Press releases

At the end of last week, the big day finally arrived: The playground on Forster Weg was officially reopened by District Mayor Melanie Peñalosa. Participants, families, and children from the neighborhood braved the intense heat and didn’t miss the chance to take a quick look at the playground equipment and try it out. The 670-square-meter playground has been completely redesigned. Before the renovation, there was very little playground equipment on the site, and some of it was outdated. “I’m really delighted with this newly designed playground. The old one was definitely showing its age. It will certainly become an attractive destination very quickly for the many young families who have been moving back into this neighborhood in increasing numbers in recent years, but it will also be a great place for the nearby daycare centers to take the children to play,” says Melanie Peñalosa, district mayor for Aachen-Mitte, enthusiastically. Thanks to the families living in the Beverau residential neighborhood, the demand for public play areas has been steadily increasing. The playground is also used by groups of children from nearby daycare centers.

Following extensive public engagement processes in 2024—which also involved the neighboring daycare centers and elementary schools—as well as a subsequent small rotating exhibition of the children’s designs at the neighborhood office, the results were incorporated into the design. “I am very happy that nearly all of the children’s wishes for this relatively small playground could be implemented. The children at the Im Grüntal daycare center and the Am Römerhof elementary school, in particular, participated enthusiastically by creatively sketching their ideas on paper or making crafts. As a result, various swings, a ground trampoline, and numerous climbing and play structures were installed, just as requested. This allowed for a compact design and an expansion of the play area by raising the sloped section at the back,” explains Angela Fiege, the planner in the Climate and Environment Department responsible for the playground’s design.

The result is a colorful playground featuring various swings, climbing structures, and a ground-level trampoline that is also wheelchair-accessible. The entrance and play areas are also barrier-free. Younger children now have access to a playhouse with a sandbox and slide, a small standing carousel, and two rocking animals. For older children, there’s a tall treehouse to climb. A bright red fire truck is another highlight of the playground. The seating area has been expanded to include a table-and-bench combination. The Grauwacke blocks also provide additional seating options. The new landscaping—featuring hedges along the street, various shrubs, a tree, and groundcover plants—further enhances the experience for young and old alike.

The playground was sustainably redesigned as part of the Integrated Urban Development Concept (ISEK Beverau) and was 70 percent funded by federal and state grants. The construction costs totaled approximately 280,000 euros.