The Hessian Elisabeth Prize for Social Welfare goes to the Rodgau association "Wisa - Wir sind angekommen" The association supports refugees in need of help with everyday problems.
Rodgau artists Bernd Michael Land and Marina Ecker are honoured by the German Rock and Pop Music Association. The electronic musician receives five prizes in different categories. The singer receives the prize in the "Best Pop Song" category.
Improvisation required: the rooms of the independent music school and the community centre in Dudenhofen are quickly converted into vaccination centres.
Former Rodgau town councillor Rainer Bergert passes away at the age of 78. He had received the plaque of honour from the town of Rodgau for his work in local politics.
The Offenbach district is becoming a coronavirus hotspot. Of 548 new infections on the second weekend in January, 46 Rodgau residents are also affected.
The carnival procession in Jügesheim is cancelled due to the pandemic situation.
The Rodgau Action Alliance of Solidarity and Reason organises a vigil in front of the town hall as a sign against the "Monday walkers".
The DrachenHorst daycare centre in the Rodgau development area of Hainhausen-West opens for business.
Anette Schweikart-Paul, Honorary Chairwoman of the City Council, passes away on 1 February after a short, serious illness at the age of just 68.
The Rodgau Education Fair has been postponed to 9 July due to the pandemic situation.
The former cemetery in Nieder-Roden is to become a public park.
Almost three years after the first public participation, the city presents a first preliminary draft. The assessment rate for property tax is to rise to 700 per cent instead of the 750 per cent envisaged.
New co-operation: Found animals from Rodgau no longer come to the animal shelter in Aschaffenburg, but to the animal welfare association in Darmstadt.
On 24 February, Vladimir Putin orders an attack by Russian troops on Ukraine.
Consequences of the war: The first refugees from Ukraine arrive and ask for accommodation.
Members of the "Sustainable in Rodgau" and "Rodgau Children's and Youth Farm" initiatives launch the "Clean Rodgau" spring cleaning campaign with the support of the municipal utilities.
More than 200 people take part in the rally at the town hall under the slogan "No to war." - "Peace in Europe." Stop Putin - Peace for Ukraine."
Help for war refugees: the Jügesheim PR Group launches a huge donation campaign. Hundreds of pallets of relief supplies find their way to Ukraine.
The Sängerkrank-Polyhymnia singing association celebrates its 150th birthday.
The reforestation of storm-ravaged areas in the Jügesheim forest is progressing. Since the beginning of the year, 26,200 trees have been planted.
The largest daycare centre in Rodgau goes online. Divided into eight groups, the premises offer space for 148 children, including 48 toddlers.
The Parkhotel on the border to Rollwald is rented for two years by the Offenbach district for Ukrainian war refugees.
The two midwives Nicole Kullmann and Inge Kern open the joint practice Hebamme² in Jügesheim, thereby closing a gap.
The sports clubs JSK Rodgau and SV Weiskirchen are endeavouring to merge and are proposing a merger to their members to be put to the vote.
The new Rodgaucard for retailers, tradespeople, restaurateurs and service providers is being launched. Bonus points can be collected and redeemed from 9 April.
No animal ban for circus guest performances in Rodgau. This was decided by the Darmstadt Administrative Court in an urgent ruling.
Cycling for climate protection: the state of Hesse donates cargo bikes to municipal utilities, daycare centres and libraries.
The VdK social association celebrates its 75th anniversary. The association is committed to a fairer social policy.
In a public participation programme, the people of Rodgau are given the opportunity to help decide on the future of the footpaths and cycle paths along the Rodau.
The Rodgau language café is opening its doors in Nieder-Roden. All people with a migration background who would like to learn German and socialise over a cup of coffee or tea are welcome.
Despite cool temperatures and rain, the lido celebrates the opening of the new bathing season with many attractions on site.
The new medical and health centre celebrates its topping-out ceremony: the three-storey building is already fully let and the first practices are due to open in 2023.
The Weiskirchen Music Society honours long-time members Herbert Massoth and Dietmar Schrod with honorary titles at its 100th anniversary matinee.
