Hospitals, industrial complexes, cultural centres, roads or bridges – the 52 employees at Bauplanung Plauen GmbH work meticulously on many individual jobs.

Most of the staff are architects and engineers. Their boss Karsten Kroll explains, “We bear a great deal of responsibility and are continually learning new things through our daily tasks and we don’t need to be ashamed: we’re competing with colleagues from the large German cities – and can match their performance without any difficulty.” Karsten Kroll joined the company as a graduate engineer in 1999 and he has directed the company’s fortunes since 2006.  He is able to formulate a clear goal. “We want to remain competitive on the domestic and international markets. One thing is particularly important in this regard – having good workers.” And he can immediately quote certain advantages that the Vogtland area and Bauplanung Plauen in particular can offer.

The Vogtland region and its geographical benefits

Karsten Kroll summarises matters like this. “You can work on major, challenging tasks as an architect or engineer in Plauen – and they’re located far beyond the borders of the Vogtland area. The living conditions in the Vogtland region are no-nonsense. The property prices and rents allow us to enjoy a good standard of living.” Managing director Karsten Kroll is now 52 years old. When the Berlin Wall fell, he too faced the question of whether to stay in his Vogtland home region or not. “I had studied construction engineering in Weimar and had just finished when everything was undergoing a radical upheaval. I grew up in Falkenstein, but we had relatives in West Germany and they would have helped me launch my career there.” His young family, which consisted of his wife, who is a dentist, and two small children, decided to stay in the Vogtland region after all. “There was nowhere else where a structural engineer had more to do than here; after all, the complete infrastructure needed to be built up.” One of his first jobs involved opening up the industrial and commercial park at Neuensalz/Nord. He later took over the responsibility at Bauplanung Plauen for managing the project for the traffic and open-air facilities for the local Stadtgalerie shopping centre, which was built in the early 2000s. “We had to rearrange the tracks, the pipes, the roads and many other things.” He now gives well-educated young people the following advice.

“You can earn good money in the Vogtland region, but you can afford more here than in the major cities. You can still let your children play outside here and there are many day nurseries. The Vogtland area is a place where you can feel part of things and where others are delighted if young people decide to live locally. Nobody’s waiting for you in the so-called popular regions – you’re just part of the crowd there.”

Kroll also praises the region’s central geographical location. “I drive more than 50,000 kilometres a year – and I can reach many important city regions in about three hours.” He adds, “The Plauen-based company has managed to become a regular contract partner for large international firms. Our company combines the various departments of architecture, civil engineering, transport construction, structural engineering and building services. It’s very rare to have all these departments under one roof. As a result, we can handle complete planning tasks in a concentrated, effective manner – and quickly. The different employees know each other and work well together.”

Vita Karsten Kroll

• Born in Rodewisch in 1963
• Grew up in Falkenstein
• Studied engineering in Weimar between 1985 and 1991
• Worked as an engineer at Bauplanung Plauen GmbH from 1999 onwards
• Managing director and partner at Bauplanung Plauen GmbH from 2006 onwards
• Married with two children