Of course, an open day like this is essentially about drinking water. But of course SWG also offered fun and games for younger guests. They were delighted with the fun hands-on stations and the large bouncy castle, familiar from the holiday games. No less popular were the catering stands where SWG served sausages, cakes, coffee and cool drinks.
The SWG meeting point also attracted many guests. With the right spin on the wheel of fortune, there were interesting gifts to be won. SWG also sold raffle tickets in aid of the Tour of Hope. Last but not least, many visitors took the opportunity to find out about Giessen's green electricity and the popular RasenRobo from SWG.