Great views of Hamburg with fun programme and new multimedia exhibition

Hill Fest atop Energy Hill Georgswerder

On Saturday, 2nd June 2012, Energy Hill Georgswerder reopened for the season after a six-month winter break with a fun, creative and informative programme of events for the whole family. The new permanent exhibition "Energy Hill Georgswerder - The Second ..." (Energieberg Georgswerder - zum Zweiten...) featuring the innovative multimedia show "The Tamed Dragon" (Der gebändigte Drache) is now open for visitors at the Georgswerder information centre. The informative narrative is full of interesting facts about Energy Hill Georgswerder past, present and future. The exhibition - featuring projections, floor monitors and theme terminals with touch screens - is an exciting multimedia presentation about the history and transformation of the Energy Hill attraction. A special atmosphere created with the right lighting technology ensures visitors an impressive visual experience along a fun-filled journey of images.Project partners of the IBA Energy Hill Georgswerder project are the Hamburg Ministry of Urban Development and Environment (BSU) and HAMBURG ENERGIE. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Hamburg, 1 June 2012 - "Another milestone has been achieved towards making this special place accessible and providing information on the road 'from contaminated sites to renewable energies'. After intense and fruitful cooperation with the Department of Soil Conservation / Contaminated Sites of the Ministry of Urban Development and Environment (BSU) for the City of Hamburg, as well as with the creative team at mgp ErlebnisRaumDesign, the exhibition housed in the information centre is now complete, and we are very excited to hear from our guests what they think. Parallel to that, we also showcased two more important projects for Wilhelmsburg, and specifically Georgswerder. How will this island become a model bicycle district for Hamburg, and what will the Georgswerder district look like in future? Both of these issues will continue to be on the city's agenda far beyond 2013. We would like to thank Hill Fest sponsor HAMBURG ENERGIE, together with whom we are making a valuable contribution towards realising the climate protection concept for a renewable Wilhelmsburg with the Energy Hill project and others," said IBA Project Coordinator Simona Weisleder to commemorate the Hill Fest.Hill Fest guests encountered a fun-filled programme of events on and around Energy Hill, while being treated to exciting insights and spectacular views that invited closer exploration. Glass display cases presented a first glimpse into IBA's planned presentations in 2013, including a sneak peek of what the completed projects will look like and what will await visitors next year. In a workshop on soil science, scientists big and small could examine soil samples and embark on a journey of discovery of the many different micro-components.Visitors were also invited to try out one of the fun bicycles provided by the community group AK Fahrradstadt Wilhelmsburg (Bicycle District Wilhelmsburg) - riders could test their coordination skills and experience this means of transport in a completely new way. Another highlight for visitors was an opportunity to view the freshly minted blueprints for the bicycle district of Wilhelmsburg. For kids, there was a special photo activity and prize raffle. Various exhibitors and project partners were on hand with a wealth of information in an exhibition tent.Hourly guided tours of the site were given so that all visitors could enjoy the impressive panoramic view of the city, stretching from the famous Michel church to the Landungsbruecken jetties and the port of Hamburg, and marvel at their hometown from across the river. For the first time, plans and proposals for the "Future Concept Georgswerder" were on display and guests were invited to discuss, supplement, question and comment on them. These were drafted during an extensive participatory process.

"Only that which moves us can move us to change something," said Oliver Gies, exhibition curator and Managing Director of Missall, Gies + Partner, explaining his exhibition concept. "Our intent is not only to inform visitors at the information centre with expert information, we also want to reach them. To us, the information centre is a centre of emotion, too. That is why we recount the history of this site in a special and emotional way." Projectors, light effects and floor monitors are used in the exhibition, bringing viewers closer to the subject in a way that is exciting and unique. The multimedia concept is underscored impactfully with audio to accompany the visual elements and lighting technology. Complementing the exhibition are five theme terminals with two touch screens, which visitors can explore when the 12-minute multimedia show "The Tamed Dragon" (Der gebändigte Drache) is not being screened. There they are presented with in-depth information about the history of the urban district, the Georgswerder landfill and the IBA Energy Hill project. The exhibition is the second part of the IBA Energy Hill Georgswerder project. In August 2011, the exhibition "Georgswerder Energy Hill - The First ..." (Energieberg Georgswerder - Zum Ersten) was opened. The third and final phase will be completed in time for the IBA presentation year in Spring 2013, and will coincide with the opening of the horizon path on Energy Hill.

Industrial waste, some of it highly toxic, was dumped at the Georgswerder landfill site through the 1970s. Later, the landfill was closed and extensively remediated and secured. The landfill site is being transformed into the Energy Hill attraction as an IBA Hamburg "Cites and Climate Change" reference project. Using wind and solar power and landfill gas, the hill will generate enough environmentally friendly energy to meet the power needs of more than 4,000 households. Energy Hill Georgswerder is a key project of IBA Hamburg towards the development of a sustainable urban district. It is also an important milestone towards achieving the ambitious objective of CO₂-neutral energy supply to the Elbe Islands. With IBA Hamburg, a contaminated brown field site is becoming a model and benchmark for a sustainable urban energy supply. The step-by-step opening of the former Georgswerder landfill through the IBA presentation year 2013 is also opening up new urban development opportunities, as an area that has been sealed off for years is being reintegrated into the city district and made accessible to the public. By 2013, Energy Hill will be further expanded to become a public information landscape and public park. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Photos from the Hill Fest will be available from 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, 02.06. at the following link:
Link: http://iba-hamburg.eyebase.com
PIN code: nfp9q8NN

For more information, please contact:

IBA Hamburg GmbH
Kristina Hödl, Director of Media Relations
kristina.hoedl@iba-hamburg.de
Tel.: 040 / 226 227 335, or

Anna Vietinghoff, Media Relations
anna.vietinghoff@iba-hamburg.de
Tel: 040 / 226 227 331, or
presse@iba-hamburg.de

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