From March 15, the Köllertal Yearbook 2022/23 will be freshly printed and available at the usual points of sale. On 150 pages, nine authors report on 34 historical events from the Köllertal, which provide subsequent generations with a vivid impression of the lives of their parents and grandparents and aim to keep recent events from the past year in memory.
The focus is on four events around the historical dates of 1223, 1852, 1942, and 1947: 800 years since the first documented mention of the Protestant Martinskirche in Kölln. Who could write a better summary of this than Prof. Dr. Conrad? The renowned church historian and long-time pastor at the Martinskirche manages, in a whirlwind tour through history, to present the most important milestones from the year 1223 onwards.
With the second main topic, the yearbook editorial team directs its attention to the miners' paths around the former Von der Heydt mine. 170 years ago, the miners sought quick routes on which they could travel on foot from their homes to their new workplace at the mine. How did these paths run? What is still preserved today? Information is provided by forest scientist Jörn Wallacher,
the expert in forest history. The Wannsee Conference in 1942, during which the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" was bureaucratically decided in just a 90-minute meeting, is the third main topic. "We describe the consequences for the Jewish citizens from the Köllertal region using the fate of the Ermann siblings from Holz, the Salomon siblings from Riegelsberg, and Sigismund Kleinhändler from Walpershofen," explains editorial director Monika Jungfleisch.
“The creation of the Saarland constitution 75 years ago reflects the origins of Saarland and its development up to its accession to the Federal Republic of Germany – our fourth thematic focus, compiled by Konrad Hansen. In addition, we remember a variety of historical and current events, such as participants from Köllertal in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, the former amber manufactory in Riegelsberg, and the painter Heinz Theis from Holz, who well captured the artistic ideal of National Socialism. Particularly tragic was the fate of Luise Kreutzberger from Walpershofen, who lost five children – three of them during World War II. No less severe was the suffering of Sophie Schiffler (Bernd Modder): forced marriage, divorce, loss of a total of five children, two of them because of Nazi ideology, were hardships the brave woman from Lummerschied had to endure. The two portraits by Fredy Dittgen and Klaus Ollinger show the direct consequences of wars and ideological blindness. Most recently, we also focus on the war in Ukraine and its effects on the Köllertal: as an example, we present aid efforts by individuals and describe how the more than 500 refugees who arrived in Köllertal in 2022 were received thanks to local support structures. Our aspiring author Alina Bauer demonstrates how well Ukrainian children have integrated into school.”
Also presented are personalities from the Köllertal region who have made significant contributions to chess and disabled sports as well as to culture and local history. Heike Kolling Krumm describes how the climate neutrality of the Püttlingen Cultural Station is being used for tourism. In memory of our late author Franz-Josef Warken, we have completed the article on "Treasures in the Wardrobe" in his spirit and included it in the yearbook. The yearbook will be introduced on Friday, March 17, at 6 p.m. in the Martinskirche. The event will be musically accompanied by the Köllertal duo "DieHimbis," who will also pay tribute to the Köllertal drummer Michael Himbert (Engelfangen), who passed away in 2022, with their songs. From March 15, the yearbook will be available for 15 euros in Püttlingen: Buchhandlung Balzert, Kulturbahnhof; in Köllerbach: Post Shop; in Riegelsberg: Riegelsberger Bücherstube, Schreibwaren Darimont, Schreibwaren Zapp; in Heusweiler: Geschenke La Casa am Markt; in Dilsburg: Schreibwaren Mariani; in Holz: Schreibwaren Altmeier. Older (and the current) issues can also be reordered by phone at 06806 – 2355.
