Press releases

• The confluence of the Wurm and Haarbach rivers, now visible, has quickly become a recreational area and gathering place for people in the district.
• New access routes via two bridges connect the town entrance and Tuchmacherweg with the park at the Old Cemetery and the neighborhoods beyond it.
• Open bodies of water and green spaces also help create a better climate and attract new animal visitors.

“Haaren is located at the confluence of the Haarbach and the Wurm,” according to Wikipedia. But until recently, it wasn’t really clear exactly where that happened. However, since this spring, visitors can actually see where the two bodies of water meet: At the “Haarener Eck”—initially a working title and now the established name for the confluence. But making the confluence visible is not—and never was—the only change around the park area at the Old Cemetery and the so-called Wurm-Haarbach floodplains: New access points directly from the town entrance at Wurmbenden and via Tuchmacherweg invite people to relax at the confluence of the Wurm and Haarbach and in the redesigned multigenerational park, play with their children, and experience Haaren’s new green center, which has quickly won the hearts of the town’s residents. People are particularly drawn to the water: here, you can even spot a heron from time to time. A black stork has even been sighted here, and trout dart about in the water. During a visit to Haaren, Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons took a walk through the newly created green spaces—and was thrilled: “Here in Haaren, where the Wurm and Harbach rivers converge, a beautiful natural recreation area has been created. Hundreds of people now enjoy this beautiful area on weekends, which was previously completely overgrown and inaccessible. I would be very pleased if the ‘Haarener Eck’—that is, the confluence of the two rivers—became at least as well-known in Aachen as the ‘Deutsches Eck’ in Koblenz.”

First, the redesign of the park at the Old Cemetery
: The project to renovate and redesign the park began as early as 2022. In two phases—first in 2022 and then in 2024—the 1.8-hectare park at the Old Cemetery/Fire Department Park was upgraded. The planner for this phase and the person in charge of the overall “Auen” project was landscape architect Karen Roß-Kark, who works in the city’s Climate and Environment Division, Department of Environmental Protection and Green Space Planning: “I’m very pleased with the positive response from the public and know that we’ve created something here that all generations can enjoy. Everyone is sure to find their own personal favorite spot—whether it’s on the playground, at the small skate park with a pump track, on one of the many benches, or, without a doubt, by the water. It is precisely this diversity that makes the new and redesigned green spaces an attractive gathering place for young and old alike.” Heiko Thomas, City Councilor for Climate and Environment, Public Works, and Buildings, also recognizes the positive climate impacts of the new green spaces: “The result shows that climate adaptation, water protection, and biodiversity can significantly improve quality of life. This example is encouraging and spurs us all on to accelerate our transformation into a climate-resilient city.”

Two New Bridges Connecting to the Park
: The 6,300-square-meter area surrounding the Haarener Eck and the new access paths—including two new bridges—which was completed in March as the final phase of construction, was designed and planned by the Aachen-based firm DREIPLUS. Landscape architect Stefan Kastner on the concept and implementation: “It was a particularly exciting challenge to make a forgotten place visible and accessible. With the new connection between Wurmbenden, Tuchmacherweg, and Laachgasse, the residents of Haaren can finally reclaim this world along the Wurm and Haarbach rivers. The new entrances, the hilly landscape including the viewpoint at Haarener Eck, and the riverside path with its two bridges create entirely new spots and vistas along the way.” All of this now connects the park with the entrances at Wurmbenden and Alt-Haarener Straße, as well as Benno-Levy-Weg. Along the new riverside path and in the entrance areas, numerous seating options and resting areas invite visitors to linger. Kastner recalls: “Shortly after the areas opened, we received a wonderful comment from a friendly older gentleman with a walker who, as he passed by, said, ‘It’s great here—just like being on vacation, and right in the middle of Haaren!’”

For Daniel Hecker, the district mayor of Aachen-Haaren, the new park facilities offer, above all, a new gathering place and serve as a venue for community events: “The playground, in particular, has become well-known even beyond the region. I’ve already spoken with people here who’ve traveled from distant neighborhoods and even from Düren to spend their free time here in Haaren with their children. Everyone who sees the ‘Fire Department Park’ and the adjacent playground for the first time is completely amazed that something like this exists in Haaren. The fact that it’s now even better connected thanks to the new access from Jülicher Straße really ties everything together. This improvement in the quality of life here has really paid off for Haaren—you can see that here every day.”

Redevelopment as Part of the
Haaren ISEK: The redevelopment was one of the cornerstones of the Haaren Integrated Urban Development Concept—ISEK for short—and 80 percent of the costs, totaling approximately 2.1 million euros, were therefore subsidized by the state and federal governments. “The redesign of the Wurm and Haarbach floodplains has created an entirely new local recreational area for the district, offering an exceptional quality of life. At the same time, the project closes important gaps in the local trail network and also strengthens the connection between Haaren and the neighboring urban areas,” says Boris Mehlkopf, project manager for the ISEK Haaren, describing this specific aspect of the project.