The "Europe Day Rodgau" event takes place at the community centre in Dudenhofen. In addition to an orchestral performance by composer Jens Joneleit, Mayor Jürgen Hoffmann recalls the European idea in times of the Ukraine war in his speech.
The JSK-Fassenacht returns after two years with its costume session under the motto "Narretei im Mai".
The first cycle lane is being built in Rodgau: cyclists will have priority on Dr Weinholz Strasse in future. Cars are only allowed on one side of the road at a time.
Gravel extraction requested until 2051: Rodgauer Baustoffwerke wants to extend its sand and gravel extraction in the forest between Dudenhofen and Babenhausen by ten years until 2051. The renaturalisation should be completed by the end of 2064.
A mayoral era comes to an end: Jürgen Hoffmann retires after two terms of office and a total of 12 years as head of the town hall. Max Breitenbach is officially inaugurated as mayor and from now on will be in charge of the town hall.
The "City Cycling" campaign organised by the European Climate Alliance is also starting in Rodgau. The event will run for three weeks and aims to encourage people to switch to bicycles in order to help protect the climate.
This year, the Whitsun market replaces the traditional Easter market, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.
For the start of the lido season, the town of Rodgau is donating 250 vouchers for an individual or family visit to the bathing lake to customers of the "Tante Emma" food bank initiative.
20 years of town twinning: The Croatian friends from Donja Stubica are guests in Weiskirchen on Corpus Christi weekend.
Six years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the new "Hainhausen-West" residential area is almost complete. Of the 168 plots, 138 have already been built on.
Special language programme for migrant women: Together with the vhs Rodgau and the municipal education management of the district of Offenbach, a German course for mothers has been created, which takes place regularly in the Seestraße daycare centre in Nieder-Roden.
The 26th Rodgau Education Fair will be a hybrid fair: Pupils have the opportunity to get in touch with the companies on site in the schoolyard of the Heinrich-Böll-Schule in Nieder-Roden or to get in touch with the companies online via a live chat function.
Back after four years: the beer festival attracts numerous visitors to the "Dalles" at the community centre in Dudenhofen in beautiful weather. In addition, the wine week at Puiseauxplatz in Nieder-Roden returns after a 2-year break.
Under the motto "Job & Grill", a cosy get-together takes place at the youth centre in Dudenhofen between motivated young people and institutions such as the German Armed Forces, the police, trades and other companies.
Mayor Max Breitenbach launches his new series "Stadtgeflüster - Der Videoblog des Bürgermeisters" (City Whispers - The Mayor's Video Blog) and informs citizens about current topics in Rodgau via the city's social channels every two weeks.
Start of the holidays in Hesse: The holiday games in the Rodgau districts offer a colourful mix of activities such as trips to amusement parks, graffiti workshops and much more.
Hatice Alev Janetzka is named Sportswoman of the Year at the matinee of honour. Born in Turkey, she has been an enthusiastic participant in various athletics disciplines at JSK Rodgau since 2012.
In addition to Rodgau, more than 14 towns and municipalities are suffering from increased aircraft noise due to segmented approach procedures. The towns of Rüsselheim, Heusenstamm and Neu-Isenburg are taking legal action on their behalf.
Joint advertising campaign to save energy: In response to the sharp reduction in natural gas supplies, suppliers in towns and districts are joining forces to appeal to the public with tips on how to save energy.
The lido festival provides a great atmosphere with a wide-ranging music repertoire. With the best weather and numerous guests from the surrounding area, the party continues well into the evening.
At an extraordinary meeting of the city parliament, members with a total of more than 489 years of voluntary service are honoured.
The "13th Rodgau Seniors' Day" takes place under the motto "Rodgau - my town! This is where I want to grow old", traditionally taking place again after a two-year break due to the coronavirus.
New format "Town hall on site" - Mayor Max Breitenbach seeks dialogue with citizens.
The Adult Education Centre (vhs) presents its new programme and offers over 162 exciting courses from six different subject areas.
