International Danube Day was celebrated in Neuburg an der Donau through a diverse programme of activities coordinated by the Neuburg-Ingolstadt Floodplain Center and delivered in cooperation with a broad partnership of regional institutions and organisations. The event also received support from the District Administration of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, another member of the DANUBEPARKS network. Among the activities organised during the celebrations, particular attention was given to raising awareness of the Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative (RRI), one of the key cooperation platforms for wetland conservation in the Danube Region.
The celebrations began on 27 June with a large Danube swim in Ingolstadt, Germany, where more than 200 participants entered the river under the supervision of the Water Rescue Service. Later that evening, the historic Grünau Castle hosted a concert featuring works from classical music, operetta and musical theatre, performed by Georg Thaller, Friederike Mößbauer and Doris Peter.
On 28 June, the programme continued with welcome speeches from representatives of the Floodplain Center, the district and the city, followed by a presentation by Anita Cheneshkova on DANUBEPARKS and the Danube WILDisland RRI. The presentation highlighted the importance of transnational cooperation for wetland conservation.
The event then moved to the inner courtyard of Grünau Castle, where visitors could explore a variety of information and activity booths, enjoy local food offerings and participate in family-friendly activities. Despite the summer heat, more than 200 visitors attended the event and enthusiastically took part in the programme.
The celebrations concluded with guided excursions into the surrounding floodplain forest, where participants explored the unique wetland habitat and, using nets and magnifying glasses, discovered characteristic local species.
The event was organised with the contribution of the Danube WILDisland RRI, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and in collaboration with other partners involved in wetland conservation across the Danube Region.