Thirty years ago there was a lot of back and forth about the first documentary mention of the municipality of Taufkirchen. The reason for this was a document from 1148, in which a Juditha de Tovkirchen transferred her property in Taufkirchen to the Weihenstephan monastery – to support her daughter, who died in had gone to the monastery. Now this would be the earliest mention of the community, provided that the place on the Hachinger Bach is really meant. However, doubts soon arose about this, since three men from Erding, which is not far from another Taufkirchen (Vils), were noted as witnesses on the document.
Juditha’s husband – a nobleman from Hohenbrunn, which in turn is a neighboring town of the municipality in the district of Munich – was the decisive factor for Taufkirchen near Munich. “And so the main state archives confirmed at the time that the document meant our Taufkirchen,” says Michael Müller, the current local curator. As a result, the congregation was able to celebrate its 850th birthday in 1998 with a four-day celebration.
A quarter of a century later, Wiegenfest number 875 is coming up, but a similar break is not planned this year, says Mayor Ullrich Sander (independent). “875 is an intermediate number. That’s not round enough.” And yet this year there will be a number of campaigns and events that revolve around the community under the motto “My Taufkirchen”. Behind it is not the town hall, but the private initiative of two men, both of whom have the same name. “We want to take the 875th birthday as an opportunity to encourage citizens to be more aware of their home town,” says Michael Müller, rifle master of the local rifle club. And his namesake, the home caretaker, adds: “We are planning a participatory campaign. We want to involve all those who are willing to get involved.”
Specifically, “My Taufkirchen” is aimed at three groups, says the local historian. Firstly, the citizens, who want to get closer to the history of the community – through exhibitions, lectures, projects and other events. For example, a film about Taufkirchen will be shown on the VHS in May, says Müller. He is also currently conducting interviews with older local residents; this is also to be later turned into a film about the post-war period in the community. Secondly, they want to involve those clubs and institutions in “Mein Taufkirchen” that are already involved in the area. “They should be networked with each other and given the opportunity to present their work,” says the home caretaker.
Local curator Michael Müller, here as Ritter Blech during his performance at the Taufkirchner Strong Beer Festival, wants to get clubs and institutions on board for the celebrations.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
There has already been a first meeting of the board of directors, and more are planned. Thirdly, the initiative would also like to get some of the 2,200 companies based in Taufkirchen on board. “They should be able to present their work and performance,” says Müller. And the other way around, they want to give the citizens the opportunity to look behind the scenes at the local bakery and butcher, but also at large corporations such as Hensoldt or the Ariane Group.
Such “gifts of time”, as Müller calls it, should also be an incentive to take part in the campaign. After all, you don’t have a lot of financial resources. In addition, the home caretaker announces that the aim is to promote “Mein Taufkirchen” on the Internet and on social media. A newsletter is also being planned, which interested parties can subscribe to by sending an email to [email protected]. They are currently still looking for a suitable mascot for the campaign, says Michael Müller. He has in mind a lion like in the Taufkirchner coat of arms – but not with a sword in his claw, but rather with an ice cream cone in his hand, as can be seen on a graffito on the underpass on Köglweg. According to the home caretaker, suggestions for drawing the mascot and ideas for its name will be accepted immediately.