A look at old coburg herrngasse
Elfi robteutscher has a special relationship with herrngasse. For more than 80 years, the veste publishing house, whose fortunes she now directs, had its domicile there in house number 4. That’s why she dedicates another volume of the series on the coburg alleys, which her father heinz robteutscher started in 1999, to the short passage between market square and palace square. And because she knew and still knows many people who lived and worked in herrngasse, elfi robteutscher can tell a lot about them. "It was important for me to report not only about the houses, but also about the people."
She starts her walk through the alley at the marketplace. From there it goes right to the "loreley" and on the other side back to the market. Elfi robteutscher remembers the office supply store hugo schmidt, the company leise, the master baker schelhorn. The carnival celebrations of the city councils in the "golden cross" the story of the cucumber-alex is just the same. The historical black-and-white photos are juxtaposed with color photos from the present day. The fire in 2012 is thematized – and the new beginning for the people who have lost almost everything overnight. The author even dedicates a page to the samba festival. For this takes place to a rough part in the herrngasse. "We have tried to leave nothing out", elfi robteutscher explains.
While she had to rely on the help of the coburgers for the historical photos, the photographer lutz naumann is responsible for the majority of the current photos. Support was also provided by the state archive, which is housed in one of the city’s most representative buildings. "Alleys are important for one’s own identity, also for an authority like we are", says johannes haslauer, head of the archives.
Second mayor norbert tessmer (SPD) stumbles upon some familiar faces as he leafs through the book, for example the tobisch family, leaseholders and owners of the "golden cross" from 1959 to 2002.
Robteutscher, elfi (hg): herrngasse – a journey through time. Coburg, veste-verlag robteutscher,2013. 164 pages, 24.50 euros.