Water in focus: Successful tours in Friedberg inspire!

Water in focus: Successful tours in Friedberg inspire!

On September 18, 2025, the exciting series of tours began in Friedberg as part of the "German Action Days Sustainability", which this year is all about water. This initiative bridges between education and environmental awareness. The municipal utilities and the city itself did a great job to get these tours together. And the interest is impressive: a fifth was quickly followed on four originally planned tours because the demand was so high. Barbara Willkomm Dingeldey, the city guide, reported many curious citizens who are interested in the opportunities for sustainable water use.

The tour started at St. George's Fountain, a historic piece of Friedberg that has stood there since 1783. On the way to the various stations, the participants learned a lot about the region's water supply, which comes from the sources of the Vogelsberg and the Taunus. A highlight of the tour was the water tower on the Wartberg, which, with its 400 cubic meters of water and three underground tanks with a total of 1200 cubic meters, is one of the most important water reservoirs in the city.

Water as a cultural asset

Friedberg not only has functioning water resources, but also an impressive history of hydraulic engineering. This includes the Roman bath in the basement of the Burggymnasium, one of the best-preserved Roman baths in Hesse and part of the Limes UNESCO World Heritage Site. And the historic mikveh in the old town, a well-preserved ritual bath that is fed by groundwater, also attracts attention.

In the past, 14 fountains in the old town showed the water availability, including the Sprengbrunnen, which was no longer used. A replica of the Schmid fountain is reminiscent of the only old town fountain from which water could actually be removed. The city tour also offered a look at an 800-year-old baptismal basin from Vogelsberg basalt in the town church and a drinking water dispenser on the “Café Rund” on Elvis Presley-Platz. The Wetterau Museum also addresses the relationship between people to water and completed the leadership that ended at the old indoor pool, which today serves as the "Altes indoor pool theater".

Sustainability and water management

The World Water Day, which is celebrated on March 22, also puts the importance of the water into the foreground. The focus is on the motto "Together faster to the goal" this year. The United Nations has given the goal of ensuring perfect water and sanitary supply for everyone by 2030. In Friedberg, the municipal utilities with over 134.5 kilometers of pipelines and a water delivery of 1.94 million m³ are well established in 2022 in order to meet this claim. The water losses in the city with only two percent are gratifyingly low.

Interestingly, daily drinking water consumption in Friedberg is 117 liters per person, which is below the national average of 127 liters. But the real water problem goes beyond direct consumption: indirect water consumption through the production of food, vehicles and electronics is enormous, amounting to over 219 billion cubic meters annually. Therefore, it is advisable to rely on sustainable practices. Recommendations from the municipal utilities include, among other things, a more economical use of detergents and cleaning agents and the avoidance of harmful substances in wastewater.

In this context, the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development speaks of integrated water resource management (IWRM), which addresses the challenge of climate change. It is emphasized how important it is to bring the various water user groups - from agriculture to industry to growing cities - into a constructive dialogue. Geographically coordinated cooperation can not only lead to a fairer water access, but also contribute to more stability in the region, which could help to meet the growing water issues of the future.

The strict challenges, but also the opportunities in water management, were the hanger for the tours in Friedberg, which were not only informative, but should also raise awareness of the valuable raw material water. The most important questions for everyone involved should be: How do we naturally deal with water? How do we promote sustainable use in the future? Because one thing is clear: water is not just a food, it is life.