As of: March 27, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Birgit Lang
Comments
Press
Split
What was it actually like back then?
Mayor Stefan Haberl, author Thomas Reger, Tobias Karbaumer, Konrad Karbaumer and Hermann Hoffmann from the municipal archives as well as cultural advisor Anneliese Mayer (from left) discuss this.
Empty state coffers after the World War Original sources and a lot of imagination 100th anniversary celebrations on neutral ground © Birgit Lang
Thomas Reger's novel “Wandelszeit” sheds light on the forced merger of Moosen and Hubenstein in 1924.
Taufkirchen
– The towns of Hubenstein and Moosen are less than two kilometers apart.
Today, hardly anyone knows that the former communities of the same name were to be merged by government decision in 1924 despite great resistance.
Thomas Reger revives the story in his second book “Wandelszeit”.
The 59-year-old father of three sons lives in Granting, less than a kilometer from both towns.
His book is about “stories in the Vilstal in the 1920s and how two communities together prefer to stay apart,” it says on the cover.
At the official presentation in the local history community archive in Taufkirchen, he explains how it all came about.
“The community of Hubenstein, with 272 inhabitants, was three times smaller than Moosen at the time.
There was no church, cemetery, office, post office or railway connection there, but there was in Moosen.” From the government’s perspective, the “dwarf community” was inefficient and unable to survive.
Because the state coffers were empty after the First World War and reparations had to be paid, savings had to be made.
So the Bavarian state government ordered the merger of the two communities.
There was bitter resistance for two years.
The merger was ultimately decided by the Bavarian Supreme Administrative Court.
The author says that there were still lawsuits because of the merger of the two assets.
“Again there was resistance from both communities, which had no effect.” But with the publication in the state gazette on August 27, 1925, “the community of Hubenstein was incorporated into Moosen with effect from October 1, 1925”.
For Reger, this is the material for an exciting novel.
“There’s even a dead person,” he adds.
He came across it quite by chance while doing research in the community archives.
This motivated him to search for further documents there and in the Munich State Library in a “detective, meticulous, sustained and, above all, persistent” manner over several years in order to deepen his knowledge.
He even taught himself Sütterlin for it.
At the book launch, Reger handed over all of his material, 110 copies, to the community archives.
Archivist Konrad Karbaumer, who has already read the book twice, was particularly pleased about this.
Reger is actually an industrial engineer in the chemical industry.
His passion for writing has been with him for a long time.
Last year he went public for the first time with his crime novel “Acetic Sugar”.
In his second work he refers to the historical background and allows truth and fiction to flow together in 390 pages.
The actors are fictitious, as are their actions.
But he researched the historical events.
He backs up all references with 170 footnotes.
“It is a novel, but with a documentary quality.”
My news
Baby happiness after the end of his career: Olympic ski champion becomes a father for the first time a few days after retirement
After attack in Moscow: Putin ally Lukashenko accidentally torpedoes Ukraine claim read
Bankruptcy of German industry giant: next traditional company goes bankrupt
54 mins ago
Prisoner escapes while being treated at the clinic - and is caught two days later after being tipped off
“Technical problems” with the Leopard: Denmark points to Germany after bumpy Ukraine donation
Sweater, park bench, daffodils: The hidden messages in Princess Kate's video reading
The time was characterized by poverty, misery, hardship and the aftermath of war.
The novel comes to life when the author describes the sensitivities of his main characters, such as the teacher with Jewish and socialist roots who has been transferred for punishment, the pastor who returns as a participant in the war wounded and alienated from God, or the mayor whose son has disappeared.
Tension arises through the local reference, but also through wild fights and rumored legends, for example about the defense tunnel from Hubenstein to Kalling.
Bavarian is also spoken in the novel.
Reger repeatedly weaves in references to current events, such as the Hitler Putsch.
There were also nationalists, monarchists and supporters of the Peasants' Party on site at that time.
You can learn a lot from the historical context.
There are many analogies to today.
“We know how things turned out back then.” He is an avowed democrat, which he also warns in the closing credits.
Karbaumer explained that when you read it you can imagine yourself incredibly well in that time.
He also found interesting references to the large and magnificent Hubenstein Castle or to an epitaph in the Moosen church.
He was impressed by Reger's meticulous research.
“If this were a doctoral thesis, they couldn’t accuse you of plagiarism,” he said.
By the way: To mark the 100th anniversary, a standing reception will take place on October 31st on neutral ground in the school gymnasium in Moosen.
The book can also be purchased in extra-large font for 17.50 euros in bookstores and online stores (ISBN 978-3-384-12493-7).