Green proposal rejected: the town square is still called “town square”

Created: 01/27/2022, 12:02 p.m

By: Wolfgang Schorner

Will not get a new name: the Penzberg town square, here a picture from December 2019, when the ice fairy tale was still taking place, photographed from the hotel "K33", the former "Olympia".

© Wolfgang Schörner

The Penzberg town square does not get a new name.

It may continue to be simply called "Stadtplatz".

The city council has rejected a motion by the Greens parliamentary group to rename it “Place of Diversity” with a clear majority.

The Greens wanted to point out the cultural diversity and openness of Penzberg.

Penzberg – Almost a year ago, the Penzberg Greens parliamentary group submitted the application to rename the Penzberg town square “Place of Diversity”.

The city council considered the request on Tuesday evening.

And he was quickly off the table.

All city council factions - except for the Greens - rejected renaming.

The proposal had previously been the subject of controversy on social media.

Green faction promotes "Place of Diversity"

At the meeting, Katharina von Platen had campaigned for the name to be changed to "Place of Diversity".

"First of all: we like the town square, it could do with a bit more greenery," she said.

The town square should also remain a town square, no matter how it is named, added von Platen.

The town square, she explained, is in the midst of a diverse town that has transformed itself from a mining town into an attractive place with many different businesses, shops and restaurants.

Von Platen emphasized that people from over 80 nations live in Penzberg and that the city has a volunteer sponsor who promotes the diversity of club life.

"Penzberg as a diverse city is characterized by the solidarity of all people, no matter where they come from, no matter who they love, who they believe in, whether sick or healthy,

poor or rich,” she said.

The intention is to take this into account by renaming it “Place of Diversity”.

Enthusiasm among other factions is limited

However, the enthusiasm of the other city council fractions was very limited.

CSU parliamentary group leader Maria Probst said that the name "Stadtplatz" results from its location in the center.

"It's simple, but not trivial because of that," she explained.

It makes no sense to change the logical name to a "perhaps somewhat cumbersome name" because there is no added value, says Probst.

Diversity is good, but it extends over the entire city area and cannot be reduced to the city square.

"That's why we'd like to keep our town square," she appealed.

Regina Bartusch (SPD), who also advocated keeping the previous name on behalf of her parliamentary group, saw it in a similar way.

BfP faction leader Armin Jabs ("an emotional issue") said that von Platen himself had provided the argument

when she said it would remain the town square.

So why should it be renamed “Place of Diversity”.

You can save yourself this bureaucratic effort, said Jabs.

City builder Justus Klement had his own view of the Penzberg town square.

Because the surrounding development of the town square is so "heterogeneous", he explained in the administrative bill, the requested name could lead to a "wrong interpretation".