The “Digital Villages Network Rhineland-Palatinate” project is being continued. The municipality of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain will receive funding of 250,000 euros from the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior and Sport for the year 2024 to ensure the ongoing development of the project.
The aim of the network is to jointly develop ideas and solutions for digitalization issues and to support the implementation of local authorities’ own digitalization projects through a regular exchange of knowledge and experience.
“I am convinced that rural areas can benefit if we think about digitalization as a tool for improving quality of life,” said Interior Minister Michael Ebling at the presentation of the decision. “Together with the entire municipal family, we want to boldly break new ground and support the municipalities in positioning themselves as attractive places to live and work in the future. The ‘Digital Villages Network Rhineland-Palatinate’ is making a major contribution to this.”
The project has been implemented in cooperation with the municipalities of Göllheim (Donnersberg district) and Otterbach-Otterberg (Kaiserslautern district) since January 1, 2024. The municipality of Otterbach-Otterberg introduced itself as the network’s new transfer office during the presentation of the notification. The stakeholders also presented the “Time Travel” project implemented in the municipality. Visitors have the opportunity to get to know the local community of Otterberg on horse-drawn covered wagons. During the tour, visitors can use mobile virtual reality glasses to take a 360-degree look at Otterberg’s history during the Middle Ages.
Background of the project
The “Digital Villages Network Rhineland-Palatinate” is part of the overall “Digital Villages Rhineland-Palatinate” project. It was initiated by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Interior in December 2020. Since the network was founded, around 60 municipalities have joined forces. In addition, the members are sought-after contacts on the topic of municipal digitalization at state and federal level, even beyond the municipal level in Rhineland-Palatinate.
In 2022 and 2023, the municipality of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain – as the lead municipality in the cooperation with the municipalities of Göllheim and Eisenberg – received a total of 391,000 euros in funding for the first time.