Podcasts with Julian Vonarb

Lord Mayor Julian Vonarb was a guest on several podcasts, which you can listen to on all major streaming platforms:

• StayinGera Podcast - Julian Vonarb tells exciting stories from the city administration and his life.
• talk4future Podcast - Talks with decision-makers from the construction industry and politics about the current situation 23

Dear visitors, citizens and investors of the city of Gera,

Welcome to our website. My name is Julian Vonarb and I received the trust of the voters in 2018 as an independent and non-partisan individual candidate. An exciting and thrilling task!

Gera has a long and eventful history. Gera was first mentioned over 1000 years ago. In 1237 we were granted city rights, in 1436 "Gerisch Tuch" was traded at the Leipzig Trade Fair, in 1892 Germany's second electric streetcar ran in Gera and in the early 20th century we were one of the richest German cities. After the Second World War, we developed into a working-class town. Mining, electronics and mechanical engineering were the major employers in the region and in 1959 we achieved metropolitan status. We enjoyed steady development until 1990 and had over 140,000 inhabitants at the time of reunification.

Urban development has always experienced ups and downs over the centuries. In the Middle Ages, a town fire, war or a dry spell was enough to slow down growth, in the 1990s it was political change. Unfortunately, Gera did not develop like other towns due to the loss of major employers. As a result, the last few decades have often been characterized by pessimism and negative reporting.

I came into office with the claim "reason and change" and for this I was given a strong mandate by the citizens of the city. Let us rebuild Gera together, with the knowledge of the tradition and the opportunities that our history has given us. We have an excellent geographical location, plenty of space for people and businesses, affordable housing, great public transport, a five-sector theater, an indoor swimming pool, the Hofwiesenpark and so much more. These are first-class conditions for sustainable development. Two universities have now settled in Gera. Due to the pressure on living space in Jena and Leipzig, the first commuters and medium-sized companies are coming here to develop their production, research and logistics sites. We have already been able to make up some ground since 2018. We have seen a significant increase in jobs, municipal finances are being consolidated and some exciting projects are helping to drive urban development forward.

Sometimes you don't see the good things on your doorstep because of everyday life. Let's rediscover Gera and shake off the dust of the past, let's tell our friends, acquaintances, visitors and customers how beautiful Gera actually is. It's like everything: Something or someone that receives positive encouragement develops much better and faster. And that is the best way to help ourselves.

With this in mind, best regards from Julian Vonarb