Delivery service, Corona, lack of staff - traditional taverns are closing more and more often

Created: 05/01/2023, 16:30

By: Laura May

Holds the tradition - Taufkirchen's local curator Michael Müller in the room of the Trenner inn.

© Laura May

The traditional inns are not doing well.

They have survived for centuries, but currently many are struggling to survive.

Many lose.

Taufkirchen

– the clatter of wheat beer glasses, the smell of goose fat, worn soft wooden tables in warm rooms – Bavarian cosiness is at home in the inn.

These are disappearing from the town centers more and more often, but there are still a few traditional inns in the district with centuries of history - such as the Gasthof zur Mühle in Ismaning, the Neuwirt in Garching or the Gasthof Trenner in Taufkirchen.

As a symbol of the general development, the Separator inn is the last of seven inns left in the village - originally each part of the village had its own place to stop for refreshments.

The disappearance of the inns is not only a problem for the innkeepers, but also for socializing.

"Social matters are really falling apart," says Taufkirchen's home caregiver Michael Müller, "that's a shame."

Lack of staff puts innkeepers under pressure

There are many reasons for the dying out of inns.

On the one hand, fewer and fewer people want to work for relatively little money when everyone else is free.

"It has become incredibly difficult to find staff," explains home caretaker Müller.

On the other hand, delivery services and system gastronomy, changing eating habits and rising operating costs are putting the innkeepers under pressure.

"Many give up because it's no longer economically worthwhile," says Müller.

"Corona was just another blow."

The story of Gasthof Trenner

The history of Gasthof Trenner goes back to the 17th century.

The Trenner family ran the restaurant between 1917 and 1964 with changing ownership and tenancy conditions before they leased it.

Today's innkeepers, Peter and Petra Bender, have been running the inn for 36 years.

Village inns used to be the center of communal life.

The church of St. John the Baptist is right around the corner from the inn on Münchner Straße – ideal conditions for a meeting place.

“The men went to brunch instead of to church,” says Müller.

The innkeeper's job was also much less precarious than it is today.

With a house, farm and land, the innkeepers themselves were considered to be wealthy.

They were a point of contact and had an "open ear" for the concerns of the local people, says Müller.

Rural character lost

“Then it hit one big blow.” The population structure in Taufkirchen changed at the latest with the 4000 new Taufkirchner apartments by the forest in the 1960s.

Today the community is more urban than rural, which has also changed the club life significantly.

And with it the life in the tavern.

Nevertheless, Müller remains optimistic.

When he looks around Bavaria, he notices that people are longing for real inns in their vicinity again.

"People even open private businesses and finance them through associations or cooperatives," says Müller, "just to have something like that again!"

Lecture on the extinction of taverns

On Tuesday, January 10th, local curator Michael Müller will speak about the social importance of inns and the reasons for the general "dying out of inns" and the centuries-long history of the last traditional inn in Taufkirchen.

The free lecture will take place at the adult education center, Ahornring 121 and via Zoom.

Further information and registration under 089/6145140 or info@vhs-taufkirchen.de.