20 years of Jena's arteries: festival celebrates Jena's district heating pipes

The city and Stadtwerke Jena are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the „Veins of Jena“ with a multifaceted festival all about Jena's artistically designed district heating lines. All companions and interested parties are cordially invited to honor the cultural and social significance of the project. The event offers a varied program of exhibitions, expert talks and celebrations.

Opening event: On Wednesday, June 12, the festival will begin at 7 pm with the official opening of the exhibition „Perspektiv-Wechsel - Best-of-Adern von Jena“. The exhibition presents a selection of the best photographs from an anniversary photo competition in which local amateur photographers show their perspectives on the long-distance power lines. Visitors are cordially invited to choose their favorite pictures and vote for the most appealing locations along the long-distance pipelines.

Lectures and discussions: Thursday, June 13, will focus on the future role of district heating in Jena. From 7 p.m., experts from Stadtwerke Jena will present the plans for the expansion of the district heating infrastructure as the cornerstone of an efficient and socially responsible heat transition. It also presents both the challenges and solutions that should make the city's district heating supply sustainable and climate-neutral.

Cultural supporting program and party: At the end of the festival, a big closing party will take place on Friday, 14 June, starting at 7 pm. This celebrates the creativity and commitment of all those involved over the last 20 years. With live music, dancing and an award ceremony for the best photo contributions, the cultural value of the "veins of Jena" will be celebrated.

Free admission and invitation to active participation: Admission to all festival events at Stadtlab is free. The Veins of Jena team invites all citizens to get actively involved and share their suggestions and visions for the further design and use of the long-distance route.

Background information: Since 2004, the partners Stadtwerke Jena, the City of Jena and JenaKultur have been drawing the public's attention to the above-ground section of the Jena trunk road with art activities, events and landscaping as part of the "Veins of Jena" initiative. The mostly green pipes stretch for 12 kilometers from Jenaer Paradies via Winzerla and Göschwitz to Lobeda. What began as a student experiment at the Bauhaus University in Weimar is now an integral part of Jena's cityscape with over 22 visible projects on the district heating pipes. To date, more than 900 people and around 40 institutions have been involved in the individual projects on and along the district heating pipelines.