Around Christmas time they were still queuing at Cosimastraße 116 next to full trolleys. One behind the other and so on. letters in the pocket. pickup slips in hand. Especially those with packages under their arms were seen there more often. For the residents of the adjacent Prinz-Eugen-Park, the tobacconist and magazine shop was a popular place to do all kinds of postal business. Since mid-January, however, Deutsche Post AG has terminated the contract with the shop “for operational reasons” – as it writes on request. It is not the only place around the development area where there is a supply gap.
Sascha Straub is a district councilor for a building community in the new residential area in Oberföhring. He is annoyed that the post office is no longer available. “It’s not a dormitory town here. What’s possible will be organized by the residents,” he says. The district was designed in such a way that it could actually function. “At the moment, however, I have the feeling that the more people move here, the less infrastructure there is,” he says.
Sascha Straub is a neighborhood councilor for a building community – he’s annoyed that a post office in the neighborhood has been closed.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
When the residential area on the site of the old Prinz-Eugen-Barracks in Oberföhring was still in gravel, at least the plans envisaged that it should have a village character: short distances, lots of greenery, little traffic. There are already individual building blocks in the mobility concept that work well. Resident underground garages with car-sharing vehicles or the option of renting a cargo bike are well received by residents. However, the area with the 1800 apartments is not as car-poor as one might dream. “Currently, cars are parked all over the place because there are no designated parking spaces and the roads are simply not finished,” says a resident. There will be only a few above-ground parking spaces for cars in the Prinz-Eugen-Park, even when it is finished. Residents should park in the underground garages or get by without a car. According to an evaluation by the planning department, 4,000 trips would take place there per day – despite connection by public transport.
Since the number of passengers dropped in the wake of the corona pandemic, the Munich Transport Company (MVG) has reduced its clocks on certain routes. Tram line 37, which goes directly to Prinz-Eugen-Park, is also affected in the evening. “We are currently at 68 percent for demand across all modes of transport compared to the pre-Corona level, and for the tram it is only 59 percent,” says Johannes Boos, press spokesman for MVG. That’s why the “Tact 10 to 10” – even after 10 p.m. there is a tram every ten minutes – in the direction of St. Emmeram. Otherwise, only two bus lines go to the extreme eastern edges of the development area.
The elementary school is too small, that has been clear for a long time
This year March 16 is an important date for parents of prospective first graders. On this day they have to register their child at a Munich elementary school. Children from Prinz-Eugen-Park are assigned to the elementary school on Ruth-Drexel-Strasse, a branch of the elementary school on Knappertsbuschstrasse that was newly built for the residential area. The problem: The school was already too small in autumn, when the last remaining apartments in the new development area had not yet been occupied. A solution was only found for the 505 pupils in the current school year with a great deal of improvisational talent.
For the coming school year, the Department for Education and Sport (RBS) expects a further increase in the number of students, namely by a good 50 students. “The school management assumes that the number of classes will therefore increase by at least three classes,” says Andreas Haas, spokesman for the department. Therefore, a pavilion system will be installed on the school premises, which is to be put into operation in September. This means that “sufficient rooms are available both for training and for all-day care,” says Haas.
Lack of cultural and social facilities
In socio-demographic terms, the residential area of Prinz-Eugen-Park is a very young district. Many families with small children live here. The social department is currently focusing more on this, because the “13er Bürger- und Kulturtreff” on Maria-Nindl-Platz should have been finished long ago. The opening of the facility, which, in addition to event rooms, should also have space for a family center, neighborhood meeting place and old people’s and service center and is intended as a contact point for all of Bogenhausen, is scheduled for 2025 at the earliest. At the moment, the residents of the district, who as cooperatives are committed to helping to shape community life and have set up common rooms in their houses for this purpose, are taking on many of these cultural and socio-educational offers themselves. “There are readings, film screenings, and we had a summer end party, for example.” , says Christine Kalkhof from the sponsoring association of the Kulturtreff. The residents are very committed, many networks are just being established.
The social department agrees that residents and cultural workers cannot replace social workers. “Due to the strained living situation of families and children, a precursor project will be set up,” says spokeswoman Edith Petry. A possible sponsor and the concept of the interim meeting will probably be presented to the city council in May. Above all, offers of help “such as sponsorships and orientation aids in the areas of migration, education and administration” are planned, according to Petry.
Some things are moving, others are standing still, some are still dozing. In any case, the Post has not yet planned to return to the Prinz-Eugen-Park. “There are five partner branches, three parcel shops and eight packing stations within a two-kilometer radius of the former branch at Cosimastrasse 116,” says a company spokesman.