Seven "Salzland women" chosen for 2026

Commitment is not only shown in big words, but above all in deeds, passion and constant dedication. Today we would like to honour a person who embodies exactly that in an extraordinary way: someone who is fully committed to the salt town of Staßfurt, its culture and its people.

In her role as the salt fairy of the salt town of Staßfurt, she embodies identification, commitment and regional solidarity in a special way. She has represented the town at countless regional and national events, established networks, cultivated contacts and made Staßfurt visible with an open, authentic demeanour. Her commitment goes far beyond the usual - she contributes ideas, presence and enthusiasm and is prepared to use her private free time and holidays for this.

It is also actively involved in cultural and social work in the city: With book readings, exhibitions, events in the mining museum and many other projects, she supports cultural life in a sustainable way. Her commitment is characterised by reliability, a sense of responsibility and the desire to make the city an experience for everyone.

Her work in the social sphere is also remarkable. As a pedagogue, dance teacher and board member of a support association, she puts her heart and soul into helping children, families and the common good. With patience and creativity, she not only teaches the children skills and knowledge, but also strengthens their self-confidence, team spirit and enjoyment of doing things together. Her work enriches community life in the long term and leaves its mark far beyond individual events.

Through her involvement in clubs and associations, particularly the 1st Stassfurt Carnival Club, she also helps to preserve traditions, provide new impetus and inspire children and young people for community and culture. Her open nature, her willingness to help and her extraordinary commitment make her a role model for voluntary work in our region.

People like them stand for a sense of community and a willingness to take on responsibility. They make cities more liveable, traditions more tangible and cultural togetherness stronger.

The award winner has been involved in church children's and youth work with exceptional dedication since 2023. She naturally and responsibly takes on the organisation and management of the weekly children's club. There, she teaches the children Christian values in a playful way and creates a safe space through varied community activities, such as joint handicrafts. The children have the opportunity to give free rein to their creativity and feel completely at ease.

They playfully immerse themselves in the story of creation by opening a mysterious treasure chest together. In the summer months, there is a regular picnic for the children, where stories are told and exchanged. In the run-up to Christmas, the children work together to make an Advent wreath for the church and Christmas decorations for the tables. This gets the children in the mood for Christmas. The prizewinner puts a lot of energy, free time and commitment into the annual nativity play. From October, she regularly rehearses with the children and organises everything related to the nativity play. This year, she made it possible for the children to visit the Adonia musical in Thale, a musical in which biblical stories are performed with song, dance, theatre and a live band. This experience left a lasting impression on the children.

The prizewinner mastered the challenge of recruiting younger children for the group with remarkable determination. She designed flyers, distributed them around the town and actively sought dialogue with the school's pupils. With great passion and persuasiveness, she succeeded in recruiting new children to the group. With her tireless efforts, she manages to inspire the children and organise valuable cultural highlights in the town.

The award winner is characterised in a special way by her loving and appreciative approach to children. Her passion impressively demonstrates the strength that a young woman with heart, perseverance and a sense of responsibility can develop.

Today is a special day. On which we honour people who have shaped our town of Bernburg (Saale) and our Salzland district - not through headlines and big words, but through their attitude and their consistent actions.

Volunteering is not a side note in our city. It is the connecting element between generations, between cultures, between long-established residents and newcomers, and there are individuals who have been doing this for decades with vigour, inventiveness and unwavering commitment.

The person being honoured today has lived in our city for around 30 years. As an American citizen, she brought an international perspective with her from the very beginning - an openness that she never saw as a speciality, but as a matter of course. Early on, she volunteered as a representative for foreigners. Even then, she showed what still characterises her today: a firm desire to build bridges.

By founding her own language school, she has been making a lasting contribution to education in the Salzland district for over 20 years. As a freelance native English teacher, she has given generations of children playful access to the English language. She has also helped companies to improve the technical language skills of their employees. Education, it seems, is not just a profession for her, but a vocation.

When many refugees came to Bernburg (Saale) in 2015, the question arose for many: How do we create encounters? How do we promote integration not only organisationally, but also on a human level?

This question gave rise to an idea. The idea of a place that is more than just a room. A place that radiates warmth. A place where people not only fill in forms, but also listen to each other. A place where new and old Bernburgers can talk to each other. This is how the "Coffee to Stay" meeting place came about.

Mainly run by volunteers, it still offers open integration programmes for around 30 hours a week. Individual counselling, support, joint activities and not forgetting the legendary home-baked delicacies, which have long since become a symbol of this warm-hearted offer for many.

Anyone who knows her knows that warm-heartedness and energy are not mutually exclusive. A few weeks ago, she took part in an ice bath - an image that perhaps symbolises her courage, her energy and her willingness to jump in at the deep end when it comes to breaking new ground.

Over 25 years ago, she also founded an international drumming group - a project that is much more than just making music together. It is an encounter, rhythm as a common language, cultural exchange in the best sense of the word. Music becomes a unifying element between people from different backgrounds.

