Trachtenverein rejuvenates and moves into the future with momentum

Created: 11/30/2022, 1:45 p.m

By: Martin Becker

They want to lead the traditional costume association into the future: the new board of directors and committee (from left) Dominik Willi, Tanja Seiderer, Monika Kulemann, Georg Hasubek, Barbara Drexler, Sabrina Griesberger, Ludwig Kadzioch, Sepp Griesberger, Toni Trost, Elisabeth Schelle, Erich Schatz, Regina Kätzlmeier, Alexander Sterr and Roland Steinmetz;

also Mayor Wolfgang Panzer (r.).

© Trachtenverein D'Hachingertaler

The average age of the board of directors at the Unterhachinger Heimat- und Trachtenverein D'Hachingertaler has decreased from 58 to 34 years.

A generation change that had become apparent.

Unterhaching

– After 20 years at the top of the club, not only did Rudi Maier (66) resign, but various other management positions were also filled.

The new head of the Trachtler is the previous long-time deputy Sepp Griesberger (55).

"It was sometimes a stressful time, but mostly a good time": With these words Rudi Maier, who joined the traditional costume association in 1995 through his wife Silvia, said goodbye to his post.

The 66-year-old acted for almost two decades, from 2002 to 2022, as the first board member of the Hachingertaler;

only from 2011 to 2013 he acted as deputy head of the 160-strong club.

In 2016, he announced his permanent retirement in the long term

Even then, in 2011, Rudi Maier had stepped down to the second row to make room for the youngsters - but in 2013 the club once again offered him the leadership role.

In 2016, however, he announced his final retirement in the long term, namely for the period after the 100th anniversary of the club, which the Hachingertaler 2021 could only celebrate on a comparatively small scale due to the corona pandemic: with 120 guests instead of 3500, who had actually wanted to invite.

This year the event schedule looked better, the highlight was the harvest festival, which the traditional costumers have been organizing since 1972 - for this anniversary there was beer and white sausage for two hours at the price of 50 years ago.

Increasingly difficult to find members

The traditional costume association reviewed all of this at its annual meeting, "but in addition to many positive things, there were also thoughtful tones", as Uwe Jentsch, previously press officer of the Hachingertaler, who also left in the course of the generation change, reports.

It has "become increasingly difficult to activate enough members", both to help with the harvest festival and for one of the most important regular club activities, the Plattler rehearsals.

"To change that and finally normalize club life after Corona": This is the main task for the new club management, says Uwe Jentsch.

Where camaraderie still counts

Nevertheless, the Hachingertal found enough active members for the direct board (five people) and the committee (nine people), which was due to the fact that discussions had already been held with young people wearing traditional costumes.

All positions could be filled again.

Uwe Jentsch sees good prospects in the generational change, and the former press officer says in parting: "It is important to give those who have been members of the club for decades a home where camaraderie still counts, where one feels for the Others are interested in where you can help each other and where Bavarian customs can still be lived without kitsch and exaggeration.”