The town of Sonthofen became the newest Alpine Convention Infopoint during a festive celebration on 30 October! It also became the first Infopoint in Germany, joining the other nine Alpine Convention Infopoints across the Alps.
The ceremony began with opening words from the mayor of Sonthofen, Christian Wilhelm, deputy Landesrätin Christina Rietzler, Alpine Convention Secretary General Alenka Smerkolj, and Sonthofen’s deputy mayor and the President of the Alpine Town of the Year Association, Ingrid Fischer. In addition to members of the city council and the public, a group of delegates from the Youth Parliament to the Alpine Convention school in Sonthofen and the office of the Alpine Town of the Year Association also attended the opening. The event was accompanied by traditional music performed by the trio ‘Mitanond’, which is led by Manfred Maier who worked for Sonthofen and also for the town in the Alpine Town of the Year Association.
“This is yet another feather in Sonthofen’s cap of achievements and contributions to the Alpine Convention! We are really looking forward to working with the Infopoint team and the town of Sonthofen in this new capacity. I would also like to thank the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety for supporting this initiative and helping get the wheels moving” said Alenka Smerkolj, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention.
The Infopoints act as a bridge between the Alpine Convention and the local territories, raising awareness about and contributing to the implementation of the Convention. This will mark a new role for Sonthofen, which has shown itself to be committed to the Alpine Convention's overarching goal of protecting the environment and ensuring a good quality of life for its citizens for over twenty years.