She has also been an official tour guide in Bernburg (Saale) since 2017. International groups are particularly close to her heart. She enthusiastically conveys the history, culture and attitude to life of our town - and thus also contributes to understanding across borders.

For decades, she has combined professional and voluntary commitment in an extraordinary way. She combines education, culture and social work and has understood integration not as an abstract concept, but as a daily task. As team leader of the Begegnungsladen, she continues to shape a place that has become the first port of call and place of hope for many people.

Her continuous commitment to understanding, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion has enriched coexistence in the city and district in the long term.

It is a great honour and a very special pleasure to pay tribute today to a woman whose heart is bigger than any motorbike helmet and whose commitment sounds louder than any engine, whose outstanding voluntary work to promote the common good in Schönebeck sets an example for us all.

We honour a woman who doesn't talk for long when she can act. A woman who takes action. Who not only spins ideas, but implements them. Who walks through our city with open arms, an open heart and open ears - bringing people together, inspiring and inspiring them.

Our award winner from Schönebeck (Elbe) is one of those rare personalities that you meet - and immediately realise: this is someone with attitude. With a strong sense of justice. With the courage to address uncomfortable issues. And, above all, with a deep conviction that charity is not an old-fashioned word, but a mission.

It all began in 2021 when she bought a motorbike. Some people would have just taken it for a spin. Not her. She immediately had a vision: to ride through the city in a Santa costume to bring a smile to people's faces. The response to her plan was overwhelming. So in 2022, she added chocolate for the children - financed by herself and her husband. And because bright children's eyes are known to be addictive - in the very best sense - the idea continued to grow.

A single initiative grew into a movement. A vision became a community. “Biker
for Youth” took shape. In 2024, she raised 800 euros from friends and acquaintances, a sum that, through the collection of additional donations, grew to approximately 4,000 euros. In 2025, she finally founded the non-profit association “Biker 4 Youth” and launched a fundraising appeal, which had already reached an impressive total of 14,175 euros by November.

But numbers alone do not tell the true story. The real work begins for her every year in September. This is when she plans routes, talks to facilities, collects the wishes of children from the surrounding homes - including the AWO children's and youth welfare centre "Haus Achterbahn" in Schönebeck, the Burghof with the integrative children's and youth residential communities "Haus Martin", "Haus an der Burg", "Klick Pömmelte", the outpatient support and day group in Schönebeck, the Ankerplatz residential community of the VHS-Bildungswerk in Glinde, the Nestwärme day group in Zens, the Caritas residential home St. Elisabeth Calbe and the SOS Kinderdorf Calbe. Elisabeth Calbe and the SOS Children's Village Calbe.

And do you know what’s right at the top of children’s wish lists? Not toys.
Not gadgets. But: a family. People who have time. Someone who listens.

When she and her fellow campaigners drive up on motorbikes and quads, the children come out of their houses full of anticipation. They sing together. Gifts are presented. And then the girls and boys are allowed to sit on "their" motorbike for a Polaroid photo. A Polaroid on purpose. Not a picture that disappears into a mobile phone gallery - but a moment that is immediately tangible. A memento that lasts. Afterwards, they do laps of the car park. They tinker, bake, talk and sometimes even cry. These are days full of joy - and full of quiet stories. A rollercoaster of emotions. Because the greatest wishes of these children cannot be bought.

A large number of the children have known our nominee for the title of "Salzlandfrau" and her companions since 2023, they make something for the visitors every year and proudly show the Polaroid pictures from previous years - these are moments that go deep. Our award winner today has a very special gift: children feel safe with her. Seen. Taken seriously. And it doesn't matter how old someone is, how tall, whether they have a disability or not - she treats everyone with the same respect.

But her commitment does not end at Advent. As a member of the support association of Schönebeck's Felgeleben district fire brigade, she prepares the annual open day by helping intensively with the planning and is then responsible for the children's activities on offer there, such as mini disco, braiding hair, engraving jewellery, holding a baby exchange, running a craft street, selling balloons or providing a bouncy castle.

Many people associate it with charity and compassion. As she was very annoyed that there were so few traditional St Martin's Day processions in 2025, she organised one herself at short notice, which 116 people joined and then ate a grilled sausage at her home. Her reasoning? Charity must not be forgotten. And it must be passed on to our children.

Our prizewinner, who worked in agriculture and has two daughters and three grandchildren, was already tirelessly committed to getting young people, especially the youngest, interested in cycling, as well as preserving the history of the "Berlin-Prague-Warsaw" peace ride.

For 20 years, she has supported her husband, who is the first chairman of the Peace Ride Museum in Kleinmühlingen, with great dedication, love and passion, keeping his back free, organising guided tours at weekends and for groups on other days if required.

In addition, from April/May onwards each year, the Peace Race Museum attends various events – such as the ‘Open Heath Day’ in Gardelegen,
the ‘Miles of Democracy’ in Magdeburg, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Staßfurt and the Elbe Cycling Days – with a stand offering leaflets, cake and drinks.

