On April 12, 1991, the then Bavarian Minister of the Interior, Edmund Stoiber, presented the now deceased former mayor Rudi Bay with a special certificate in the multi-purpose hall of the church school: Germering was promoted to the status of a city.
Mayor Andreas Haas and his predecessor Peter Braun look back on this important event.
Germering -
How long a period of 30 years works can be seen from the fact that both Peter Braun (SPD) and Andreas Haas (CSU) experienced the official act of becoming a town as councilors.
Haas was brand new to local politics at the time and had only been on the local council for a year.
He remembers that time as follows: “I still remember that not all people were happy with becoming a 'city'.
Some found it very difficult to say goodbye to their native 'villages'.
Only in retrospect did it become apparent that we didn't have to say goodbye to the village structures. "
Largest community
Former Mayor Braun was chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the local council, a member of the state parliament and had already been elected mayor - but he had not yet taken office.
“At the ceremony in the church school, the town hall was still under construction, Interior Minister Stoiber presented the town charter to the still incumbent Mayor Rudi Bay,” he recalls.
To a certain extent, the step to the city came about, says Peter Braun.
The municipalities of Germering and Unterpfaffenhofen, which were merged after the regional reform in 1978, formed by 1990 the largest municipality in Bavaria by far with 34,000 inhabitants.
The old mayor speaks with great respect of his two predecessors and their contribution to the development of the city.
Josef Kistler, mayor of the individual community of Germering from 1960 until his death in 1974, ensured growth and affordable housing construction with great skill.
During his tenure, among other things, the first indoor swimming pool in the district and the Max-Born-Gymnasium were built.
"At the age of 32 I became his successor until the 1978 regional reform," adds Braun.
Rudi Bay, who succeeded Kistler, submitted the application for a town survey during his tenure as elected mayor of the new large community from 1979 to 1991 and held preliminary talks with the authorities.
During his tenure, for example, the outdoor pool and the ice rink were built.
he town hall started.
Given the best
Andreas Haas also pays tribute to his predecessors when it comes to urban development: “Everyone gave their best and got involved.
Bay acted in advance and Peter Braun especially after the survey.
Both laid the foundations for Germering to develop into a city where people like to live. "
External signs were also connected with it.
The town band, previously a Spielmannszug Unterpfaffenhofen-Germering, was given this title at its own request.
New ranks were introduced in the fire brigade.
"Some people said: if we are already in the city ...", remembers Braun.
Incidentally, the title was rather benevolently noted at the time. “There was hardly any public discussion. Life with its ups and downs in the public and private sector has not changed, ”remembers the former mayor. Haas sees it this way: “The people in charge at the time wanted the citizens to identify even more with their hometown and so that their so-called 'citizenship' could be strengthened. A stronger external perception was also the wish. And take a look around ... The impetus for this has always been and still is! "
When asked what he associates with the term “city”, Mayor Haas says: “For Germering, I primarily associate the term city with the people who live, work and live here.
The diversity of people is what makes Germering what it is and I experience a lot of commitment with and for one another here in particular.
That is what makes Germering! "
Peter Braun sees it a bit more formal.
“City” used to represent a community with special rights.
Today it is more of a term that reflects the size of a community.
“Ultimately, Munich is also a municipality,” says Braun.
When is the party?
The pandemic prevents a celebration of the milestone birthday of the city elevation, both Braun and Haas agree on this.
“As long as this lasts, there can be no celebrations,” emphasizes Braun.
The problems with school closings, learning delays, stress in the family, financial worries - all of this outshines everything else.
For Haas, this means giving the anniversary space in commemoration and remembrance of its creation.
"But there will only be another party when it is possible again."
The outlook
The wishes for the future of both adapt almost naturally to the current situation.
"Again carefree encounters that are not shaped by measures and specifications," hopes Haas.
But it will certainly succeed in keeping the city liveable and lovable.
"This also includes acting and discussing together."
Braun thinks in two categories: "An end to the pandemic after vaccination offers" is the short-term wish of the old mayor.
In the medium term, there will be a balanced development in the area of housing and infrastructure.
Braun asks for further support for the hospice association and the construction of the home, two very personal concerns.
The story of a settlement
The settlement history of today's urban area is thousands of years old.
Archaeological finds prove human activities up to the last Ice Age around 35,000 years ago.
Skeleton finds Grave finds from the Stone Age and evidence of Roman settlement are also abundant.
The name "Kermaringun" for Germering is first mentioned in documents around 950 AD. An important step into today's structures was made in 1818. At that time, the independent communities Germering and Unterpfaffenhofen were assigned to the tax district in the Fürstenfeldbruck district office. According to the city's website, the construction of the Munich-Herrsching railway line in 1902 brought about the first major structural change. A settlement cooperative was formed in Harthaus. The Neugermering settlement was built in the north-eastern area of Germering. In 1935, as a result of the construction of the tank farm by the Economic Research Society of the Nazis, the Wifo settlement was laid out in the Kreuzlinger Forst.
A large increase in the population of the two still independent individual communities resulted in 1945/1946 due to the influx of displaced persons.
The next big boost came in the early 1970s, when the number skyrocketed to over 25,000.
By the regional reform in 1978, when both communities were merged, Germering had around 34,000 inhabitants.
When it became a town in 1991, the next logical step followed.
The city had just under 36,000 inhabitants.
Since then, growth has been moderate.
On October 1, 2004, Germering was finally elevated to a major district town.
Today a little over 41,400 inhabitants live here.
This makes Germering the largest municipality in the Fürstenfeldbruck district.
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