Brühl

Family-Friendly Municipality 2024: Committed to a City That Is Child- and People-Friendly

Urban spaces where families can play and spend time together

Under the motto “We Embrace Diversity,” the city of Brühl has applied for the state award “Family-Friendly Municipality 2024.” With a population of approximately 47,000 and an area of over 36 km², Brühl is one of the smaller towns in the Rhein-Erft district.

(Photo: © Rhein-Erft-Touristik e. V., Paul Meixner)

Child-Friendliness and Compassion for Others

With a history spanning over 700 years, Brühl is one of the oldest and best-known towns in the district—whether because of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Augustusburg Palace and Falkenlust Palace, the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, named in honor of the artist Max Ernst, who was born in Brühl, the internationally renowned Phantasialand, or its extensive cultural program for young and old.

Brühl has set itself the goal of striking a balance between social, cultural, economic, and urban planning aspects, as well as developing the living environment to meet the needs of all age groups.

2024 State Award for Family-Friendly Communities

With the “Playable and Livable City” project, launched in 2017, Brühl has made a comprehensive commitment to becoming a child- and people-friendly city, thereby winning over the jury. At the presentation of the State Award for Family-Friendly Municipalities, Brühl was honored in the “Small to Medium-Sized City” category.

Here, we’d like to introduce you to some of the city’s offerings. Further information, links to the project descriptions, and details about the North Rhine-Westphalia State Award can be found in the sidebar.

Family-Friendly Activities in Brühl

  1. A City for Everyone to Enjoy and Explore – Brühl Develops Urban Spaces for Families

    With the goal of making public spaces more appealing to people—especially children, seniors, and people with disabilities—the city of Brühl launched the “Playable and Accessible City” project in 2017. To this end, over 200 features were installed in the city center, including sloped seating, hopscotch games, footprints, caterpillar-shaped play structures, a bookworm, and a telescope. 
    In addition, the city of Brühl, in collaboration with the Child Protection Association, promotes children’s mobility. This is based on wide sidewalks and bike paths, a 30 km/h speed limit in built-up areas, traffic-calmed zones, and the expansion of the “Playable and Accessible City.”

  2. My Favorite Place

    This meeting and counseling center is an important resource for families to connect with one another and to access information, advice, and support on all aspects of becoming and being a parent. Here, families in Brühl have free access to a wide range of services and focused topics, which are organized and carried out both by the City of Brühl (such as the Youth Welfare Office and the Social Welfare Office) and by other network partners (such as Marienhospital Brühl, the Job Center, sports clubs, and other initiatives).

    But there’s also plenty of time and space for socializing and chatting over a cup of coffee in a cozy atmosphere.

    Launched in 2017 as a project titled “Starting Preschool – Building Bridges in Early Education” in 2017, the drop-in center has become an integral part of Brühl, so much so that the continuation of this beloved space—and thus the preservation of this wonderful program—has been funded solely by the city since 2023, without additional federal funding.

  3. Kuntibunt Play Van

    Every year between May and October, the “Spielmobil Kuntibunt” mobile playground makes 60 to 100 stops throughout Brühl. This project by the Brühl Child Protection Association has been in existence since 1976. The mobile playground consists of a container with 50 vehicles and pieces of equipment, sand toys, a children’s kitchen, games of skill, ball and throwing games, mats, swings, a baby playpen, a seating set for toddlers, and tables with benches.

The Other Award-Winning Municipalities for 2024

The cities of Gladbeck and Hamm, the district of Düren with its 15 member cities, and the municipalities of Windeck and Dörentrup were also recognized for their innovative, family-friendly initiatives . The projects range from family-oriented intergenerational initiatives to family-friendly city halls.

  • Hamm

    Family-Friendly Community 2024: Focus on Family-Friendliness

  • Gladbeck

    Family-Friendly Community 2024: A Young, Diverse, and Family-Friendly City

  • Düren District

    Family-Friendly Community 2024: An Attractive Living Environment for Families

Further Information Activities for Families in Brühl

To make public spaces more accessible to people again, the project “A City for Play and Belonging—Brühl Develops Urban Spaces for Families” was launched in 2017.

A City You Can Explore and Own

"Mein Lieblingsplatz" is an important resource for families, offering a wide range of opportunities for discussion, information, advice, and support on all aspects of becoming and being a parent.

My Favorite Place

The “Kuntibunt Playmobile” rolls through Brühl every year from May to October.

Kuntibunt Play Van

Bunte Bank e. V. is an inclusive shared living community where young people with disabilities and students live, learn, and spend their free time together based on the “housing for help” principle.

Bunte Bank e. V.

Reading Mentors: 69 mentors are helping over 70 students practice reading at elementary, middle, and special education schools.

Reading Mentor Brühl
YouTube

The video from our winning municipality, Brühl, impressively demonstrates the kinds of family-friendly municipal services that can be offered locally.

YouTube

Further Information Links for Further Reading

“We Embrace Diversity”: Under this motto, the Ministry of Family Affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia has established a state award for municipalities that are particularly committed to meeting the needs of families.

State Award for Municipalities Press Release dated September 18, 2024

Whether it’s people living together in different living arrangements and household structures, the diversity of family life, varied educational and career paths, or different immigration histories: diversity is part of North Rhine-Westphalia’s DNA.

Diversity in North Rhine-Westphalia: Facts and Figures