Nockhergasse is a one-way street uphill, the pedestrian zone is closed to bicycles during the day, there are steep stairs in the Schulgraben, and the Osterleite is very busy: In Bad Tölz it is difficult for cyclists to get through the city center from west to east. Albert Vosseler from Tölz has now put a new proposal on the table to solve this problem. The existing footpath in the Rehgraben should be extended to Sachsenkamer Straße, says the graduate engineer for structural engineering. Without too much effort, “a long-cherished desire of the people of Tölzer for a car-free east-west connection beyond Marktstraße” could be realised.
And that’s not all: Vosseler is also suggesting a themed mill trail in Bad Tölz. He also calls for the weathered commemorative plaques in the city to be restored, for example at the Franciscan Church. He addressed his letter and presentation to the city administration, the Tölz city council, district administrator Josef Niedermaier (FW) and the historical association. In the city people react in a friendly but reserved way to his suggestions. “It’s gratifying that a private individual is thinking about various projects in the city in such detail,” explains Mayor Ingo Mehner (CSU). However, he sees problems with the implementation.
For the cycle path in the Rehgraben, Vosseler proposes a route from Jungmayrplatz via Konradgasse, Am Graben and through the Rehgraben to the Osterleite. According to his description, this route would have to be extended at the point where the path – shortly before the Osterleiten Bridge – “inconspicuously and steeply climbs up to it and ends there”. The extension could be expanded in the further course following the deer ditch right next to the stream bed until it flows into Sachsenkamer Straße, where the Ellbach also crosses. “This expansion is technically relatively easy to implement,” says Vosseler. In addition, the scenic path also has a historical dimension: the Rehgraben Gorge was once used by the Tölz lords of the castle “for hunting, building and fish farming,” explains the engineer.
Such a cycle route is not entirely new to Mehner. Parts of it, says the mayor, have actually been checked before. However, this option was then rejected due to technical problems and ownership issues. “In several places, the city only owns the creek bed of the deer ditch,” explains Mehner. In addition, two areas of the deer ditch have been mapped as a biotope, “almost completely over 300 meters in the upper stream”. If a path were to be built at the bottom of the valley, large differences in altitude would have to be overcome. According to Mehner, this would lead to high costs. But the head of the town hall doesn’t want to wipe the proposal off the table. If the framework conditions change in the course of flood protection measures on the Ellbach in the Rehgraben and a construction road becomes necessary, the city “of course has an eye on a path connection along the Rehgraben,” he says.
According to Albert Vosseler, the watercourses of the Ellbach near the intersection of Hindenburgstraße are in a “poor condition”.
(Photo: Manfred Neubauer)
Vosseler justified his proposal for a themed mill trail with a “technical masterpiece from Tölz in the 12th century”. This is how he describes the relocation of the Ellbach from the narrow Rehgraben gorge to the current bed and to Marktstraße. As a result, emphasizes the qualified engineer, 17 hydropower plants such as mills or hammer mills were built. And the Ellbach Canal is also of great importance for other trades such as tanneries and slaughterhouses, not least for the once 22 breweries in Tölz. In the meantime, however, the facilities are “in a miserable condition,” complains Vosseler, citing the watercourse construction of the Ellbach at the Hindenburgstrasse/Wachterstrasse intersection as an example. They are left to decay and “truly no ornament”. The structural engineer therefore suggests preparing the stream bed at this point and “installing a mill wheel as an example”. There could be an explanatory board that would be the beginning of a themed trail. It should “include all the exposed streams and hydroelectric power structures of the Ellbach or Rehgraben in the city area,” says Vosseler.
Mayor Mehner sees the historical dimension of the Ellbach transfer very similarly. It is “a central pillar of the city’s history,” he agrees. However, whether a themed mill trail is suitable for drawing the public’s attention to it must first be checked. With a view to Hindenburg and Thomas Mann, Mehner fears too many themed trails in a central location. And for him it is also questionable whether and how such a project fits into the planned expansion of the Hindenburgstraße intersection, not least in terms of costs. And what’s more, according to the town hall, there is also a “Water and Mills” theme tour during the city tours.
As far as the commemorative plaques in the city are concerned, Vosseler criticizes their often poor condition. Some of them are barely legible, he says. For example those at the Franciscan Church. A restoration would be necessary for him out of piety, after all, it would give the citizens of Tölz their dignity back. The panels also attract a great deal of attention from locals and guests. The renovation could “take place gradually” and would not involve high costs, according to Vosseler. For Mehner, the first thing to do is to check which of the panels are owned by the city. He forwarded this question, as well as the theme trail mills, to the historical association.