10 Jahre Stadthafen Leipzig - ein Jubiläum am Wasser
Willkommen an Board
"Als wir vor zehn Jahren die Reise des Stadthafens Leipzig begannen, konnten wir uns das Potenzial, dass in unseren Wasserwegen schlummerte, kaum vorstellen.
Selbst heute nach 10 Jahren sehen wir, dass unsere Entdeckungsfahrt gerade erst begonnen hat.
Die Vision für einen nachhaltigen Wassertourismus wird Realität, Schritt für Schritt, gemeinsam mit unserem engagierten Team und den vielen Akteuren der Region.“
Foto: Strom Fotografie
The vision becomes reality
''15 April marks a special milestone for Stadthafen Leipzig GmbH: the 10th anniversary of Stadthafen Leipzig. A decade in which Jan Benzien was the unmistakable face and driving force behind our company. His foresight and dedication have made Stadthafen Leipzig a centre of water tourism and an example of sustainable tourism along Leipzig's unique waterways. Immerse yourself in the history of our harbour and find out how we want to shape the future of water tourism together.''
Our journey through the years
2010/2011 - The origin
The idea for Stadthafen Leipzig was born when Jan Benzien accepted the city's invitation to represent Leipziger Kanuclub e.V. at the opening ceremony for the current Elstermühlgraben. The centre of Leipzig's water tourism was to become the future strategic starting point and is now entering its final stages with the future project ‘Stadthafen 2026’. However, they didn't want to wait 16 years and the vision of creating a lively place for everyone from the derelict site, the Leipzig city harbour, was born - a historic day that marked the start of our fantastic journey.
2014 - Foundation and opening
Following a public tender, Stadthafen Leipzig was officially opened on 15 April 2014 as a joint project by Jan Benzien and Dirk Thärichen. As part of a ceremonial handover of the original logo by Heiko Rosenthal, Mayor and Councillor for the Environment, Public Order and Sport of the City of Leipzig, Stadthafen Leipzig was symbolically incorporated into the waterway network. At the beginning, the company started with 50 boats for canoe hire, a beach volleyball court, bicycle hire and a restaurant with an adjoining outdoor seating area, which was still operated externally at the time.
2015 - Innovation on the water
With the launch of the first electric motorboat ‘Johann Sebastian Bach’, the city harbour set a milestone for sustainable tourism in Leipzig. The boat, specially designed for Leipzig's waterways, was a noiseless and natural innovation, which was celebrated with a ceremonial christening at the trade fair and a number of guests.
Guests present: Jan Benzien, Martin Buhl-Wagner - Spokesman of the Management Board of Leipziger Messe GmbH, Volker Bremer - Managing Director of Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Angela Zabojnik - Head of Department for Water Management/ Land Management at the City of Leipzig's Office for Urban Greenery and Water.
2017 – Boat hire Scheibenholz opening
A full 3 years after the company opened, the first addition followed. The Scheibenholz boat hire site, which is located in Clara Zetkin Park and just 20 minutes' paddle from the city harbour, expanded the range and underlined the company's commitment to water sports. Thanks to its central location and the short distance to Leipzig's alluvial forest, this location was primarily intended to provide quick access to nature and ensure relaxation on the water.
2017 - Catering under own management
In the same year, another ''addition'' was made to Stadthafen Leipzig GmbH. With the takeover of the catering offer and the internal operation, the aim was to provide guests with an all-round pleasant experience with services from a single source at Stadtstrand Leipzig.
2020 - Challenges and opportunities
Not even global challenges such as the pandemic could stop the company. Although the further development and adaptation of the offering in order to continue operations safely required overcoming comfort zones, Stadthafen Leipzig GmbH was able to grow from this and was not held back when the third location of Cospudener Combüse opened on Lake Cospuden despite the difficult conditions.
2021 - Expansion beyond the city limits
After opening a total of 3 locations and 7 years later, the company moved beyond the city limits, but remained true to the water. The event location, Hainer Seeterrasse, directly on the shore of Lake Hain, was another addition to the city harbour family. With its wonderful location and maritime ambience, this location is literally an anchorage for all kinds of events, whether a private birthday, company party/team event or wedding.
2022 - A team of 100 employees
The company continues to grow and with it the driving force - the Stadthafen team. A new record was set 8 years after the company was founded when Stadthafen Leipzig GmbH broke the previously unattained record of 100 employees during the peak season.
2023 – Ice Circus Leipzig, Cospuden SUP station
The opening of the Cospuden SUP station, which offers SUP hire as well as SUP courses and tours on the northern beach of Lake Cospuden, provided an even more extensive and balanced range of water sports. In the same year, the previous collaboration with Eiszirkus Leipzig GmbH intensified, whereby the management created a personnel counterpart to the summer seasonal operation and was thus able to guarantee the year-round employment of a larger workforce. This collaboration culminated in a joint expansion of the event programme.
