The ‘Gutes Leben Leipzig’ festival kicked off on Friday at Leipzig Central Station + Video

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The second edition of the ‘Gutes Leben Leipzig’ festival is in full swing. Since it kicked off on 11 September, there have already been a number of events organised by partners, and there is still plenty to experience right up until 20 September. Things got underway at 10.30 am on Friday, with Mayor Heiko Rosenthal opening the festival, whilst other key figures also took to the stage.

We arrived a little later – there were a few appointments that clashed that day – but we were able to capture plenty of the great atmosphere and the interest shown by the people of Leipzig.

Naturally, we asked the festival’s project manager, Viktoriya Machulskaya, about her first impressions. Unfortunately, the music from the band Lipsi Tight – which was creating a great atmosphere – was a bit too loud, so the sound quality of the recordings isn’t up to standard. The interviews are therefore available in text form.

Conversation with Viktoriya Machulskaya

Viktoriya, the festival has got underway. How did it go at the start?
Wonderful – we’ve already heard lots of positive feedback, and I’m really pleased. Our opening took place, and as you can see, people are very happy. The music is spot on. We also have our exhibition, which I’d like to highlight again. It served as a conversation starter for us at our opening event. People have had a look at the results and they still have the chance to take part in the survey.

You’ve also got a few partners here with their stands – I’ve seen ‘Leipzig pflanzt’, the City of Leipzig’s MTA with their cargo bike for European Mobility Week, and others. What’s next?
There isn’t actually much more happening today; the ‘Market of Opportunities’ is open until 1 pm, with lovely music. This means you’ll have the chance to chat with the various organizations involved. Perhaps you’ll also get to know these initiatives for the first time and find out where they’ll all be taking place. There’s also a bit of a sneak peek at our festival period, which runs from 12 to 20 September across the whole city. In your neighbourhood too.

We already spoke about your survey at our meeting – have you had any feedback yet?
You can see a selection from the interim analysis in our exhibition. Of course, these are just insights – a snapshot of the participants’ views. We certainly know that people in Leipzig enjoy living here. They’re satisfied with their lives, though there are naturally areas where there’s still room for improvement. Housing, for example. But we’re optimistic; after all, it’s a snapshot of public sentiment that shows us what can be changed.

Can the full interim results of your survey be found on the website?
Not the interim results themselves, but the banners will be available to view on the website. Later on, we’ll also carry out an official analysis with the help of the University of Leipzig. This will then be published.

Viktoriya, thank you very much and best of luck to you all.
Of course, we also wanted to speak to the other stakeholders; unfortunately, the two representatives from the Office for Mobility and Civil Engineering didn’t have permission to do so – that’s how the city administration is sometimes.

The Leipzig Children’s Association

However, the two colleagues from the Leipzig Children’s Association e.V. were happy to provide a brief statement.

Who are you representing here?

Hello, we’re the Leipzig Children’s Association gGmbH, and we’re taking part in the ‘Gutes Leben Leipzig’ festival. We run 15 childcare centres and open youth clubs in Leipzig and the surrounding area. We’re here today because we want to raise awareness of our initiatives. For example, we’re running a book swap and the ‘Café fix und fertig’ for children aged 10 and over at the Open Lab Thekla.

Survey results

Looking at the display boards in the exhibition gives you an impression of people’s satisfaction – at least amongst those who took part in the survey – in Leipzig. For example, 19.2 per cent rate their current life as ‘very good’, 44.8 per cent as ‘good’ and 26.4 per cent as ‘somewhat good’. That is over 90 per cent of the participants. However, there are also responses that give pause for thought. When asked “Do you feel that your voice is heard in Leipzig?”, 51.7 per cent said they felt their voice was ‘not really’ or ‘not at all’ heard. In a city that prides itself on democracy and civic participation, there is certainly room for improvement.

Leipzig Plants

We also met Thomas Gärtner from ‘Leipzig pflanzt’ and asked him:

Thomas, you’re here at the ‘Gutes Leben Leipzig’ festival – what are you doing here?

Yes, we’re here today for the festival’s opening; we’re active participants in the festival ourselves. As we all know, the festival thrives on the involvement of many people in Leipzig, and ‘Leipzig pflanzt’ is taking part with two activities. Plants and the good life are, after all, intrinsically linked. That’s what we’re promoting as participants. We’re not just here today; throughout the festival, we’re offering people the chance to get to know us. One event is on Sunday at 3 pm at the Stadtbüro, Burgplatz 1, and a second activity where we’ll be upcycling old water canisters into watering cans, which we’ll then place in public spaces so that people can water the areas we’ve planted. After all, maintenance is very important to us; it’s not just about planting, but also about looking after the plants, which is very close to our hearts.

Thank you very much, and we wish you every success.

Conclusion
: As mentioned above, we were running a little late. There were quite a few visitors who showed an interest, and even some passers-by paused as they walked past the posters. The festival runs until 20 September; the programme is extensive and can be found here. You can also still take part in the survey.