Club gymnastics hall

Club gymnastics hall old-new
Club gymnastics hall

On June 5, 1862 the Gymnastic Society of Münchberg was founded “for the development of the body, promotion of moral development and social entertainment”. All club activities at that time took place in the Münchberg inns or restaurants. Also during gymnastics they relied on the assembly rooms of the inns. The city gymnasium was available in 1911. But the members still had a desire for their own home.

In 1916 the society numbered 373 members.  By 1923 4,000 marks had been saved for a hall, which unfortunately, fell victim to inflation.  But money was again collected.  By 1927 22,000 marks had been collected and in 1930 they counted the proud sum of 50,000 marks.  With project costs of 160,000 marks, the building of a gymnasium was approved in 1929.  In the same year the first sod was laid and the lift celebration followed with a gymnastics display.  Later gymnastic equipment, tables and chairs were provided and a manager was sought. In the summer of 1930 it was far enough along that the inauguration ceremonies could take place in the form of a sports festival.  Unfortunately, the weather was bad, so that the 50 flags were ripped from their poles by strong wind gusts.  But in spite of that the city, and especially long-term board member Georg Ruckdeschel were in a celebratory mood. The gymnastics hall was a center point of the sport and society life of Münchberg. Here large dance events and theatrical evenings would take place.  The economy flourished, especially on the weekend, and on weekdays business people regularly met here. The society met the occurring financial difficulties in 1934 with a renovation plan.  The beginning of the war placed new challenges for the members, since in 1939 there were already 130 gymnasts in military service.  These numbers increased to 270 in the following days.  Therefore, the gymnastics operation could only be carried out in a restricted manner.  From 1942 to 1946 the protocol books were silent.

After the elimination of the largest part of the war damage through foreign occupancy, club life was stirring again.  In 1951 the self-service area of the open terrace was built, in order to create a multi-purpose hall.  In the 60’s and 70’s constant new repairs took place; the heating system was worn out and much of it no longer met the requirements of the time. At the time of the 50th anniversary the hall had 950 members in the club, which also led to more and more intensive wear and tear.  At the beginning of the 80’s it was clear that single repairs could no longer be affective. Since a cost of 250,000 DM was still required for urgently needed renovation measures, which the society had to bear alone, they quickly came to the decision that in spite of the high costs again only patchwork was done.  In the fall of 1980 a general renovation was envisioned, which was only possible with great financial aid.  There followed negotiations with the city and the search for the best possible assistance.  In November of 1981 the theme “Gymnasium Reconstruction” was used for the first time in the city council.  On May 25, 1982 an unusual gathering of members of the Münchberg Gymnastics Club decided to turn the gymnastics hall into a multipurpose hall and pledged to take over a part of the cost.  On July 29, 1982 it was decided in the city council to grant a subsidy equal to the eligible amount to the Münchberg Gymnastics Club.  In November 1984 the construction work could begin.  Prior to this, on May 30, 1984 a contract was signed with rights to use and a finance plan with the city and Reiner Schneider, Karlheinz Struntz and Mayor Fritz Gräbner.  Accordingly, the city took part with 1,754,000 DM, the Federation with 269,000 DM, the state of Bavaria with 525,000 DM and the county with 30,000 DM.  A large mortgage had to be taken out by the association with the increased participation to 360,000 DM. Thanks to the help of the domestic economy and many individuals, around 180,000 DM was donated.  In addition, loyal club members contributed work worth 100,000 DM.  The construction planned by architect Norbert Ludwig was completed in the spring of 1986 and was ceremoniously inaugurated on June 27, 1986.


Video: Aerial view of the Club Gymnastic Hall

Copywriters, authors, photographers, rights holders or sources:
Rainer Fritsch, Sandy Schroeder, Reiner Schneider, Peggy Kaltenbach, city archives
HMW station: O2 Club Gymnastic Hall - Address: Dr.-Martin-Luther-Straße 20