The Danube Office Ulm/Neu-Ulm, a non-profit limited company of the two cities, sees itself as a municipal
motor for co-operation along the Danube. The team headed by Sebastian Rihm acts as a leading
partner in EU projects, as the organiser of the international Danube Festival Ulm/Neu-Ulm and as a connecting
element in numerous networks. Sabine Geller, founder and publisher of danube connects, takes
stock of the last 10 years in an interview with the Danube Office team and ventures a look into the future.

What has changed in the work of the Danube Office since then and where do you focus your work today?

Sebastian Rihm: The general condi­tions have changed. We started 2015 with a strong euphoria surrounding the Danube Region Strategy. But the major crises and issues have also impacted the Danube region and us: the migration crisis, the East-West issue, how impor­tant it is for Europe to come together, that we need to engage in good dia­logue. This has made our topics more serious. Then came Covid and the war of aggression against Ukraine. This has also affected our work. Over the last ten years, the Danube Office has developed a lot towards professionalisation, for example in terms of its support struc­ture. We have also grown as a team. There are now eleven employees, most of them part-time. I am delighted that our work is supported by the twin cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm and their political bodies. With our expert conferences, we are blazing a trail along our themes of sustainable mobility, the environment, education and society.

You are a partner in various European projects in the Danube region. What are the aims of the ‘Active to Public Trans­port’ Interreg project and what is hap­pening at the moment? What are the be­nefits of this project for the population?

Simone Burster: We are one of the ele­ven partners and started in 2024. The project is all about mobility. We want to improve the link between pedestrian and cycle traffic and public transport by bus and train. To this end, we have now completed the first Danube regi­on-wide survey on cycle tourism. The results will be presented at various con­ferences. There are pilot actions as part of the project. For example, we will be carrying out a test phase here in Ulm. People from the population can register with us to receive a bicycle from us for a period of time and can use it to get around in their everyday lives and lei­sure time. We will monitor this and eva­luate it closely. Such pilot programmes are also being implemented in four other partner regions. In this way, we can learn from each other and deduce improvements.

Our online survey shows that cycle tourism is more important in Germa­ny and Austria than further down the Danube. But there, too, the aim is to provide more information for cycle tou­rists, including in English. According to the survey, 90 per cent of people who have cycled in the Danube region can imagine doing it again. So this has great potential.

You are also active in the field of en­vironmental education with ‘Danu­be Guides 2’. What does this project stand for?

Simone Burster: In the current conti­nuation project, we have expanded the network once again to include the Re­public of Moldova. We are looking at how we can put the network on a firm footing and keep it alive in the long term by tapping into new funding. You can currently book tours via the Danube Guides website. If you decide to travel to Romania or Bulgaria in the summer, you can book a local nature and culture guide; it’s a very authentic experience.

Good political connections to Sou­theast Europe and the European com­mitment of the city of Ulm are a tradi­tion in the work of the Danube Office. Where are you currently active in this area?

Sebastian Rihm: Ulm is not twinned with any other city. We are always ori­ented towards the Danube and have a good exchange with a colourful array of cities, both large and small. We tra­ditionally have very close ties in the tri-border region of Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Vojvodina and Slavonia, as well as with the south of Hungary. Through this commitment over the years, we have been invited by Budapest to become a member of the Pact of Free Cities. That is why we will be guests in Tirana in just over two weeks’ time. This associ­ation is committed to an open society, democracy and a Europe of peace and freedom. We want to show that the ci­ties do not stand alone. They are preci­sely where social cohesion is lived and where answers must be found to the big questions of our time.

Mayor Martin Ansbacher in Ulm and Mayor Katrin Albsteiger in Neu-Ulm are planning a delegation trip to the Danube region. Which countries are you visiting and what is planned in terms of content? Who is part of the delegation?

Sebastian Rihm: This is a four-day de­legation trip at the beginning of March. We from the Danube Office are also ta­king part. We will be visiting four coun­tries. It’s a tight programme with project vi­sits to schools and civil society. It is very important to understand what makes the regions tick and where there are si­milarities, where we can jointly advan­ce projects such as the Danube Guides. That’s why we’ll also visit mayors, district administrators and parliamen­tary representatives on the trip.

The International Danube Youth Camp is an important part of the acti­vities at the Danube Festival. What is currently going on in terms of youth engagement?

Sebastian Rihm: In addition to the Danube Youth Camp, there have been and continue to be youth encounters throughout the year, such as the Young Danube Bridges in Vienna and vario­us other formats. There were 38 youth events between 2002 and 2024, in which around 3750 young people took part. Our approach is now to define a joint project with the Ministry of Culture. It’s called Young Danube Ambassadors. We are currently in the detailed plan­ning stage and are confident that we will be able to realise this together. It would then also be possible to include the International Danube Youth Camp 2026 as the largest format here in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. This will give young people their very own experience at the Danube Festival: I have to associ­ate something positive and emotional with Europe, a spark has to be ignited. Otherwise Europe remains too theoreti­cal for young people.

The Europe Direct office in Ulm has been affiliated with the Danube of­fice. Will there be independent events for European activities in 2025?

Kathinka Leyhr: Yes, we started orga­nising events on topics such as the EU and security policy in the run-up to the Bundestag (German federal parlia­ment) elections. At the end of Februa­ry, we organised the Danube rally for schools in both federal states, Baden- Württemberg and Bavaria, together with Europe Direct, for fifth and sixth grades. We are taking part in an event for Women’s Day.

We are also taking part in the Europe Action Day. From 3 to 11 July, the En­vironment Week is a major event. We have a wide range of participants. The Danube Office is simply a great plat­form, with Europe Direct in our team. It’s almost a Danube festival on a small scale. And there’s another special event: this year we have a concert with the Croatian band “Elemental” in the Ulm tent on 7 June. They have already pla­yed at the Danube Festival and have a large fan base here in Germany.

The vigils for Ukraine and against Russia’s inhumane war are organised by the Danube Office and other part­ners. Can you support the Ukrainian citizens in Ulm with this and will it continue?

Sebastian Rihm: It’s mainly Ukraini­ans who participate in the vigils. We sometimes wish that the response from the German population would be a litt­le greater. We never tire of organising them as a sign of solidarity. The Ukra­inians are the ones who were attacked, our solidarity must be with them and it is important to continue to send out a signal. Our cities do a lot to provide for those who have fled here. We have also established a solidarity partnership with a city in the south-west of Ukraine and sent donations from the twin cities there.

After the Danube Festival is before the next Danube Festival? Are you al­ready in the planning stages for 2026? Can you reveal anything new about this yet?
Everything is still top secret. But we are already working on the programme for the 14th International Danube Festival. It has always been ambitious to orga­nise such a large-scale event in this day and age. Increasing costs are challen­ging us more and more, so we have to be clever. We have managed to do this so far. In any case, we can look forward to ten great days again, from 3 to 12 July 2026, and you can let yourself be surprised by the content. There’s bound to be something we haven’t had before. But the big things are set, as guard rails, with the festival area on the banks of the Danube, with the Danube Countries Market, with the outdoor stages and so on. Civil society has also participated on a voluntary basis, as well as over 50 institutional co-operation partners and a fantastic array of sponsors. Otherwise none of this would be possible.

Interview
by Sabine Geller, Ulm