Markt Waldthurn, Bavaria, Germany

Markt Waldthurn is a municipality in the Upper Palatinate in the border area to the Czech Republic and has an area of about 43 square kilometers as well as about 2,800 inhabitants. The municipality is surrounded by an idyllic hilly landscape and extensive forests. It consists mainly of detached houses and farms. The economic structure of the municipality is mainly characterized by agricultural businesses and smaller handicraft and service companies. One of the biggest challenges for Markt Waldthurn is emigration, especially of young people, with the associated loss of services, for example in the health and education sectors. Structural weakness also limits economic development and many residents commute out of the municipality.

In order to counteract these challenges, the municipality is actively involved in promoting business and culture. It is also committed to improving infrastructure and housing to improve the quality of life in the community and reduce migration and commuting. Markt Waldthurn has successfully committed itself to the “Inside instead of Outside” program, which provides for a twelve-year obligation not to designate new building land and instead promotes the modernization, repair or, if nothing else is possible, the demolition of empty buildings in inner-city locations, to make the village center attractive both as a residential area and for retail and the service sector.

Under this premise, several buildings in the municipality have already been successfully revitalized, such as a corner building on the market square, which today houses a very attractive 24-hour gym and physiotherapy center with six therapists. The historic Lobkowitz Castle from the 17th century is currently being renovated and modernized in order to preserve it for future generations. The secular and ecclesiastical community, both of which use the castle, work together in an exemplary manner.

The community market shop is also a revitalization project that is particularly worth mentioning. This small but versatile shop is much more than just a grocery store – it is a meeting place, a social hot spot and a post office that brings people of all ages and walks of life together. Its story of origin is a success story for the municipality, which worked with the residents with a remarkable passion. Although it wasn’t always easy to keep the shop running, it became so successful that in 2020 it was awarded five stars by the Association of Citizens’ and Village Shops in Germany. Among other things, a large number of unique products are on offer, such as the “Pfarrerbier”, the “Princely Sauerkraut” from the Czech Republic and the “Genusskistl”, which is filled in cooperation with the ecological model region of the Upper Palatinate Forest Nature Park. More than 35 regional suppliers and direct marketers deliver their products to the market shop, and handmade items from the local rehabilitation center are also offered.

This rehabilitation center for people suffering from addiction opened 24 years ago in Markt Waldthurn and represents a remarkable example of social inclusion in rural areas: a number of day-structuring measures have become part of everyday life in the community – and part of the therapy. The residents of the rehabilitation center support older people with gardening, work in the village shop, in winter service, in local businesses and help with the maintenance of community facilities. Self-esteem and self-confidence are increased because people seeking help become valuable helpers themselves.

Another project worth highlighting is the gradual positioning of the Albersrieth district as a bioenergy village. As early as the 1990s, a constructed wetland was built almost entirely by the people themselves – a prime example of what is possible when many citizens lend a hand and are committed. Today, Albersrieth operates three local heating networks based on renewable energies, has an electricity supply rate of around 650 percent and is almost independent of fossil energies. It was created thanks to the active members of the “Dorfgemeinschaft Albersrieth e.V.”, whose meeting space also a popular village social place with an adjoining generational garden.

Finally, Markt Waldthurn has also discovered its potential for a diverse cultural offering such as music festivals, dialect cultivation, lectures and creative workshops, which is why investments in the spatial and technical infrastructure have been and are being made. Also worth mentioning is the newly built history trail at the bathing pond, which informs visitors about the eventful past of the region. One of the driving forces is a local history working group dedicated to researching and preserving the cultural heritage of the region. Among other things, it organizes the cultural summer, studies the dialect, publishes books and cultivates songs from and about the region. Finally, great importance is attached to the care and maintenance of the pilgrimage church in Fahrenberg, a place of mercy that dates back to the 13th century.

Markt Waldthurn is undoubtedly a model community for a continuous village renewal process during which efforts have been made for decades to keep the village functional and attractive despite its peripheral and structurally weak location. The community leaders are proving to be very skillful when it comes to financing projects and acquiring federal and state subsidies. In particular, the courageous, forward-looking decision to forego the designation of new building land for more than ten years and instead strengthen the existing village center, as well as the use of renewable energy and human resources, which not least also have strong inclusive features, are absolutely forward-looking.

Evaluated: 2022