A festival of memories: Farewell to Karen Eßrich in Grötzingen!

A festival of memories: Farewell to Karen Eßrich in Grötzingen!

On June 13, 2025, the time had come in Grötzingen: Karen Eßrich was adopted as mayor after over a decade. Her commitment was recognized in a festive framework in the Herbert-Schweizer-Haus, which was originally planned on Rathausplatz. Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup praised her humanity, the foresight and the merits that she provided during her term. Eßrich left a variety of successes behind, including the urban development of the town center and the renovation of the old town hall, which also included the district culture concept for strengthening the identity of Grötzingen.

An art saw performance by the wood sculptor Guntram Prochaska provided the necessary atmosphere, which carved an impressive sculpture from an acacia tribe live. The choir "Lusten Mothers", under the direction of Daniela Brem-Hohenöcker, also tuned a Potpourri of songs, which was specially put together for Eßrich. A little storm forced the celebrating people to move inside the meeting place, but the mood remained undisturbed.

a farewell with foresight

As part of the farewell, Eßrich put a special focus on the stability of democracy in Grötzingen. She symbolically handed over the baton to her successor Jens Jägle, who was elected in January of this year. In his speech, Jägle emphasized the importance of content and sustainability in future work and expressed the desire to set new footprints in Grötzingen.

local councilor Gabriele Vorberg characterized Eßrich as "enabled" and presented an ABC of her many merits. The success of Eßrich reflects the central concern, which also shapes current political discussions: strengthening the town centers and inner cities. These topics are important not only for Grötzingen, but also for many other communities in Germany, since they address challenges such as the growing desolation of the city centers and demographic changes.

A look into the future

The challenges that lie in front of Grötzingen and other places in the country should not be underestimated: the demographic change, the change in the labor market situation and the associated loss of purchasing power are topics that gain in importance. In order to counter these developments, it is important to strengthen the municipal scope for action and to promote innovative solutions for urban development.

A uniform program for urban renewal could help keep the city centers from increasing emptying, while the federal government is required to significantly increase funding for such measures. It is important to develop a sustainable and sustainable concept that not only ensures the structural substance, but also has an eye on the needs of the citizens.

With the adoption of Karen Eßrich, a chapter ends in Grötzingen, but the course for the future is set - in the hope that Jens Jägle will continue to take the visions of his predecessor and set his own accents.

More about the eventful time of Eßrich and the challenges that come to Jägle, you can find out on karlsruhe.de, Badische Latest news and DStGB .