The Heimatmuseum Forstern has one more highlight. In addition to the previous exhibitions on the topic of "getting married 100 years ago" and the "Forster celebrates" area, the so-called Läuger parlor is now available for inspection
Forstern– "It was a happy coincidence for us," says Ludwig Hiebinger, chairman of the local association for gardening and home care and responsible for the local museum, how the new exhibits ended up in the museum's rooms.
The owner of the parlor, Gottfried Läuger, died on November 17, 2015 at the age of 86, his wife Hildegard followed him on March 2, 2019. It was up to son Winfried and his wife Belinda to clear out the parents' house. Without further ado, they offered Hiebinger to exhibit the former room in the museum. “At first I was flabbergasted because it came as a surprise,” says Hiebinger.
Were known throughout the community: Hildegard and Gottfried Läuger.
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The surprise was even greater when he looked at the room on site - "not just a table and a chair, but an entire ensemble" with a table, corner bench, chairs, couch, showcase, chest and sideboard, he enthuses.
“It makes a lot of sense to keep it in the museum. It's a piece of Forster's story, ”says Hiebinger. Because not a few citizens of the community and beyond may still remember the children's birthdays, which were celebrated in this parlor, formerly at the Läugers. Or to the Schafkopf evenings and political discussions - Gottfried Läuger was at least twelve years in the local council in Forst.
The furniture was made in 1945 by Gottfried Läuger and his father Max
Nothing has been changed on the furniture so far. A chair wobbles a bit, a few corners are chipped off. "We deliberately left it that way because the furniture is just that," explains Hiebinger. After all, the ensemble has been around for many decades.
The furniture was made in 1945 by Gottfried Läuger and his father Max based on a design by Munich architect Josef Hartmann. "It was quasi the journeyman's piece by Friedl Läuger, who completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter," says Hiebinger. The peasant painting with flowers comes from painter Willi Kirschenhofer from Lenggries - the Läugers had family relationships at Lake Tegernsee. The original design for the ensemble can also be seen in the museum.
Traditional accessories, but also wax heels and handicraft utensils from Läugers can be seen.
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The house of the Läugers was once a smithy before it was taken over by their ancestors and continued as a waggon. The wood and the machines for the furniture came from the wagner's shop - that is, family-owned.
The sewing machine between the furniture does not come from the Läugers' household, “but such a sewing machine simply belonged to a room. And Hildegard Läuger sewed and handcrafted a lot, ”says Hiebinger. For example, she was very active in Hardanger, a traditional embroidery technique from Scandinavia. Embroidery stencils made of copper sheet and various models owned by the Läugers can also be found in the glass showcase, as well as Christian wax heels, rosaries, traditional accessories and a Fatschenkindl. Next to it are beer mugs and glasses, which Gottfried Läuger was given in his capacity as a municipal councilor or chairman of FC Forstern - the “Mister FC Forstern” held this position for 25 years (see below).
"It fits together wonderfully here"
The bed chair next to the sideboard including the Madonna and rosary “was also originally from the Läugers. It fits together wonderfully here, ”says Hiebinger and also knows the story behind these objects: they come from the property of the French pastor Abbé Marcel Cousin, who read his daily mass in the Läuger House during World War II (see below). Various items that he used for the services - including chasubles, chalices and crosses - are displayed next to the bed chair in a display case.
The official opening is to be rescheduled
Hiebinger laid a wooden floor for the Läuger parlor last summer. A suitable window frame by Willy Huber from Bocköd was hung on the wall, a wall was drawn in, the lamp was installed above the table and the room was finally furnished - with the help of Rosi Bardtfeld, Roswitha and Fritz Riepl as well as Annemarie and Richard Kinzner. The new exhibition should have been presented at the annual general meeting in March, but it is known that it fell victim to the corona restrictions.
Since the Eichermuseum, in which the Heimatmuseum is located, can now be visited again, the Läuger-Stube can be visited during its opening hours. An official opening is planned when the annual general meeting can be rescheduled. And later, Hiebinger can also imagine small events such as readings or a hoagarten there. "This way we could fill the room with life," he hopes.
Opening times of the Eicher and Heimatmuseum
You can visit the Heimatmuseum during the opening hours of the Eichermuseum: Saturdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hygiene rules apply: entry only with mouth-nose protection, 1.50 butcher minimum distance, no contact with the exhibits, observance of the arrows.
Honorary Citizen Gottfried Läuger
Gottfried Läuger (1929-2015) was a forester with body and soul. Although he, who lived in the middle of the town, learned the craft of the carpenter in the 1940s, he later worked as a post office worker - a profession through which he got to know almost all citizens of Forster and the surrounding area. Läuger is also known as "Mister FC Forstern". The sports club with "countless sub-departments, with an excellent, extensive sports facility, with exemplary youth work would not have existed if Gottfried Läuger had not directed the fortunes of FC Forstern for 25 years," wrote the former mayor Georg Els in the Chronicle of Forstern about Friedl Liar.
He was Chairman of the FC from 1962 to 1987, and was later appointed Honorary Chairman. From 1966 to 1978 Läuger was also a member of the community council of Forstern and also more than 50 years member of the church choir. In recognition of all this, the local council decided in 1995 to award the Citizen Medal to Läuger. The handover by the then mayor Josef Eicher took place with the inauguration of the new sports field on July 29, 1995.
Abbé Cousin, the French pastor
Around 25 French prisoners of war were quartered in Forstern during the Second World War - including the French pastor Abbé Marcel Cousin, abbreviated to Abbé, who worked in the Eicher operations as the manager of the spare parts warehouse. He met Max Läuger around 1943, who offered to set up a room in his house where the Abbé could read his daily mass, even in the presence of other French prisoners. This was not entirely safe as it was actually forbidden. Later he was able to hold Sunday services for the prisoners in the so-called tank wood hall, which stood on the site of today's Gaigl hall.
Objects by Abbé Cousin in a display case.
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Because the Americans found German soldiers in the Läuger house at the end of the war, the family had to vacate their house. Thanks to the intervention of the Abbé, who put in a good word for the Läuers from the Americans, they were soon able to move back into their house. The Abbé returned to his French homeland. In 1951 he returned from his diocese to Forstern with two higher clergymen to show his companions where he had spent his captivity.
Since then he has come to Forstern almost every year, stayed at the Läuger house, visited friends and made friends with Pastor Korbinian Riedmaier, among others, with whom he often celebrated services. The Abbé died at the end of 1997. The following year, Friedl Läuger was allowed to take part in the unveiling of a commemorative plaque for him and the resulting Franco-German friendship in Abbé's home town. With him were his wife Hilde, his son Winfried with wife Belinda, the couple Fritz and Trude Dworzak and Henry Pritschet. To this day, there is still a loose connection to the Abbé relatives.
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