Family man, dentist, political rascal: mourning for the "green conscience of Wartenberg"

A rascal in politics, a popular dentist and a family man: In Wartenberg there is mourning for Walter Gebhart, who died on Tuesday.

Wartenberg - Who would contradict a dentist if you are lying in the patient chair yourself and he is standing over you with a drill in your hand?

And in the past these instruments were a lot bigger than they are today.

From this point of view, Walter Gebhart, when he went about his job, had an easy time getting his political opinions across to women or men.

Wartenberg's former mayor Gustav Weltrich has to laugh when he tells this story about his longtime friend.

His laughter is also accompanied by sadness.

Because Gebhart died on Tuesday at the age of 93.

Gebhart and Weltrich, who was ten years younger than him - “they were two rascals in politics,” says today's market councilor Heike Kronseder about her two free-voter colleagues.

Weltrich does not want to contradict this at all.

“We still created circulars with the spirit printer and distributed them locally.

"We worked on it day and night."

"It was very important politically," says Weltrich of Gebhart, one of the founders of the local FW, whom he calls "Wartenberg's green conscience".

From 1970 to 1996 he was for the free voters in the market council.

The reason for his election to the committee is Weltrich Gebhart's tireless commitment to nature conservation.

A big upset back in the seventies: The CSU, which dominated the council, had the plan to continue Erdinger Straße in a straight line into Strogenstraße in order to defuse the curve in the Gasthaus zur Sonne (today's Sonnenhof).

That would have meant relocating the Strogen - "a sacrilege," says Weltrich.

"That was our campaign hit back then, that's why we both came to the local council."

Gebhart loved his flowers and was a committed member of the fruit and horticultural association - for example doing various planting work in the village.

Always at his side: Ludwig Hobmaier.

Weltrich also likes to remember shared experiences on bike trips or festivities such as carnival balls.

Gebhart also proved his acting talent in sketch interludes.

Gebhart was also a member of other clubs, such as TSV Wartenberg or the nationally organized rose club.

He loved his garden, pottery and beekeeping.

And he was “a very big family man.

At the end he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, ”says his son Peter, who is himself a dentist in Wartenberg and has inherited the job from his father.

His brother Armin is a dental technician, and only the third son in the group, Walter, is a little bit out of the family tradition.

“He just builds houses and we build teeth,” says Peter Gebhart with a laugh.

Walter Gebhart's father Ludwig had already been a dentist, or a dentist.

So he hadn't studied the profession, as Weltrich says.

The former mayor used to have Ludwig Gebhart not only treat him technically, but also cut his hair.

Walter Gebhart was a native of Wartenberg who was born in his parents' house.

The carefree childhood and youth suddenly ended with the beginning war.

At the age of 16 he was ordered to the flak helpers and then had to move to Hungary as a radio operator.

Towards the end of the war he was near Bad Reichenhall, and as if by a miracle he managed to get home from there on foot.

As a finished dentist, he later worked in the practice with his father.

His brother Anton also studied dentistry in Munich, and one of his fellow students was Brunhilde, Walter Gebhart's future wife.

They went hiking in the Dolomites and traveled to England and the Baltic Sea.

One of the highlights was the trip to Santiago de Compostella on the Camino de Santiago.

In the last few years Gebhart has increasingly lost his strength.

In addition to his three sons and wife Brunhilde, with whom he celebrated his diamond wedding this year, he leaves behind five grandchildren - and many sad companions.

One of them is Heike Kronseder.

"He was a role model in many ways, humor, hard work and agility set him apart," she says of the deceased, who received the market's citizen medal in 1996 for his services.

Kronseder fondly remembers her 50th birthday when Gebhart - in a fine thread with a top hat - gave her a serenade on the barrel organ.

Years ago, the opera lover did something similar at an open day at the Wittelsbach hunting lodge.

The people were so excited that they donated money to the musician.

“It was the first money raised for the hunting lodge,” says Kronseder.

In the spring she met Gebhart for the last time - after the local elections, which did not go well for the Free Voters.

"Now I'm measuring it aba scho zammraffa," he told her at the time, the political rascal.

MARKUS SCHWARZKUGLER