Thomas Raff is Diessen's eleventh honorary ring holder

Created: 01/01/2022, 12:59 PM

From: Dieter Roettig

One of only eleven people from Dießen who received the Ring of Honor: 74-year-old Prof. Dr.

Thomas Raff. © Roettig

Dießen - Only ten outstanding personalities have received the "Golden Ring of Honor" from the market town of Dießen since it was introduced in 1965.

Among other things, this testifies to the value of this award for handpicked citizens who have dedicated their strength and energy to the public, cultural and social interests of the community. 

As Diessen's mayor Sandra Perzul announced at the last municipal council meeting, the ring of honor from the Dießen goldsmith's from Michael Saupe is only now being awarded again after a long break.

Namely to Prof. Dr.

Thomas Raff (74), art and cultural historian with a long list of merits for the market town.

Among other things, Prof. Dr.

Thomas Raff directed the fortunes of the Heimatverein for 35 years and thus left his indelible mark on Dießen.

For health reasons, however, he had to resign in September and was replaced by his preferred candidate Matthias Rodach.

Thanks to Dr.

Raff's extensive knowledge of the cultural and art scene in Dießen was most recently published in the representative illustrated book “Art in the City Hall”, which documents the work of 107 well-known artists and artisans from the region with its texts.

More local books by Dr.

Raff are for example "Walks through Dießen", "The Taubenturm zu Dießen", "Dießen in old views", "Dießen in old representations and descriptions" or "Diary of a country life - a Dießen reader".

Professor Dr. Raff wrote. In one of them he explains why the Dießen coat of arms is called "Fischermartl". This goes back to a fisherman from Dießen named Martin, who had shown himself to be particularly brave at the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322. In recognition of this, Emperor Ludwig made the community of Dießen a ban market and also awarded it the coat of arms, which has since been called "Fischermartl".

The community's first ring of honor was awarded in 1965 to Sister Johanna Kreuzer, who had worked as a teacher in Dießen for 47 years.

Other honorary ring bearers included Monsignor Heinrich Winterholler for his services to the renewal of the Marienmünster with tower and the winter church, ceramist and local researcher Ernst Lösche and Liselotte Orff, who secured the legacy of her husband Carl Orff for Dießen.