“Not an isolated case in Bavaria”: One of the oldest clubs is on the brink of collapse
Created: 07/05/2022, 21:10
The veterans' association in Günzlhofen is about to end.
(Iconic image) © KTH/Imago Images
The veterans' and comrades' association cannot find a successor for the board.
This means that one of the oldest clubs in Günzlhofen is about to go out.
Günzlhofen
– One of the oldest clubs in Günzlhofen is about to end.
The veterans' and comrades' association, founded in 1893, will probably have to be dissolved.
Because there is no one to take the chair.
Club is on the brink: “Not an isolated case in Bavaria”
At the last annual meeting in April, only ten members were present, half of whom are board members.
Lutz Rosenbaum has held the office of Chairman on an interim basis for almost a year and a half.
He had left the post of deputy and taken the top position after the previous chairman, Ernst Sigl, suddenly died.
"I've said several times that I can no longer do this for professional reasons," says Rosenbaum.
But in April there was again no board, as there were only ten present - the association, which was once called the Warriors and Veterans Association, has more than 100 members, by the way.
Now the resolution is imminent.
"This is not an isolated case in Bavaria, according to the district level," reports Rosenbaum.
"But in the county we would be the first veterans' club to disband." He fears that the club "is doomed to die."
But right now, according to Rosenbaum, it would be important to continue to cultivate this club and its traditions.
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Association with roots in the 19th century: Peace in focus
This year, at the Corpus Christi procession, the association was not there with its flags.
“That could have had an aha effect,” says Rosenbaum.
But there wasn't a single response as to why the veterans didn't participate.
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Such clubs, which often have the designation "warriors", "soldiers" or "veterans" in their names, were founded after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The Bavarian Soldiers' Association now has around 1000 clubs as an umbrella organization.
In Wildspoldsried in the Allgäu, for example, attempts are being made to revive the club.
It remains to be seen whether this will succeed.
There they want to attract more young members, and the focus of the association's work could be on refugee aid in the future.
Because the topic of peace in particular has come into focus since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Last meeting of the association?
Turnaround seems unlikely
Rosenbaum is now planning another meeting for the end of July – possibly the last of the association.
Each member is personally contacted and invited.
If no chairman is found again, the association is dissolved.
The association's assets are then managed in trust by the municipality of Oberschweinbach - for two years.
Within this time the club could be revived.
If this is not the case, the money will be used for non-profit purposes within the village.
Rosenbaum had already informed in the Lindwurmkurier, the municipal newsletter, how the association was doing and appealed to the citizens.
"It would be more than sad if our club's flags had to be rolled up and left to rot in a granary," he wrote.
It is difficult to imagine that the continued existence of the association fails because there is a lack of interest and commitment on the part of the members.
But he no longer believes in a turning point shortly before the club is dissolved.
You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.
