The Würm as a historical gem

Created: 07/06/2022, 07:00

The cultural-historical bike ride along the Würm as part of the city bike ride started at Anger in Lochham.

© michael Schönwalder

On the cultural-historical bike tour as part of the current Stadtradeln, around 25 cycling and history enthusiasts pedaled along the Würm under the guidance of Martin Feldner in bright sunshine from Lochham to the Reismühle in Gauting.

They informed themselves about the multiple uses of the Würm water over the centuries.

By Friederike Tschochner

Würmtal

– From the protective function that Hofmark castles and churches on islands between arms of the river took advantage of, to the leisure time pleasure of today’s Kneipp facilities, the little river determined and enriched people’s lives.

For centuries the river was the lifeline for the rural population.

Water for people, animals and gardens, for purification and fire protection.

The courtyards were lined up along the Würm, the wash houses were close to the water

The old building law prevented the mayor Paul Diehl from keeping the banks of the Würm free.

The farms lined the river;

near the water were the wash houses, in which the bath water for the whole family and the servants was heated in a tub once a week, as well as the fire-hazardous forges and bakehouses.

Two of these small buildings can still be seen in Steinkirchen.

The laundry was washed directly in the Würm, sometimes with items that had “swept away” having to be collected downstream.

Accidents are also occasionally known, which is easy to imagine given the slippery jetties and banks.

One of the oldest municipal ordinances in Gräfelfing stipulates that on washing days the cattle could only be driven into the Würm after they had been washed.

The cultural-historical bike tour through the Würmtal started at the newly renovated water wheel on the Anger

The Würm water was hardly suitable for cooking and drinking.

Until the construction of the water pipe around the turn of the century, it was probably still used when the nearest well was too far away.

Several cholera epidemics were the sad consequences.

The breweries were required to use their own wells.

The ice ponds were also important to keep the beer cool in the cellars in summer.

The bike ride began at the newly renovated water wheel on the Anger, which used to water the stables at Lochham estate.

In Krailling, older people still remember the horse pond at the old town hall opposite the former blacksmith shop.

The “career” of the Würm as a bathing river began in the 19th century

The “career” of the Würm as a bathing river began in the 19th century.

Munich doctors described the "soft, golden-brown water" as particularly healthy, and the Würmtal became a paradise for excursions and a summer resort, not only for the city dwellers from Munich, but also for guests from far away.

From the Planegger wave pool in 1864 to the elegant pool complex designed by pool architect Max Littmann in Lochham to the summer pool at the Kraillinger brewery, one pool after the other was built.

Unfortunately they didn't last.

The Gräfelfingen cabins disappeared into the ovens of the freezing population during the icy war winter, and the bathing ban put an end to the popular “Trinklbad” in Krailling in the 1970s.

What was newly created were relaxation oases on the banks of the renatured Würm, such as the Anger and the "Garden of Tranquility".

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Since time immemorial, numerous mills have used water power.

The Linner mill in Krailling and the rice mill (linguistically abbreviated from "Reichsmühle") were part of the sightseeing program.

With a wink, the owner in Gauting even showed the legendary cradle of Emperor Charlemagne.

In addition to economic benefits and pleasure, the Würm water once also served a sacred purpose

With the beginning of industrialization, the power was also used to generate electricity.

Several factories settled on the Würm, from the Pappendeckel factory of a Swiss entrepreneur in Lochham to a hardware factory (today Webasto) in Stockdorf to the paper factory of Julius Haerlin in Gauting, where the descendants still operate a small power plant today.

The old turbines of the Krämer mill in Gräfelfing can be admired on the meadow;

the municipality is currently trying to get the power plant back into operation.

But since the Würm is also a fish water, a “fish ladder” is supposed to guide the animals around the weir systems here, as in Gauting.

Before the First World War, the gold beating works, which were attached to the flour and sawmills, were a special feature.

In addition to economic benefits and pleasure, the Würm water once also served a sacred purpose.

In ancient times, the southern of Munich's four baptismal sites was located in the Würmtal.

St. John the Baptist is documented as a baptismal church in the 13th century.

Due to its age and location on the water, historians suspect that St. Georg in Steinkirchen was also used in this way, especially since it was never a parish church, but only later the burial place of the lords of the castle.

The Würm plays a very special role in the Evangelical Church of Peace.

Here, the view through the glass wall is conceived as the “most beautiful altarpiece” that changes with the seasons.(ts)