In some places, people have completely forgotten that a border flows between them. Neu-Ulm and Ulm are prime examples. Both cities are separated by the Danube. Nevertheless, they have long since grown together so that more than a bridge unites them. They also feel connected to Laufen in Upper Bavaria and Oberndorf in Austria, across the Salzach. Or, on a very small scale, in the little village of Kreuzthal-Eisenbach, which nestles to the left and right of the Eschach between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the Allgäu mountains. “In everyday life,” a local told the reporter recently, “the border doesn’t matter.”
And in Woffenbach? In this district of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, too, many locals may not have realized that they actually live in a border town. But they do. A freshly painted turnpike has been a recent reminder of this. The red and white wooden barrier on a footpath that leads over the Schwarzach, before the border crossing between the districts of Ermerdorf and Bühl, gives an alarm. If you come from Ermerdorf, you will also see a warning sign with “Bühl” on it. Better safe than sorry.
Responsible for the re-establishment of the border is noisy Central Bavarian newspaper the local village youth. She also simulated entry and exit for a press photo, including passport control. A fun activity, of course. But one with the purpose of bringing a breath of fresh air into village life and building on a tradition. Representatives of the young people are quoted as saying that they want to remember the mutual quarrels and joint celebrations that Ermendorfer and Bühler once knew how to celebrate. And: “We see the barrier in general as a symbol that borders should be overcome because it is always open.”
Seen in this way, it is often forgotten that a raised barrier sometimes serves its purpose better than a lowered one. When in doubt, it is always nicer to gossip about the neighbors on the other bank. But in the end you are still somehow connected, one cannot do without the other and often does not want it at all. And strolling over for a beer is nice anyway, and not only in Woffenbach.