Tiefensee: “Kyffhäuserhütte” strengthens the business location of North Thuringia

Thuringia's Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee today, with the first groundbreaking, launched the final construction phase in the industrial and commercial area "Kyffhäuserhütte" on the eastern outskirts of Artern. In the fourth and final construction phase – the so-called "Northern Extension" – 30 hectares of land will be developed. After completion of the work in 2017, the site will then have a total size of more than 60 hectares. More than seven million euros will be invested in the development of the areas, of which the state will provide almost six million euros from funds of the Joint Task "Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure" (GRW). "The state is investing significantly in the revitalization and expansion of old industrial sites in order to create good framework conditions for existing companies and new settlements," said Tiefensee. "With the expansion of the Kyffhäuserhütte commercial site, we are strengthening the entire economic region of North Thuringia and creating space for more growth and employment in the region." The old industrial site has been developed since 1999. Since then, 17 companies with more than 600 employees have settled here – mainly from the mechanical engineering and metal processing sectors, as well as service providers in the fields of education and qualification, project planning, planning, and multimedia/internet. These include, among others, TOWER Automotive Presswerk Artern GmbH, HALFEN GmbH, Stiftung Finneck-Werkstätten, Kyffhäuser Maschinenfabrik Artern GmbH, EURATIBOR e.V., and Edelstahlbeizerei Eisleben GmbH. At the start of the construction work, in addition to the Economics Minister, the District Administrator of the Kyffhäuserkreis, Antje Hochwind, the Mayor of the city of Artern, Wolfgang Koenen, and LEG Managing Director Andreas Krey were also present. During construction preparation work in the spring, archaeologically valuable ground monuments were discovered that indicate an earlier settlement of the site. "Until now, no such ground finds were known in this area," said Andreas Krey, Managing Director of LEG Thuringia. The work on them had been handed over to the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation. The development of the areas will now be coordinated so that the excavations and the construction measures can be carried out in parallel. The planned development includes, in addition to terrain regulation, road construction and the laying of water, gas, and electricity lines at the site.