How do we want to live together in Dresden?
How do we want to live together in Dresden? This question was at the centre of the Citizens' Assembly “Peace City Dresden”. Over the course of five meeting days, 50 randomly selected citizens of Dresden came together to jointly develop recommendations for peaceful coexistence. The results will be presented to the public on 8 May 2025 in the Frauenkirche and handed over to the state capital.
Live and strengthen peace
‘A city of peace is a place that learns from its history and at the same time looks to the future. Dresden stands for both: for the destruction of war, but also for reconstruction and reconciliation. Today it is about how we as a city and community can live and strengthen peace - through dialogue and new ideas,‘ says the website of the Citizens’ Assembly.
The initiator of the Citizens' Assembly “City of Peace Dresden” is the Frauenkirche Dresden Foundation, which is thus creating a platform for dialogue, understanding and active citizen participation. ‘Democracy thrives on participation. The Frauenkirche was and is a project by many for many - an example of what civic engagement can achieve. We are continuing this idea with the Citizens‘ Assembly: people from different backgrounds come together to find solutions with and for each other,’ explain Maria Noth and Pastor Markus Engelhardt, Managing Directors of the Frauenkirche Dresden Foundation.
Spaces for joint solutions
The mini-publicl approached its working theme of “Dresden, City of Peace” from different angles. In a city that is characterised by diverse views and debates, there is a need for spaces to look for solutions together. The Citizens' Assembly was intended to provide this framework.
‘The question of how we want to live together can only be answered together,‘ emphasised Andreas Dieterich, peace work consultant and project manager for the mini-public. ‘In Dresden, there are many perspectives, strong opinions, different experiences and quite contradictory wishes for the future. The Citizens' Assembly offers a neutral framework for listening, discussing on an equal footing and developing constructive solutions. Because peace does not mean that everyone agrees, but that we can deal with differences.’
"Growth potential for the mind"
3,000 randomly selected residents of the city were contacted and invited to take part in the ‘Peace City Dresden’ Citizens' Assembly. A group of 50 people was formed from the 183 responses, reflecting the diversity of the city's society - with people from different age groups, educational backgrounds and biographies as well as from different neighbourhoods. This means that many points of view and experiences are included.
The Citizens' Assembly met for the first time on 7/8 March. Further assembly meetings followed on 19, 28 and 29 March.
‘I experience the Citizens' Assembly as an incredibly lively exchange, it offers growth potential for the mind and soul. I come across people and topics that I would never have thought of. It's enriching and a learning process,’ said participant Claudia Althaus after the first weekend of meetings.
'We are united by one goal'
Michael Blümel added: ‘I find the Citizens’ Assembly very intensive. I'm very happy that it's going peacefully. Perhaps because everyone has decided to come here. We are united by one goal and so the discussions are not super divisive, but rather people approach each other.’
The assembly results will be summarised in a results paper. The citizens' proposals will be presented to Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert and members of the City Council at a celebratory event in the Frauenkirche on 8 May 2025.
The Citizens' Assembly was professionally supported by the nexus Institute from Berlin, which has already conducted numerous participation processes in Germany.