As of: February 23, 2024, 5:00 p.m
By: Bettina Stuhlweißenburg
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Master shoemaker Ralf Wieland carries out all kinds of shoe repairs in his Miesbach workshop.
He also makes custom-made shoes here.
But at the end of March, Wieland closes its business.
© Thomas Plettenberg
Ralf Wieland ran his shoemaking business in Miesbach for twelve years.
It's over at the end of March: the native of Lower Saxony is heading north again.
Even though he has not yet found a successor for his master business, Wieland is convinced that his craft has a future.
Miesbach – It is still cold in the small workshop on Fraunhoferstrasse.
Wieland has just fired up the wood stove.
Wearing a green apron, he sits at a table vacuuming up the smell of glue and resoling a shoe.
“If you want to do something good for your feet, you should wear shoes that allow you to roll easily,” says Wieland.
The master shoemaker knows all about shoes and feet.
A person only has to take three to five steps and Wieland recognizes whether and which foot misalignment they have.
From April he will be bringing his expertise to a specialist in orthopedic custom-made shoes in Schleswig-Holstein.
It doesn't bother him that he's no longer his own boss, but rather an employee - on the contrary: "Then I'm off work when I'm off work." No bookkeeping, no purchasing of materials or other administrative tasks.
“And I have Saturdays off,” says Wieland happily.
Homesickness for Northern Germany
However, that is not the reason why he is giving up his workshop, which he opened in Miesbacher Kirchgasse in 2012 after a stopover in Murnau and moved to Fraunhoferstrasse in 2017: The 53-year-old has health problems that have disappeared on the North Sea: “I can completely relax there,” he says, taking a sip from his HSV cup.
Wieland's heart lies in the north, and almost 20 years in Bavaria have not changed that.
At work he listens to NDR2 and there is a calendar from Schleswig-Holstein hanging on the wall.
But Wieland also leaves with a tear in his eye.
“I made friends here,” he says.
Including his employee Christian Schmidl.
He will work in a hardware store in the future.
Wieland thinks it's a shame that he hasn't found a successor yet.
“I'm leaving behind a functioning workshop, it would be nice if someone would take it over.” According to the Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria, there are only four shoemakers in the Miesbach district, not counting orthopedic shoemakers.
Dying craft
Ernst Prell from the Bavarian Association of Shoemakers is not surprised.
“The shoemaking profession is dying out,” he says.
This is also reflected in the number of apprentices.
There are only two to five trainees per year across Bavaria.
Things are looking better in the paramedical profession of orthopedic shoemakers, where there are around 20 trainees per year across Bavaria.
For Prell, the reason is obvious: “How sensible is it to have a Deichmann shoe repaired?” he asks.
With a view to fast fashion – cheap trendy fashion – it’s not worth it.
Even repair chains like Mister Minit, which had around 1,200 branches across Germany in the 1980s, have therefore disappeared.
The actual activity of the shoemaker, namely making custom-made shoes, is an exclusive niche: “In order to survive in this market, it is crucial that you have made a name for yourself,” says Prell.
Wieland doesn't see the future of his industry as bleak.
The customers who have custom-made leather shoes made from him for 1,200 euros only make up two to three percent of the customer base.
“But I notice that the penchant for quality is increasing again.” Last but not least, the traditional costume clubs placed value on high-quality shoes.
With good care, a custom shoe will last around 20 years.
Two pairs and a pair of winter boots are sufficient.
Wieland thinks that this is definitely worth it in the long term.
Another ten percent of his customers come for orthopedic shoe fitting, and 87 percent come to have shoes or bags repaired.
There is another reason for the lack of young talent: “Today everyone wants to become an influencer.
You don’t get your hands dirty.”
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Father makes career choice
Wieland came to his profession by chance.
“After the 10th grade, I was fed up with school,” he remembers.
His father then placed him in a shoemaker's shop that provided training.
“That’s when I learned to love this craft.” After just one year, Wieland even had a grinding and polishing machine at home: “A Frobana from 1935,” he emphasizes.
He doesn't want to give up working at home in the future either.
As soon as he has settled into his new home in Neumünster, he wants to buy a garage.
“Then I work with wood.”
By the way: Everything from the region is also available in our regular Miesbach newsletter.