LEADER excursion to Laasow, Groß Klessow and Altdöbern

At the invitation of the Spreewaldverein e.V. , a bus took them on an excursion to selected sites supported by the LEADER program. During the trip, Melanie Kossatz, the association’s managing director, referred to larger and smaller properties in the villages that have already received funding and their benefits for rural areas. Almost everyone knew the objects by sight, but not everyone knew the funding background. “However, the future of the funding program is in doubt for 2028, there will be a restructuring,” said Melanie Kossatz.

The people behind the Spreewald Association were at least subliminally proud of the sponsorship they had initiated and supported. They were never concerned with the sober facts, because they always saw and still see the people, their plans and also the opportunities that arise for improving living conditions in rural areas. “Every functioning property is a plus in quality of life, also for the surrounding area, many a job is created and many a life plan is fulfilled,” said Melanie Kossatz with regard to the funding measures.

The first stop was in Laasow: the church, covered in scaffolding, attracted attention from afar. The project is a LEADER-funded project on a significant scale, as it was necessary to involve various interest groups and, in particular, to raise large sums of money. The Evangelical Church Community in the Lusatian Lakeland, the Evangelical Church District of Lower Lusatia, the Laasow Citizens’ Initiative with its committed campaigner Anita Haupt and the Office for the Preservation of Monuments are representative of various interest groups. Peter Juhran, the spokesman for the citizens’ initiative: “A donation-financed contribution, LEADER funding and additional financing of 40,000 euros made it possible for our church to continue to exist, it will literally remain in the village, serve church and cultural purposes and not fall into ruin!” The additional financing resulted from the additional construction costs that only became apparent during the restoration work. Construction manager Tristan Liebert cited structural problems, contaminated sites that were not environmentally friendly and, above all, the roof covering, which caused additional costs. Heike Scharkowski from the Lower Monument Protection Authority took up the cudgels for the often criticized, allegedly restrictive approach of her authority: “We do pay a lot of attention to originality, but we also bow to the objective circumstances that we sometimes have to take note of. In the case of the Laasow church, these include the roof tiles, which can no longer be produced anywhere at a reasonable cost. That’s why we agreed to the production of coal-fired tiles that are closest to the original, which are manufactured by a Polish company.”

Andreas Tarz, local chronicler: “It would be nice if the planned completion date of May 2027 could be realized, as our 750th anniversary is coming up that year.” Additional motivation for everyone involved!

Peter Juhran (3rd from right), spokesman for the citizens’ initiative, presents the church project to the participants (left: Sarah Plotzky, LEADER coordinator).

Site manager Tristan Liebert explains the renovation details and the associated challenges in the Laasow village community center.

After a hearty and hearty breakfast in the new village community center, combined with an exchange of experiences, we went to the second stop, Groß Klessow.

Manuela Rosenberger had converted parts of her parents’ home with funding and set up a physiotherapy practice. She and her husband Martin, whom she affectionately calls “my janitor”, have created something here that is particularly popular with the older village population. Being within walking distance of the practice is an invaluable asset for many! “We have achieved something that has turned out better than we thought! We are extremely happy to have taken this step towards independence,” said the therapist. But here, too, a financial readjustment was necessary because the wooden floor renovation, which had not actually been planned, had to be carried out after all. “Mold and health practices don’t mix,” said Martin Rosenberger.

The practice is so popular that appointments can no longer be made. Manuela Rosenberger recommends making appointments for the long term: “If you’re going to have knee surgery soon, you should start looking for therapy appointments now, not after the operation!”

Happy about the sponsorship and the realization of a lifelong dream: Martin and Manuela Rosenberger.

Martin Rosenberger talks about the renovation work with LEADER coordinator Sarah Plotzky.

The bus took them to the last stop of the day, the “Café Schauwerk ” in Altdöbern. District Director Stefan Reiter, Michael Franke and owner Marie Läser welcomed the group. Michael Franke, LEADER regional manager of the LAG Energieregion Lausitzer Seenland e.V., presented the extensive project. “After initial contact was made with the applicants in 2018, a location was sought for implementation. The former antique shop at the market was an obvious choice as a café selling baked goods. A positive vote was received as early as 2019: the project was ranked second out of 23 applications submitted – everything progressed quickly and the store opened in May 2020,” said Michael Franke, summarizing the funding project.

Tour of the bakery

Owner and master confectioner Marie Läser introduced the show bakery: “Large windows allow a view of our bakery from the street, so everyone can see how we work. As sponsors of the Spreewald umbrella brand, the use of regional ingredients is extremely important to us, although we also have to make compromises, as not everything is available in the region. For example, we source certain types of flour from a mill in Dresden.”

The young entrepreneur, herself a mother of two small children, attaches great importance to employee motivation. Most of them are women in a similar situation to her. Her company employs 16 people. “When I have to react flexibly to changes in the duty roster, often at short notice, for example due to a child’s illness, my employees do the same and are prepared to take on additional workloads,” says Marie Läser, summarizing her first experience as a manager. In addition to the day-to-day business, there are baking courses, children’s events, the online store and Café Liska in Dissen, which is now also part of the business.

The courtyard of the show bakery is also waiting to be redesigned. In addition to a terrace business, children’s playgrounds and animal enclosures are to be built here.

The “Café Schauwerk” has settled into its day-to-day business, even though it is currently experiencing a major drop in sales. The adjacent road construction site means 30 percent less revenue. Marie Läser: “That’s an average of 50 customers a day that we’re missing, and the end of the construction site is still a long way off! Fortunately, our regular customers remain loyal to us.”

The tour concluded with the presentation of the latest funding project. Several vacation apartments and event rooms are being built in the rooms above the café thanks to funding commitments. Here too, as with almost all construction projects, surprises are almost normal. Some ceilings only superficially conceal earlier construction sins, some floors that appear to be good are not really. Marie Läser: “The required rescue stairs, which were not mentioned at the beginning, will cost us an additional 40,000 euros! But I’m optimistic because I have committed partners at my side, especially in the person of regional manager Michael Franke, the contacts in the municipality and at the Spreewald Association. We can do it!”

Marie Läser reports on the construction work on the 1st floor. Vacation apartments for a total of 16 people are being built here.

Altdöbern’s district director Stefan Reiter, who has only been in the role for nine months, concludes with a glimpse into a rosy future: “Lake Altdöbern as a tourist attraction, an inviting castle ensemble and our showpiece are our beacons that stand between the Lusatian Lakeland and the Spreewald. Even if it will still take some time.”

With this optimism, we headed home. Melanie Kossatz collected the previously distributed questionnaires from the participants. “We may not see some things, some ideas lie dormant – we need input from local people. Unfortunately, the LEADER project is currently a success story with an uncertain future. Together, we must succeed in maintaining the funding structures so that our villages can continue to benefit,” concluded the managing director of the Spreewald Association.

More impressions from the tour:

Peter Becker, 15.04.26

Explanation of the term:

Liaison Entre Actionsde Développementde l’Economie Rurale(French)

Translated: Link between actions to develop the rural economy, with the aim that local people should decide for themselves which projects are supported in their region.