The "Park Spectacle" takes place in Luther Park. The Agency for Culture, Sport and Volunteering provides entertainment with a varied programme ranging from musical acts, stilt walkers and pantomime to magic and entertainment juggling.
The drought and persistent heat are causing water shortages everywhere. In his video format "Stadtgeflüster", Mayor Max Breitenbach asks citizens to reduce their consumption of non-essential water.
The summer heat causes various forest fires. The Rodgau fire brigade provides support at a major fire near Münster-Breitefeld.
The city of Rodgau and the municipal utilities establish a working group to take joint action against the energy crisis. Initial measures include reducing the lighting in the town and lowering the heating temperatures in public buildings for the next few months.
After a three-year break, the 19th Rodgau Triathlon returns. 550 athletes take part in the event.
The Intercultural Weeks begin. A colourful and varied programme with many events is ready and waiting. This year's motto is "#open goes".
The beaver is back at home in Rodgau. The endangered species is now an integral part of the Rodau ecosystem. The latest beaver dam is located on the edge of the Nieder-Roden-Süd industrial estate. The beaver's activities are beneficial to the water and nature and must therefore be protected at all costs.
New-build project at the entrance to Jügesheim almost complete. The three striking residential cubes with a total of 50 rental flats will be ready for occupation from 1 December.
The children's festival on Puiseauxplatz in Nieder-Roden will be celebrated again for the 41st time after two years of children's painting events. With lots of games, craft activities and experiments, the children can experience a colourful programme.
The city takes measures to secure the energy supply. The heating temperatures are reduced to 19 degrees and the hot water boilers are switched off in all toilet facilities of the city, municipal utilities and sports halls. Daycare centres, youth facilities and residential buildings are not affected.
The 24-hour run takes place again at the Dudenhofen sports centre. 167 men and women run in 16 teams at the weekend for a good cause for the "Gemeinsam mit Behinderten" association. Around 112,000 euros are raised.
Rodgau should become cleaner. The "Sustainable in Rodgau!" initiative invites citizens to take part in "Rodgau ent(d)ecken!" rubbish collection campaigns.
Mayor Breitenbach has now been in office for 100 days. He is satisfied with the current process and continues to work on his goals, such as citizen communication, the mobility concept and urban development, and is looking forward to all further challenges.
The Rodgaubahn railway is 125 years old. More than 16 people involved have jointly written a book about the diverse railway history. This documentation has more than 300 pictures and will be officially published in October. It is dedicated to the history of the Offenbach-Reinheim railway line.
This year, the trade association is once again organising the "Hessian Cabbage Championship". Over 1000 kilograms of cabbage were provided. The cabbage slicing was won by the serial winners "Kohl and the Gang" with a record-breaking 42.8 kilograms. Sauerkraut is made from the sliced cabbage.
The local chapter of the Child Protection Association celebrates its 45th anniversary. The family counselling centre in Rodgau and Rödermark advises around 200 families a year and provides relief with the help of volunteers.
The beaver is back in Rodgau and is causing a need for discussion. Residents around the Finksensee lake are concerned that heavy rainfall could lead to flooding. This fear was allayed during an on-site meeting with Mayor Max Breitenbach and experts from the lower nature conservation authority. However, the accumulated water is clogging the outlet channel of a rainwater retention basin at Finkensee. Cracks have formed in the previously unflooded outlet channel, allowing the cold Rodau water to penetrate. This in turn has consequences for the sewage treatment plant in Weiskirchen. The cold Rodau water permanently lowers the temperature of the water that arrives at the sewage treatment plant. The bacteria required for biological wastewater treatment cannot cope with this temperature difference - it is too cold. The municipal utilities have commissioned an engineering firm to examine the case. [IMAGE]
This autumn, municipalities and private households are thinking about how energy can be saved over the winter. The basis for action for the town of Rodgau is the "Ordinance on Securing the Energy Supply via Measures Effective in the Short Term" (EnSikuMaV) issued by the federal government.
