He has lived with the Dalai Lama and has traveled to almost 200 countries: Schorsch Kirner from Baldham is a world traveler legend.
But he is cured of the travel bug.
Baldham
-
From
shepherd boy on a Bavarian alpine pasture to globetrotter and expedition leader: Georg "Schorsch"
Kirner
(84) has traveled to
almost 200 countries
in the course of 60 years.
At the age of 67, he was the oldest person and the first Bavarian to reach both the North and South Poles on foot.
But he is at home in Baldham.
A house like a museum
From the outside, the Kirner's house hardly differs from the other houses in this quiet residential area.
But it gets exciting as soon as you step over the doorstep: The house is full of photos and souvenirs from Kirner's travels.
There are spears hanging on the wall, jeweled skulls are stored in the display case, the golden ruff of a giraffe woman stands on the floor and a bush drum hangs above it.
A colorful museum of his expeditions.
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Today: Schorsch Kirner in his house in Baldham.
“Bayer of the month January 1996” is written on the wall.
© Susanne Edelmann
But the memory of Kirner's childhood is not neglected either: pictures of his grandmother's alpine pasture in the border area between Bavaria and Tyrol are omnipresent.
Kirner grew up there and he always wondered what was behind the mountains.
Tales of a city in the water and 5,000 year old pyramids fueled his longing.
450 marks and his father's bike: Georg Kirner's first expedition to the Sahara
At the age of 24 he set out on his father's company bike, he says, with 450 marks in his pocket.
It was stolen from him at some point, so he continued his first journey on a camel, joining a caravan through the Sahara.
He made money on the go doing odd jobs.
“I still have enemies today because of my first trip, simply because I did a lot differently than was expected of me,” remembers Kirner.
In the end, he found a “decent job”: “I was employed in the aerospace industry for over 50 years.
I have saved up vacation days for traveling or took unpaid vacation. "
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In 1988, in the border area between Burma and Laos, Kirner met so-called giraffe women.
© private
Schorsch Kirner survived three plane crashes
He was particularly drawn to Asia, especially to Tibet, where he lived for some time with the Dalai Lama: "That changed and influenced my life in a lasting way," says Kirner.
"The Tibetans believe in rebirth, but the Dalai Lama also says: 'Enjoy this life, it could be your last!', I stuck to it."
Once he was given a Tibetan lucky coin, a little later he was one of only four survivors in a tragic plane crash.
In total, Kirner even survived three plane crashes and several serious illnesses such as malaria and hepatitis.
He believes: "Nothing in life is chance, everything is determination."
At 84, travel is over - because of a tragic experience
Today, at almost 85 years of age, he is still fit, rides his bike in the Ebersberg Forest and enjoys going into the mountains.
On the other hand, he no longer does large expeditions, and not just because of the pandemic: “In 2013/14 I led five expeditions that resulted in three deaths.
You can't get anything like that out. ”He tells of a participant who had falsified his medical certificate, which was compulsory when registering for a trip:“ He made a conscious decision to travel to the Himalayas to die there. ”The man had at home Everything was already settled, but Kirner, as expedition leader, had to answer many questions, take the urn with the man's remains home with him and give it to the widow, that moved him deeply.
Are there any places in the world that Kirner has not yet visited, but which he would still like to see?
"No," he replies with a smile.
“I fulfilled my childhood dreams and saw everything I wanted to see.” He has written twelve books about his experiences and given countless lectures.
In 1993 he received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon for his social commitment to indigenous peoples - he had invested a large amount of money in several properties around the world in order to preserve the living space there for the locals.
"I was able to postpone losing their homeland for at least a few years."
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In 1974, Schorsch Kirner took part in the first German New Guinea expedition.
© private
Schorsch Kirchner got stuck in Baldham through the Ebersberger Zeitung
Speaking of home: Schorsch and Renate Kirner, who have been married for 55 years, found their home in Baldham more than 45 years ago - and the Ebersberger Zeitung is not entirely innocent of this: “The editorial manager at the time, Gerd Gietl, had written a report about me , that's why I bought the newspaper.
Actually, my wife and I wanted to go on a trip, but it was a dreary, gray November day, so we stayed at home and I read the newspaper from cover to cover, including the real estate section. ”That was when Kirner came across the ad for the Baldham house.
There were several interested parties, but the seller had read the EZ report on Kirner, so he got the bid and renovated the house himself in the following years.
Looking back, he says: "Everything was fine as it was."
All news from Vaterstetten and the Ebersberg district at the Ebersberger Zeitung.