Around 130 invited guests from business, voluntary work and local politics accepted an invitation from the town of Wolmirstedt on Thursday, June 12, 2025, and came to the museum barn on the castle grounds. The town’s annual reception was held there.
This year, the town of Wolmirstedt made a conscious decision not to hold a New Year’s reception in January and instead held a summer reception on the eve of the town festival. This was well received by the guests. The museum barn was festively decorated and food and drink was provided by showmen who had already set up their stalls for the catering at the town festival.
Very different people came together at the reception. “I think it’s good when we city dwellers talk to each other again, exchange ideas and maintain a friendly relationship,” said Wolmirstedt’s mayor Marlies Cassuhn in a speech. She used this primarily to look at current events in the town and also to express her thanks.
She highlighted various players in public life, such as the volunteers of the Wolmirstedt fire department. According to Marlies Cassuhn, they occupy a “special position in the context of volunteering”. The firefighters “expose themselves to a number of dangers and, in some cases, a real danger to their lives. Their commitment is indispensable and priceless,” explained the mayor. “We citizens owe you an extraordinary debt of gratitude.”
The firefighters were not the only volunteers to receive praise and respect from Marlies Cassuhn. She also addressed representatives of associations and institutions who had been invited to the annual reception. Carsten Piellusch, Mayor of Wolmirstedt’s twin town Wunstorf, was also among the guests at the event. Marlies Cassuhn said that Wolmirstedt wanted to intensify contact with its friends in Lower Saxony again. This was also Carsten Piellusch’s wish, explained the mayor of Wunstorf in a greeting, at the end of which he presented the Wolmirstedt mayor with a gift – an aerial photograph of Wunstorf.
Finally, Marlies Cassuhn looked back at what had happened in the town over the past year and also looked ahead to what was to come. For example, she recalled a terrible knife attack that took place in Wolmirstedt a year ago. The mayor also mentioned the terrorist attack at the Magdeburg Christmas market at the end of 2024 in this context. “Our sympathies therefore go out to all victims of acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks on people or groups of people,” she explained. Despite such experiences, she said, the city administration had decided to hold the city festival, which is, however, based on a comprehensive security concept. “We will not allow our way of living and celebrating to be taken away from us,” the mayor emphasized.
She also highlighted happy events in the city’s history. “It was very pleasing that the ground-breaking ceremony for a new stadium finally took place on May 22, 2025 after years of sometimes controversial discussions,” said Marlies Cassuhn. The mayor praised the fact that around 4.23 million euros of the total costs of 10.5 million euros were funded, which was a team effort by the administration. She also congratulated the SBB Baskets, who recently achieved promotion to the second Pro A basketball league. Although the team will then move to Magdeburg to play, they will continue to train in Wolmirstedt. “We’re delighted about this, as it means we can maintain our ties with the town and the fans,” said the mayor.
She also drew attention to two anniversaries: firstly, a train loaded with prisoners from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp ran aground near Farsleben exactly 80 years ago, shortly before the end of the Second World War in 1945. It was carrying 2500 Jewish prisoners who were liberated. The town of Wolmirstedt is commemorating the events together with the staff of the museum on the castle grounds, who have done a great deal to come to terms with the topic. This year also marks the 35th anniversary of German reunification – according to Marlies Cassuhn, everyone has very individual memories of the decade following the political change.
In addition to such specific topics, the mayor also addressed general issues in her speech and explained, for example, that communication is of great importance to her, especially in local politics. The city council and administration are often faced with the difficult task of making decisions in the interests of the common good, even though there are different interests. In general, explained Marlies Cassuhn, citizens also need to talk to each other more again. “As a society, we need to be more successful in ensuring that decency and social values are given greater consideration,” said the mayor.
Wolmirstedt’s annual reception certainly contributed greatly to communication in the town. Stakeholders from very different areas of the town exchanged ideas in the best weather on the castle grounds and inside the museum barn. The event was accompanied by music from the Wolmirstedt gospel choir and the singing duo “Handgemacht”. Denis Gruber, Head of Department of the Börde district, who attended the event on behalf of District Administrator Martin Stichnoth, also gave a welcome address.