Energieversrogung Rodgau (EVR) is cancelling 4,500 electricity supply contracts. One of the reasons for this is the ongoing war in Ukraine and the associated uncertainties on the electricity market (especially electricity generation from gas). For legal reasons, customers will receive a new offer when their existing contracts are cancelled. However, nobody will be without electricity. In an emergency, EVO will step in.
It will finally be available in October 2022: the anniversary book "125 years of the Rodgaubahn. In collaboration with the neighbouring communities, the local history and heritage associations have written a volume about the past and present of the railway line from various perspectives. The book was published a year late as the production and writing process was difficult due to the coronavirus pandemic. 200 pages of railway history - filled with figures, data, facts, but also stories and anecdotes. An exciting chronicle about the history of the "Rodgaubahn" The work can be purchased for a donation from the local heritage organisations. [PICTURE]
To celebrate its 180th birthday, the Dudenhofen Male Voice Choir is organising a very special show in the Dudenhofen community centre. In its anniversary show, Rodgau's oldest association celebrates the best of 100 years of musicals, for example from "Wicked", "The Lion King", "My Fair Lady" and many more. They will be joined by soprano Sabine Bussalb from the Rodgau Free Music School and tenor Christian Dietz from the WDR Radio Choir and, of course, the choir members from Dudenhofen themselves.
This year, the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule is once again taking part in the "Walk to School" campaign week organised by Verkehrsclub Deutschland and the German Children's Fund. The children were asked to come to school on foot or by scooter. Those who did so received a wooden bead and were allowed to throw it into a transparent column. This made it possible to see how many children came to school on foot. The walking bus at Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule in Dudenhofen has established itself. Since 2015, there have been "stop signs" throughout the district where children meet and walk to school together at a certain time. This has significantly reduced the number of parent taxis, says head teacher Mara Einloft.
The new flats on Dudenhöfer Strasse are ready. Now the city is looking for tenants. "Neat, but no frills" is how Mayor Max Breitenbach describes the furnishings of the flats. The city had set itself the goal of creating affordable, high-quality living space. The flats will be ready for occupancy from 1 January 2023.
In April, the town of Rodgau introduced a new points system: the Rodgaucard. This card is intended to incentivise people to shop locally and support local businesses. However, after six months, only 27 points have been accepted. "For the card to be a success, the number of acceptance points would have to double," says Bernhard Schanze, Head of the Agency for Economic Development.
The town of Rodgau has reason to celebrate. It has been awarded the Council of Europe's Flag of Honour - the European Flag for short - in recognition of its long-standing and active town twinning and regular events on Europe Day. The recognition is the second of four levels of the European Prize and is awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Only four other cities have received the flag of honour in 2022. The award ceremony featured a varied programme and ended with a highlight: the musical performance by the Rodgau Music School, which transformed "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven into a flash mob. [PICTURE]
Progress is being made with the urban redevelopment in Dudenhofen. The town council passed funding guidelines and design guidelines. The grants are now intended to give homeowners and tradespeople an incentive to modernise their buildings in keeping with the typical townscape.
There is another anniversary to celebrate in October: the Jügesheim rabbit breeding club has been in existence for 100 years and invites you to its anniversary show. In his speech, Max Breitenbach recognises the important social factor of rabbit breeding clubs.
An anniversary that is made up for (could not be celebrated due to the corona pandemic): 125 years of the Germania Dudenhofen choral society. On a glittering concert evening, the association gave the audience and itself a present and offered an entertaining programme in the packed community centre.
October ends on a painful note. The priest of the Catholic church in Jügesheim, Wendelin Meißner, is buried. He worked in the parishes of St Nicholas and St Mary's for 46 years. The packed funeral service shows how important Meißner was in Rodgau. Pastoral counsellor Andrea Köneke emphasised his gift of picking up people with their worries and needs where they needed it.
November sees the start of excavations in Weiskirchen. A new building project with an underground car park is to be built on the site of the former bridge mill. Prior to this, the lower monument protection authority secures various mill and wall stones. An important piece of the puzzle for local history.
Work continues on the new Weiskirchen industrial estate. One highlight: the new building with band rehearsal rooms and studio. A total of 37 rooms, three studios and a stage are planned.
