As of: April 3, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Christiane Mühlbauer
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A sign pointing to the Way of St. James in a forest near Schäftlarn Monastery. © archive
Should the community of Kochel remain a member of the “Jakobsweg Isar-Loisach-Leutasher Ache-Inn” association or not? This question was now discussed at the meeting in Walchensee.
Kochel am See – The cross-border Way of St. James was initiated in 2007 by twelve communities from Bavaria and Tyrol as a European Interreg project. It creates a connection between the Munich, southeast Bavarian and Tyrolean Way of St. James, explained Daniel Weickel, head of the tourism department at the Kochl town hall, to the local councilors. The route runs from Munich to the Schäftlarn monastery on the Munich Way of St. James and from there in twelve stages along the Isar and Loisach via the Beuerberg monastery to Benediktbeuern and then through Kochel and Walchensee to the Karwendel region. Through the Leutasch, the Inn Valley is reached near Mötz with the connection to the Tyrolean Way of St. James.
Weickel: Project has “no tourist added value”
When the project was started, there was a pilgrimage boom in Germany, primarily triggered by Hape Kerkeling's bestseller “I'll be gone”. Nowadays the situation has changed, said Weickel. The main problem is that pilgrims in the region find very few accommodations that they can spontaneously use for a night. Walking the path is therefore associated with “great uncertainty”.
Anyone who wants to go on a pilgrimage usually chooses “the real Way of St. James,” said Weickel, meaning the route in France and Spain. In this country, the project has “no tourist added value” and is not being advertised. “We have no intention of further developing the project.” By leaving the association, you could “save several hundred euros” a year, says Weickel, and the minimum duration of an Interreg project of ten years has already been reached. “We still have around 2,000 brochures, and these will probably last for decades.”
Local councilors don't want to get out immediately
But the local councilors had a different opinion. Reinhard Dollrieß (FW) recalled how the project was launched as a joint effort between Bavaria and Tyrol, and that as an individual municipality one should not terminate the partnership “just like that”. “As a result, a connection has grown between the communities,” said the Walchenseer. In addition, you don't have to cover the entire distance of 125 kilometers, but many pilgrims would only walk parts of it. “Just because the pilgrims can’t find accommodation with us – that’s a weak argument, I think.”
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Thomas Eberl (UWK) shared this view. Like Dollrieß, he had already been to meetings and knew that “there are problems that need to be solved,” said the Second Mayor. But we should “talk to each other again.” Eberl wanted to know how much it cost per year and whether you would be the first community to leave. “600 euros,” replied Weickel, and Kochel would be the first. “It was just a suggestion,” Weickel conceded. It's not just about money. At the meetings he experienced that others also questioned the project. Nevertheless, said Eberl, one should consider how to solve the problems and perhaps restructure something.
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Sommerschuh: “The Way of St. James is deeply rooted in many believers”
Frank Sommerschuh (FW) shared this opinion. The Walchensee church caretaker reported on the commitment of volunteers in the community to this path. “The Way of St. James is deeply rooted among many believers,” said Sommerschuh, “and 600 euros is a ridiculous amount.” Mayor Jens Müller (UWK) reported that he was approached after word of the desire to leave had spread in the village. “I was also asked to support its preservation.” As a result, the application to end membership, which the community itself had submitted, was put on hold. “We will then communicate the results from the next general meeting,” said Müller.
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