For more than 15 years, our nominee for the honorary award has also been actively helping to organise the small peace rides in the towns of Schönebeck, Gnadau, Pömmelte and Kleinmühlingen. Kindergarten children take part in these events on balance bikes and bobby cars (as in Kleinmühlingen, Großmühlingen, Ranies and Zens) or children aged 8 to 15 on bicycles (as on Schönebeck's Salineinsel, in Calbe, Bernburg, Barby, Egeln and Welsleben).

The preparations that our nominee for the title of "Salzlandfrau" (Salzland woman) conscientiously undertakes include liaising with the respective towns, public order offices and the DRK ambulance as well as the local police. In addition, the roads have to be travelled to identify possible dangers and, of course, donations for prizes, T-shirts etc. have to be collected.

Even though our honoured woman can always count on the support of daycare centres, schools, communities, volunteer fire brigades, the German Red Cross, club members, active citizens and the federal programme Demokratie Leben, she deserves to be honoured for her many years of voluntary work.

Some people don't make a loud or grand entrance. They are simply there. Reliably. For decades. And it is precisely these people who carry a city, hold the community together and ensure that history, values and humanity are not lost.

Today we are honouring a person who has dedicated their life to the service of society. Someone who sees responsibility not as a buzzword, but as an attitude. Someone who shows that volunteering is not a hobby on the side, but a quiet life's work.

For many decades, this woman has shaped social, cultural and commemorative life in Staßfurt and the Salzland district. Her commitment is characterised by consistency, personal responsibility and genuine humanity. She preserves traditions, creates encounters and remembers where remembrance is uncomfortable but necessary.

A particular focus of her work is the preservation of the mining tradition. As a member of the Staßfurt Miners' Association, she has been involved in keeping history alive almost from the very beginning. She founded the women's group of the association, shaped it over many years and filled it with life. Her recitations at the St Barbara's Day processions give voice and meaning to mining values - calm, dignified and understandable for everyone.

At municipal events, such as the Salzland Festival, her contributions also help to ensure that regional identity does not degenerate into folklore, but can be experienced as part of our present.

Her commitment to commemoration and remembrance work is particularly impressive. At the annual commemoration of the Reichspogromnacht at the Jewish cemetery in Staßfurt, she repeatedly used moving words to remind people of responsibility, humanity and civil courage. These speeches were not compulsory exercises, but a clear sign that remembrance requires an attitude.

Since 2015, she has also been involved in the Staßfurt Peace Initiative for peaceful coexistence. Week after week, she accompanies discussions, moderates meetings and keeps the dialogue alive. She has also made a powerful human impact with her contributions at commemorative events for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

She has also been actively involved in the work of the Staßfurt URANIA for many years. Here she acts as a pedagogical counsellor, promotes educational programmes, accompanies people in different life situations and encourages personal development. She was instrumental in founding and supporting an intercultural choir, which is much more than just a musical project: a place of encounter, togetherness and integration.

What connects all these activities is not the desire for recognition, but an inner attitude. This commitment happens quietly, reliably and without any claim to the stage or applause. Behind the scenes, she helps prepare events, thinks along, lends a hand and takes on responsibility. Not because anyone expects it. But because she thinks it's the right thing to do.

This woman is an example of an honorary position that creates community, preserves memories and conveys values. She combines a sense of tradition with social responsibility, education with humanity and attitude with warmth of heart. Such life's work does not happen overnight. They grow over years, often decades. And they deserve to be recognised.

The salt town of Staßfurt is proud that such a personality comes from its midst.

Our award winner, who has been young for some time now - she will be 85 years old in July - was not born in our beautiful Salzland district, but in Falkenau, in what is now the district of Central Saxony. She moved to Nienburg (Saale) in 1981. She has been the proud owner of a small house near the town centre since 1985. I personally remember her from that time because I lived in the immediate vicinity with my parents.

In her long professional life, our award winner focussed on children and young people, mainly those who had a hard time in life due to physical or mental disabilities. Her calm and level-headed manner was already a good basis for her lifelong social commitment.

Even today, our award winner is not a loud, ever-present person. She always acts quietly and in the background, but if you know it, you can see her in the city in all weathers. For many decades now, our honouree has continued to work for free-roaming animals, especially cats, as a matter of course and unselfishly. She has set up feeding stations and shelters for stray animals in our town and on the outskirts and shows a big heart for creatures that have no owner or have simply been abandoned.

This heart is so big that our award winner can sometimes be seen cycling towards Bernburg with a stray cat or a found animal in her "luggage", where it then receives the necessary treatment from the vet or can be neutered in order to curb an unchecked growing population. All of this is done completely selflessly and often without being directly recognised by society, but it is of immense importance to society.

We nominated our award winner at the suggestion of the municipal public order office, with whom she works closely and who she also assists in word and deed when it comes to lost and found animals of all kinds.

We actually nominated her for the award in the "Social" category, knowing full well that the award winners have always been honoured for their social work "with people".