Dispute about upgrading the old town - Wolfratshauser list starts citizens' initiative

Created: 06/12/2022Updated: 06/12/2022, 16:59

By: Dominik Stallein

The focus is on the Marienbrunnen in Wolfratshausen: the majority of the city council would like to move it, the Wolfratshausen list rejects it - and now wants to stop the measure with citizens' help.

© Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

The Wolfratshauser list starts a citizens' initiative against the redesign of Marienplatz.

They demand that the Marienbrunnen stay in its place.

Wolfratshausen – The Wolfratshausen list is about nothing less than “the heart of our old town”, which would be “irrevocably destroyed”.

The project is a "massive waste of money" that would be "at the expense of our citizens".

On Sunday morning, the political group gave the go-ahead for a citizens' initiative.

The aim: to prevent the Marienbrunnen fountain from being moved.

Dispute about upgrading the old town - Wolfratshauser list starts citizens' initiative

Around 40 guests in the clubhouse of the Isar-Loisachstadion are opposed to the project.

Helmut Forster, list board member, considers the measure decided by the city council to be a "mad idea" that needs to be prevented.

In April, the committee decided by a vote of 15:5 to move the building a few meters in the direction of the main road.

The list, on the other hand, mobilizes: "We want to keep the fountain in its place" - for several reasons, as City Councilor Dr.

Manfred Fleischer explained.

On the one hand, the shift is an intervention in the "grown, harmonious ensemble in the heart of the city".

The Marienplatz with fountain, column, plane trees and the church in the background is a "scenery that many other cities envy us for".

Helmut Forster: "In our small town we have large spaces for events" © Archiv

Marienbrunnen relocation is discussed controversially - Wolfratshauser Liste collects signatures to preserve the ensemble

The idea of ​​moving the fountain came up in the course of citizen participation to upgrade the old town.

The aim of the measure is to enlarge the space.

Fleischer counters: "The square doesn't get bigger if you move the fountain, because then space will be lost elsewhere."

"In our small town we have large spaces for events," emphasized Forster, citing the Loisachhallen car park, the Hatzplatz, the town hall café's beer garden and the old Floßlände as examples.

Erich Brockard junior noted that it is already possible to hold events at the foot of the parish church.

"At the Wirtefest 2019 there was a live stage,

Old town of Wolfratshausen is to be redesigned - "Breaks the law"

The list worries that the historic building could be destroyed during the move.

"In any case, the monument doesn't get any better if you work on it with a stone saw," Fleischer complained.

The root system of the plane trees – gifts from the French twin town of Barbezieux – could also be so badly damaged if the subsoil were to be tampered with, “that the trees die,” says Forster.

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Hobby historian Christian Steeb is shocked that the Monuments Office did not raise any objections to the relocation plans.

In his eyes, the fountain – which has stood at this very spot for around a century and has adorned Marienplatz for many centuries – is part of the listed ensemble of the old town.

"If the monument protection doesn't care about the postponement, they're breaking the law."

200,000 euros for Marienplatz redesign - "an insane amount of money"

The city expects the measure to cost around 200,000 euros – “at a time when the district office is already raising its finger and we have to cut spending,” explained Forster, and Fleischer added: “It’s an incredible amount of money for a measure that nobody needs.”

dr

Manfred Fleischer, City Councilor of the Wolfratshauser List: "It's an incredible amount of money for a measure that nobody needs." © Archive

The Wolfratshauser list has been campaigning against the relocation of the fountain for a long time.

As early as December 2020, Helmut Forster handed almost 400 signatures against the measure to the mayor.

"To date there has been no response to this," he said.

However, the list protest did trigger reactions.

Ernst Gröbmair, chairman of the advertising group, accused the political group of spreading false information in order to prevent the measure.

"I ask who is spreading false information here," said Forster, looking at the arguments he had put forward.

Citizens' petition in Wolfratshausen: 1400 signatures required

In order for the citizens' initiative to be successful, the list needs around 1,400 signatures from Wolfratshausen residents who are eligible to vote.

According to the Bavarian Municipal Code, a town the size of Wolfratshausen requires signatures from nine percent of the municipal citizens.

Fleischer is optimistic that the list will reach that number.

"The Wolfratshauser will give the city council a clear answer." The collection of signatures will achieve "an overwhelming response".

If the list gathers enough supporters, the citizens' initiative will be brought to the city council.

The list forces a referendum - with the question "Are you in favor of the ensemble of Marienbrunnen, Mariensäule and partnership plane trees remaining in place?".

You can read all the news from Wolfratshausen here.

The Wolfratshauser list opposes the conversion of the old town

The group has not imposed a fixed schedule.

"It would be nice if we had enough signatures by mid-July," said Richard Kugler.

Some of the guests in the clubhouse announced that they wanted to collect signatures from friends and acquaintances.

According to Forster, the lists should also be displayed in some shops or restaurants.