The west gate hall in Riedhausen has existed for 25 years.
Georg Klein, one of the founding fathers, looks back.
Some events lasted a quarter of a century, including the pub evening and the tango hangout.
Riedhausen - With the ulterior motive of creating a place for cabaret, six friends founded the Riedhauser Westtorhalle in 1995.
One of them was Georg Klein.
At that time, he initiated the spark for this cultural site, which can celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.
The dream of a cultural center
“In our search for a suitable location, we had our eye on the Murnau Kemmelkaserne, which was closed in 1995,” says Klein.
The area had been occupied by American units after the Second World War.
The space in which the hall is located today was used by the US military for film screenings.
A whitewashing shop was also operated in the building with the number 143.
“I asked the soldiers if I could visit the building.
They agreed, ”says Klein.
He was then on fire.
It was clear to him that he wanted to realize the dream of a cultural center in this place.
There was also an ideal idea behind this: The Riedhauser had lived right next to the barracks fence since 1979.
The impression arose that “soldiers are guarding our garden”.
Culture that is affordable for everyone
The desire to implement something on the other side of the fence one day was born.
Together with Thomas Geggerle, Stefan Karoll, Stefan Pflüger, Peter Pfitzner and Heida Lohbihler, Klein created the Westtor project.
The basic idea: to create a cultural offer on a voluntary basis that is affordable for everyone.
The Seehausen community found this worth supporting.
Mayor Sylvester Eichberger (CSU) gave the concept his blessing.
After all, it was the only barracks building in Seehauser area.
Creative solutions
So it came about that in 1995 the first event took place in the hall.
For an admission price of fifteen D-Marks, guests were offered live music and an art exhibition, including culinary delights.
“The response was very positive,” remembers Klein, “everyone was curious and wanted to know what we had created out of the ground.” This description is accurate, because the six founding members were creative and spontaneous in implementing their idea .
The equipment consisted largely of recycled material.
The counter and cooling elements came from a closed military casino.
“We bought that from Markt Murnau for an apple and an egg,” says Klein.
The hall founders obtained discarded spotlights from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
The beer garden set on which guests can still sit today was purchased from the Augustiner brewery.
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Founding members in 1995: (from left) Georg Klein, Stefan Pflüger, Stefan Karoll, Peter Pfitzner and Thomas Geggerle.
Heida Lohbihler is not in the picture.
Photo: private
© Private
The pub night is still there today
In addition, many an event lasted a quarter of a century, including the pub evening and the tango get-together.
The wide cultural spectrum has been preserved over the years.
Theater, cabaret and concerts are still integral parts of the program.
The associated association was founded in 1998 by 34 people.
Today the organization has almost 700 members.
"Back then we would never have thought that our idea could last that long," emphasizes Klein.
His active days are long gone, but he is following the development of the West Gate with great interest.
Thanks to voluntary commitment and the support of the population and politics, the cultural site has survived all crises so far - including the protracted neighborhood dispute over noise pollution.
No operation since March
The biggest challenge was the debate that arose in 2018 about the future of the hall. Since the location was secured, those responsible have been looking positively into the future.
Even Corona doesn't change that.
The hall has been shut down since March, but the team adapted to the circumstances in the form of a streaming platform called "Westtor Radio".
There was also a small live concert series with a safe distance in the beer garden.
Constanze Wilz
Also interesting: the West Gate Hall has long been an institution
