Strong ideas for our villages: 5 million euros for Upper Hesse!

Strong ideas for our villages: 5 million euros for Upper Hesse!

What's going on in the Wetterau? On September 28, 2025, numerous interested parties gathered in the Ortenberg community center to take a look at the current promotion of rural development at the regional forum of the Leader Region Wetterau/Upper Hesse. This important event was organized by the Society for Economic Development and Regional Development in the Wetterau District (WiReg), which helped to take stock of the 2023-2027 funding period and exchange valuable experiences and results. FNP reports that The funding amounting to 5.373 million euros is crucial for 19 municipalities in Upper Hesse.

After almost 1.5 million euros have already been invested in projects, the total investment amounts to a respectable 3.4 million euros. Dr. Ulrich Gehrlein from the Institute for Rural Structural Research encouraged those present to note that funding is still available. The concerns of the local development strategy cover a wide spectrum: from public services to economic development and even climate and digitalization-related topics such as sustainable consumption.

Diverse fields of action and exciting projects

The fields of action that were the focus of the event include recreational areas and rural tourism as well as innovative approaches such as the bioeconomy. In this context, Dr. Gehrlein notes that so far there has been little demand from cultural work. 26 projects have already been implemented in public services and tourism, while only five projects have been implemented in the areas of sustainable business and bioeconomy. Nevertheless, there are many creative ideas for future areas of action, including assisted living and restaurant revitalizations, which are generating great interest.

• Beispiele förderfähiger Projekte:
• Privatbrauerei
• Verkaufswagen einer Metzgerei
• Backhaus
• Wegebeschilderungen
• Blühflächen
• Dorfwärme
• Adventuregolf Red Lama

A special point was the presentation of the village academy “Village and You” by project manager Sina Happel. This is a project that provides citizens with comprehensive information about village life and provides them with valuable advice.

The Leader program at a glance

The Leader programme, an EU-funded development tool for rural areas, has a lot to offer. The minimum investment amounts are 10,000 euros net for investment projects and 1,500 euros for non-investment projects, which enables broad participation. With a funding rate of 25-80% of eligible net costs, it shows that it makes sense to get actively involved in projects.

Regional budget funding is available for small projects with a gross cost of up to 20,000 euros; applications can be submitted until February. The basis of this support is the local development strategy (LES), which was developed in a participatory manner with the population. This ensures that the interests of local people are always the focus. Wetteraukreis.de highlights that a LEADER advisory board has been set up, which plays a key role in the selection of funded projects.

If you are interested in project management or submitting an application, the contact persons at the Wetterau Economic Development GmbH are available to help you. Here You will find the contact details of Volker Matthesius and his colleagues, who will be there to help and advise you.