At 11.11 am, the time had come: the Jügesheim Sports and Culture Association rang in the fifth season punctually at the town hall and hoisted the carnival flag. An impressive sight for all fans of carnival, as the corona pandemic meant that the carnival season was not possible for two years. [PICTURE]
Communal urn graves are now also available at the old cemetery in Jügesheim. The trend in burials is moving towards burial sites that do not require daily maintenance. The elliptical communal area offers space for 200 cinerary urns and has a park-like design. In the centre is a bronze sculpture by Rodgau artist Peter Jakubowski. An organic figure unfolds from the roots of a tree, its two wings reaching towards the sky. [IMAGE]
The energy crisis is now affecting the Christmas lights after all. In order to reduce electricity consumption, the town is dispensing with the illuminated stars in Jügesheim and will also not hang the fairy lights over the town centres.
Matthias Eckel and Tobias Schott have been honoured in Rhineland-Palatinate with the "Flood 2021" medal of merit on behalf of 15 men and one woman. They spent weeks in the flood area in the Ahr valley and helped on site with relief supplies and the installation of air conditioning systems as emergency heaters.
The police want to increase road safety among young cyclists by praising them instead of reprimanding them. Pupils who pass the bicycle checks five times without any faults will be entered into a prize draw. During the darker months of the year, the police regularly check bicycle traffic at schools. With the "Safe cycling to school" campaign, the city is relying on a reward system. [IMAGE]
After a fire in 2021 and leukaemia, the restaurant in the Weiskirchen community centre reopens. Tenant Fikri Yilmaz is visibly relieved that he and his team can get going again.
Green waste from Langen to Rodgau: The Rodgau composting plant has a new major customer in the town of Langen. Around 2500 tonnes of plant waste per year are brought to Rodgau from the town of Langen. The deal is a win-win situation for both sides. Previously, the green waste was taken to Flörsheim and processed for 43 euros per tonne. In Rodgau, only 38 euros are charged for processing and the journey is shorter. [IMAGE]
Since 2013, the city of Rodgau has invested around 950,000 euros in further upgrading the play areas and playgrounds in the city centre. This was made possible by the playground concept, which is now coming to an end after 11 years. Four playgrounds have been completely redesigned and five others have been made more attractive. This was made possible by the sale of municipal land. [IMAGE]
After 14 months of an emergency stop in Dudenhofen, bus route 99 (Seligenstadt - Langen) has been stopping in Jügesheim again since 1 December. The reason for the temporary stop was the difficulty for the buses to turn round at the station. The owner of the station building had erected bollards to prevent damage to the historic building. The fact that the Jügesheim bus stop can now be approached again is partly due to a new type of vehicle with a smaller turning circle, as well as a change in the direction of entry.
First City Councillor Michael Schüßler presents the 2023/2024 KITA requirements plan. For the first time, there are enough childcare places for all three to six-year-old children in Rodgau. Nevertheless, the expansion of daycare centres is to be driven forward - not least due to population growth. The next daycare centre will open in Römerstraße in 2024. [IMAGE]
The town of Rodgau is to join the nationwide initiative "Liveable cities through appropriate speeds". Following a motion by the CDU parliamentary group, the town council voted in favour. 352 towns and municipalities already belong to the initiative, including three in the Offenbach district: Dreieich, Obertshausen and Rödermark. The initiative is in favour of introducing a 30 km/h speed limit on main roads. The aim is for each local authority to impose the speed limit where it deems it necessary.
In December, more than 180 fingers are crossed. Martin Schindler from the Rodgau Arrows competes in the World Darts Championship in London.
A small change with a big impact will be implemented in December. The city administration is reorganising its website and simplifying the overview of the tasks of the specialist services and departments. A clearly laid out organisation chart helps users to find the right contact person in the departments.
The year ends with a scare for the residents of an apartment block. In a roof fire in Breslauer Straße, Nieder-Roden, 30 people are evacuated and the upper floor is no longer habitable. The town of Rodgau is able to accommodate the families in a hotel. Many committed citizens want to help. The public order office is coordinating this help.
