Miners' association lacks young members - how can they be enthusiastic about mining tradition?

Created: 08/23/2022, 2:00 p.m

By: Bernhard Jepsen

The board of directors of the Knappenverein after the new elections: (from left) Rudi Hochenauer, Wolfgang Neumann, Franz Fischer, Heidi Ehle, Christian Lang, Anita Diem, Bernd Diem, Alex Ehle as well as Annemarie and Lothar Glockshuber.

© Bernhard Jepsen

The board of directors led by Rudi Hochenauer was once again given confidence in the new elections.

But the Peissenberger miners are plagued by a problem: there is a lack of young members.

Peißenberg – With one exception, the old board of directors of the Knappenverein is also the new one.

In the new elections, only Walter Timm did not run for another term as secretary.

Wolfgang Neumann will take over his position in the future.

Lothar Glockshuber was elected second secretary.

Rudi Hochenauer (Chairman; in office for eight years), Bernd Diem (Deputy Chairman), Heidi Ehle (Treasurer) and Annemarie Glockshuber (Second Treasurer) were unanimously confirmed in their offices.

As assessors, Alex Ehle, Franz Fischer, Christian Lang and Heinz Hetterich were given their trust.

Anita Diem remains auditor.

The next board elections will take place in 2024.

According to its self-image, the miners' association Peißenberg is a "traditional association".

Its intention is to commemorate the local mining past - not only in Peißenberg, but also in Hohenpeissenberg.

The Knappen are therefore a cross-community association, even if the name is focused on Peißenberg.

And so it was not surprising that Hohenpeissenberg's mayor Thomas Dorsch was a guest at the most recent annual general meeting in the "Sonne" inn.

"You really do a lot.

All respect,” said the head of the town hall, praising the association’s commitment and its social significance: “Tradition and culture are the basis for our coexistence.”

Knappenverein Peißenberg has 395 members - but the trend is downwards

The Knappenverein currently has 395 members.

At first glance, that sounds like an impressive number.

But a look at the membership development gives cause for concern.

Eight years ago, on the occasion of the club's 25th anniversary, over 500 members were still registered.

The trend is therefore steeply downwards – due to age.

The ranks of members who were still active in mining thin out 51 years after the closure of the Peissenberger Zieglmeier shaft.

The club's management is of course dealing with the age problem: "The times when we drove to places with full buses are over," said CEO Rudi Hochenauer, describing the situation.

Despite everything: The willingness to work is still there: “The response is absolutely positive, although many members are already well over 70 years old.

Everyone pulls together,” says Hochenauer.

As an example, the head of the club cited the restoration of the coal mine that was placed in the middle of the new roundabout on the outer Schongauer Straße.

"Comrades Spath, Schwarz and Welscher deleted it," said Hochenauer in his annual report.

By the way:

Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Schongau newsletter and our regular Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.

How can the younger generation be inspired by the mining tradition?

But how can the association also get the younger generation excited about the mining tradition?

"It's difficult," admitted Hochenauer: "We can't be compared to a sports club.

Maybe we should approach the schools more.” There are small glimmers of hope: “Our youngest member is 14 years old,” reported Hochenauer.

But otherwise it looks pretty poor in the younger age groups.

Hochenauer sees a great need for clarification: “Nowadays everyone has a mobile phone in their claws.

There's copper and metals in there.

But no one knows where it comes from.” The ex-union official really got going on this topic: The days of cheap raw materials are over.

It is to be hoped that this will result in a fairer world and that the middlemen will not steal the margins.

The exploitation of human labor in the mines is a "mess": "But it is tolerated.

And you don't want to hear it," says Hochenauer.

The miners, on the other hand, have always campaigned for fair wages.

Everyone has a cell phone in their paws these days.

There's copper and metals in there.

But nobody knows where that comes from.

Rudi Hochenauer, Knappenverein Peißenberg

Knappenverein Peißenberg: That is planned

And what is the upcoming program for the Knappenverein?

On October 9th you want to take part in the miners' pilgrimage to Altötting.

Also in autumn, Hochenauer is planning a photo exhibition in Hohenpeißenberg about the former mining and local development in the Rigi community.

For the first time this year, the Barbara celebration in December will not take place in the "Zur Post" inn, but at the Stroblwirt in Oberhausen.

The miners' association also wants to make a change to the miners' memorial chapel on the Neue Bergehalde - namely, an automatic control of the bell is to be installed: "It will cost something, but it is no longer up to date that you go up to the chapel every time when unscheduled should be rung,” says Hochenauer.

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Here you can find more current news from the region around Schongau and Weilheim.