Digitalisation in structural change: From coalfield to digitalised region

The city of Zeitz and the surrounding region in the south of Saxony-Anhalt are facing a huge structural change. For many years, the region was dominated by the coal industry and demographic challenges, but now local stakeholders are focusing on digitalisation to actively shape the change. The Zeitz Digitalisation Centre (DZZ) is a central component of this.

‘We want to actively support the opportunities presented by structural change with our digital services,’ explains Matthias Laue, Head of the Digitalisation Centre. Funded by the federal government, the DZZ focuses on five central fields of action: Digital Education, Smart Region, Digital Health, Strengthening Entrepreneurship and Regional and National Networking.

A makerspace for everyone

The heart of the centre is the makerspace, an open workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters and other equipment. Children, young people and adults can realise their own projects here as required. Once a month, the Makerspace Kids meeting takes place in the Makerspace, where children and young people have the opportunity to try out digital tools and technologies. These activities make digitalisation tangible - from building sensors to programming with the Calliope mini microcontroller.

Smart Region: Zeitz as a pioneer

In the Smart Region area, the region is becoming an experimental space for future-orientated technologies. Projects such as the LoRaPark in Zeitz Castle Park, a show garden for sensor-based applications, or smart solar benches set up in the region show how digitalisation can enrich everyday life. The aim is to make the region more efficient, more sustainable and more liveable, says Matthias Laue.

Rethinking education and health

With monthly meetings for young inventors, digital holiday courses, workshops for regional entrepreneurs and a smartphone consultation hour for senior citizens, the DZZ promotes digital skills in all age groups. In the area of health, research into a digital twin for Zeitz was started, but this topic was transformed into a tool to support social space planning in the Burgenland district

A project for the people

The DZZ is aimed at everyone: companies, local authorities, associations and private individuals. ‘Young people are already open-minded when it comes to digitalisation, but older people are often more sceptical. With low-threshold digital offers, we want to dispel fears and highlight the benefits for the region,’ says Laue.

Zeitz at the SCCON 2024

Kathrin Weber, Mayor of the city of Zeitz, has been an enthusiastic participant at the Smart Country Convention for several years. This year, the DZZ itself was on site as an exhibitor. Laue describes his impressions: “For us, SCCON was a great opportunity to present our project to a wide audience, pick up new ideas and hold exciting discussions. We are delighted at how many people throughout Germany are interested in our project and our region. Now it's time to put the inspiration we gathered at the trade fair into practice and drive digitalisation in the region forward. “

First the current situation, then the smart city projects

The DZZ team advises cities and regions that are new to the topic of smart cities or smart regions to start by analysing the current situation: ‘In order to develop smart solutions for the region, you need to identify the region's pressing issues and problems and consider them as starting points.’ The federal government's KTSv, the Coordination and Transfer Centre for Smart Cities Model Projects, can also help with the digital transformation and advise local authorities.

“We don't want to be a complete smart city”

Unlike the 73 cities that are supported by the federal government through the ‘Smart Cities Model Projects’ funding programme, the Zeitz Digitalisation Centre is not a funded smart city project. That is why the transformation to a smart city is not the top priority: ‘We are planning to incorporate smart city elements into the core area, but we don't want to develop a complete smart city; instead, we are also focusing on our other priorities in order to achieve the most valuable and meaningful enrichment for our area of activity.’ This is why there is no end point for the digital transformation of the region around Zeitz. The DZZ team is currently taking the first steps towards digitalisation in order to make the region fit for the future.