The celebration of 70 years of church planting had to postpone the city. A look at the archive shows: Even then, there was no celebration on April 1st.
Geretsried - The city wanted to celebrate its birth on Wednesday with a big ceremony in the Ratsstubensaal: On April 1, 1950, 70 years ago today, the municipality of Geretsried was founded. Twenty years later, on June 27, 1970, they were elevated to town status. The celebration had to be postponed to an undetermined date in order to contain the corona pandemic. A look at the newspaper archive shows, however, that the church planting was not celebrated on April 1, 1950, even though it was a Saturday.
No party without snacks: The ice cream van from the Tobisch grocery store included, among other things.
© City Archives
The day before, the district council first took a look at a comprehensive meeting. The Isar-Loisachbote draws the conclusion: "The new community will not be a problem child." Almost at the same time, the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior ordered that a referendum be carried out immediately in the area of the new community of Geretsried. On April 16, citizens can vote in polling stations whether they agree to founding their own community.
An overwhelming majority supports the project. Of 1424 eligible voters, 1143 check “Yes”, that is 91.73 percent with a turnout of 87.4 percent. "The election result clearly shows that the efforts of the responsible authorities to bring the Geretsried-Gartenberg population into their own community correspond to the actual wishes of those involved," summarizes the Heimatzeitung.
Then it happens very quickly: the historic document, with which the Geretsried community becomes independent, is created on the 29th of the same month. The birthday is dated April 1, 1950 retrospectively. In the same year, on a sunny early summer day, June 24, the young community duly celebrated the memorable event. Karl Lederer, meanwhile the first mayor, thanks everyone who contributed to the development of the community.
"It is one of the unwanted and yet so haunting symbols of the day that the ceremony, in which the mayor was ceremoniously presented with the founding document, took place in an assembly hall," reports the Isar-Loisachbote. The large assembly hall of the Alpenland tractor factory, which is now owned by the Speck company, has been converted into a ballroom. It is adorned only sparsely, but flags around it flutter in the federal and state colors that the young community has borrowed from the city of Munich. A “Welcome to Geretsried” banner stretched across today's Elbestrasse welcomes guests from outside.
Framed the celebrations: The "Boum" and "Moidlan" of the later Egerländer Gmoi.
© Archives
There are some. Among others, the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Hans Seidel, State Secretary Dr. Josef Schwalber from the Ministry of the Interior, State Secretary Wolfgang Jaenicke from the Secretariat for Refugee Affairs, Dr. Sigisbert Mitterer, Abbot of the Schäftlarn monastery, and the mayor of the surrounding communities.
District Administrator Dr. Karl Reichhold welcomes the guests of honor, the newly elected municipal council and the many festively dressed citizens. Schwalber presents Lederer with the sponsorship gift from the Free State: 10,000 marks as basic equipment for the first municipal household. There is also a key allocation of 12,000 marks. The trade tax from 1949 goes to the municipality of Gelting, to which Geretsried belonged to date.
The children of the elementary school had prepared a play.
© City Archives
No party without snacks: The ice cream van from the Tobisch grocery store included, among other things.
© City Archives
At the heart of the action is, of course, the said charter. It testifies with the signature of Bavaria's Interior Minister Dr. Willi Ankermüller the formation of an independent municipality. For this, parcels from the communities of Gelting, Königsdorf, Osterhofen and Ergertshausen as well as from the community-free forest district of Wolfratshausen were spun off to Geretsried.
There had been discussions about the name for the new commune in advance: The Gartenberger pleaded for "Gartenberg", with reference to the larger number of buildings and residents. The local council nevertheless decided on "Geretsried", probably because this name has been around for centuries. “Gerratesried”, the hamlet surrounding the Nikolaus chapel, was first mentioned in 1083. “Gartenberg” was actually just a field name.
The district administrator concludes the speeches with a wish: "Geretsried, vivat, crescat, floreat!" Geretsried may live, grow and bloom. The festivities are rounded off by dances of the Egerländer, music by Geretsried's first brass band, a performance by the singing group under the direction of senior teacher Karl Kugler sen. and a play by the elementary school. Before lunch in the Korb restaurant, which is located near today's confluence with Elbestraße / Kirchplatz, they board a bus. On a tour, they are amazed at what the displaced people and refugees have achieved in just four years after their arrival. Visitors will also get an impression after the ceremony in a performance show in which the existing 36 Geretsried companies present themselves. (An industrial show is planned again this year.)
On a sunny festival day in early summer 1950, the young community shows what it has to offer, including a performance show.
© CITY ARCHIVE / ERWIN ROSNITSCHEK
The sunny Saturday is a successful festival day. Many more should follow him. In 1970 the community was elevated to town status, and eight years later Gelting was incorporated. Geretsried is becoming the largest city in the district with around 25,000 inhabitants today.
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