It is an already small place in the very north of Bavaria on the border with Thuringia. Around 2000 people live in Tettau, divided into six parts, in the middle of the Franconian Forest. In the future it could become a little emptier. The municipality in Upper Franconia is a front runner in the new population statistics: By 2033, calculations assume 16.9 percent fewer inhabitants, the highest value in Upper Franconia. In general, the region is not growing like other parts of Bavaria – by 2033 more than half of the 214 municipalities are expected to shrink.
“Such forecasts are snapshots,” says Klaus Löffler, district administrator of the Kronach district, in which Tettau is located. He is not worried, but stressed on Wednesday that the figures are being taken “very seriously”. A lot is already being done in the district, networking in order to be attractive as a location for young people as well, science with business. At the Lucas-Cranach-Campus, for example, you can study “Autonomous Driving” as part of your master’s degree, which is connected to the Coburg University of Applied Sciences. Added to this is the relocation of the civil service college from Herrsching to Kronach, says the district administrator. While the Herrschingen mayor concerned speaks of a “hoop-bang action” announced by Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), Kronach is naturally happy about the increase in jobs and possibly 600 students, especially those young people who are so missing and which one hopes will liven up the inner cities. In the district, the mobility offer is also to be increased, and one wants to join the transport association for the greater Nuremberg area. The concept is to keep young people in the region as much as possible, to encourage them to return or “at best even to move in”, says the district administrator. It is clear that this also includes “soft” factors. That is why the Ölschnitzsee is being upgraded.
The population is also shrinking a little further east: there is talk of 16.6 percent fewer people in the city of Lichtenberg. Mayor Kristan von Waldenfels (CSU) emphasizes that families are therefore counting on: A new kindergarten for the 1000-inhabitant city should hold families, the city is building new playgrounds, offering a real estate exchange – and the demand is “overwhelming.” Von Waldenfels is also confident: In times of corona and home office, many people have recognized the quality of life in the country, and this trend will be taken into account in projects.