Wiesenschule: Approval Secured, Yet New Challenges Arise
Wiesenschule in Salzgitter Delays Opening Due to Construction Defects
The city of Salzgitter has announced that the start of operations at the Wiesenschule will not happen at the beginning of the upcoming school year. The new building, which was intended to replace the aging Wiesenschule and merge it with the Altstadtschule, has received the formal legal approval to begin operations by August 2025. However, a recently discovered construction defect in the cafeteria and the need for school organizational measures mean the new building will not open at the start of the 2025/2026 school year.
The permit was granted after a bureaucratic and political process involving the city, former state building minister Olaf Lies, and other officials. The process included numerous talks and discussions at various levels, with the Managing Director of the Lower Saxony Association of Towns and Municipalities Dr. Jan Arning initiating discussions that contributed to the permit being granted. State Secretary Matthias Wunderling-Weilbier and the responsible employees in his ministry played a significant role in granting the permit.
The responsible construction companies are expected to rectify the caused structural defects as soon as possible. The repair of the structural defects is currently under negotiation between the general contractor and its insurance company. It is not yet clear how this repair process may affect the original timeline for the start of operations at the Wiesenschule.
Mayor Frank Klingebiel has expressed his gratitude for the permit and asked for understanding from parents, teachers, and students regarding this delayed start in the new premises. The school will continue to operate in the old buildings as an interim solution until these issues are resolved.
The state and city are not directly responsible for the shoddy construction in the cafeteria. The new building's cafeteria has structural defects due to shoddy construction by the subcontractor hired by the general contractor. No exact new opening date beyond the 2025/2026 school year start was specified in the available sources. Based on the current status, classes at the Wiesenschule may start after the end of the winter semester in late January 2026.
The State Commissioner Dr. Ulrike Witt was involved in the discussions that led to the permit being granted. Salzgitter MP Stefan Klein was also part of the discussions that led to the permit being granted. The permit was made possible due to internal reorganization within the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economy, Transport, and Building.
The Wiesenschule building permit was granted nine months after the application was submitted. The permit is a significant step towards the completion of the new school building, but the discovery of construction defects has caused an unexpected delay. The city and state are working diligently to resolve the issues and ensure the safety and well-being of the school community.
To facilitate the continuation of education-and-self-development for the students of Wiesenschule, the school will temporarily operate from the old buildings while the city and state work towards rectifying the construction defects in the cafeteria of the new building. Given the current circumstances, students may commence their education-and-self-development anew after the end of the winter semester in late January 2026.
