Congratulations to Kummersdorf – the largest district of the town of Storkow.
In the "Our village has a future" competition, "Kummse", as Kummersdorf is affectionately known, took first place for the Oder-Spree district and was awarded the title at district level on December 3, 2024 at Beeskow Castle.
An entire delegation, led by local mayor Enrico Grass and Storkow mayor Cornelia Schulze-Ludwig, traveled to the event to keep their fingers crossed and await the jury's decision. Alongside Kummersdorf, Rauen had also applied for the title.
Landrat Frank Steffen welcomed the many guests: "This is Champions League tonight, because there are only winners. Your two applications have shown how villages can position themselves for the future. I am impressed."
The eight-member jury, which consisted of Claudia Bartel (Volunteering and Engagement Promotion), Roger Caspar and Olaf Methfessel (Historic Preservation), Birgit Jochheim (Oder-Spree District Farmers' Association), Michael Köckritz (Voluntary Citizen), Grit Körmer (Märkische Seen Local Action Group), Hagen Platz (Housing and Health), Cornelia Richter (Culture and Sports Office) and Franziska Seifert (Ostbrandenburgische Wirtschaftsförderung GmbH), gave preference to Kummersdorf after two rounds of applications, which consisted of a written part and a site visit: "Kummersdorf scored points with the good integration of local businesses and the positive relationship between the municipality and the village community," said jury member and Claudia Bartel from the Oder-Spree Engagement Support Center. Rauen was particularly impressive with its Heidehaus support association and the many activities on offer across all generations. In the end, it was enough for second place, prize money of 2,000 euros and the special prize "Village of Generations, History and Tradition".
In his acceptance speech, the head of Kummersdorf, Enrico Grass, praised the fair competition with Rauen: "Rauen, you were our incentive. And that was perhaps also the reason why we came first." The certificate was received by the village elder, 92-year-old Gisela Zeige, who has lived in Kummersdorf since 1936 and was born in Alt Stahnsdorf.
In addition to the title, Kummersdorf also took home prize money of 3000 euros. The money will be invested directly in new projects, as next year Kummersdorf will be going one step further: the village will be competing in the state competition "Our village has a future" for the Oder-Spree district in 2025.