The plain brown garage door looks like any other.
There is nothing to indicate that once Turkfield children stood in front of it with wide eyes and were overwhelmed by what was to be seen here.
Back then, in the early 1950s, there was a city gate at this point.
It turned into a gate of heaven at Christmas time.
Türkenfeld -
The children must have felt like a glimpse into paradise.
A sky of blue fabric adorned with stars arched over a cleverly lit exhibition of the most modern toys of the time.
There were dolls and teddy bears sitting there, there were tin toys, jumping frogs, wind-up toy cars and a toy train.
Christmas music was playing from somewhere.
The fact that the double-sided gate usually only opened when it was getting dark made the whole thing seem even more magical.
Eccentric idea was a great advertisement
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Georg Knoblauch's shop, the spiritual father of the Heavenly Gate.
In addition to paints and varnishes, he also sold toys.
© Türkenfeld municipal archive
Behind the Heavenly Gate was a businessman who was as clever as it was creative.
In addition to a small farm on Bahnhofstrasse, Georg Knoblauch ran a shop selling paints, varnishes, stationery and toys.
The man had a lot of good ideas and is still unforgettable in the village to this day.
He later ran one of the first cinemas in the area.
In addition, Knoblauch was a local writer for a long time and for many years from 1972 recorded all the important events in the village for posterity with the Super 8 camera.
Talk to the Christ Child on the tin telephone
The idea of clearing out the barn during Advent and turning it into a toy heaven is only eccentric at first glance.
In fact, in times of not yet ubiquitous advertising media, it was an excellent advertisement for garlic's current range.
The children couldn't just look at the things.
They could talk to the "Christ Child" over a tin telephone and announce their wishes.
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On this historical photo you can see the city gate on the far right at the edge of the picture, behind which the sky gate was built.
© Türkenfeld municipal archive
The Christ child is said to have mostly been Knoblauch's wife.
Other contemporary witnesses say that the shopkeeper himself hid in the background to hear what the children were saying.
The wishes were then passed on to the respective parents.
“You knew everyone,” says Traudl Bernhard.
She is one of the children from back then and still remembers the fairytale-like sight behind the Heavenly Gate.
“We children stood in front of it as if enchanted.
It was a sensation. "
Christa Wirtl also remembers how, as a child, her eyes passed from all the glories and, above all, how she looked longingly at the first talking dolls.
She didn't get any.
"But the sight alone was great."
Property has been established since 1797
Since then, the old property - proven to be Schusterheisl since 1797 - has changed through renovations.
A few months ago, Agnes Maria Forsthofer opened the “Türkenfelder Kreativ-Platzl” in the building, a craft meeting place and the seat of the Kulturverstrickungen association she founded.
She had no idea about the Heavenly Gate until Christa Wirtl recently told her about it.
Difficult search for photos
Forsthofer is now looking for photos from back then.
Such an attraction must have captured someone in the picture, so their hope.
"I actually thought we'd find so many photos that we could do a small exhibition for Christmas." But she has to add: "Puff cake."
Nobody whom she and Christa Wirtl have approached so far owns pictures from back then.
Even local archivist Dieter Hess had to pass this time.
But at least he found a picture of the Knoblauchs shop at the time and another with the aforementioned stable gate in the background.
Research continues
Agnes Maria Forsthofer would be happy if old views of the Türkenfelder Himmelspforte would turn up and hopes to find something in the daily newspaper.
The exhibition could still be held in 2022 - next Christmas will definitely come.
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