Harxheim cultural home “Kulturheim”
The Harxheimer Kulturheim was built in 1950/51 by own contributions of the men’s singing club Frohsinn and the sports community 03 as Harxheimer sport and celebration place. In 1967 the celebrations of the 1200th anniversary of the village took place here. With the construction of the new gymnasium Am Weinberg, however, the Kulturheim lost its function and was demolished in 1969. The older Harxheimers will still have fond memories of the celebrations in the Kulturheim.
Harxheimer Kulturheim, in the foreground Marianne Kanitz (née Deiß) and Anni Stössel looking at the photographer
Image source: Egon Kanitz
At the end of the 1940s, Harxheim had about 650-700 inhabitants and just now – in the reconstruction phase of the post-war years – the desire for a sports and cultural hall slowly arose among the population. In the past, larger events took place in the premises of the local restaurants; the male choral society practiced in the hall of the restaurant Darmstadt (Mainzer Str.), dance events also took place in the hall of the restaurant Darmstadt, but also in the hall of Haus Krone. The Kerb was celebrated in the covered courtyard of the Fritzsch inn and the sportsmen had their gymnastics field, approximately in today’s area of Bahnhofstraße corner Neckarstraße. There, directly east of the last property at that time (Bahnhofstraße 45), there was a concrete building in which the sports equipment was housed, which, of course, could only be a makeshift solution in the future.
Therefore, in 1949, the men’s singing club Frohsinn and the sports community 03 decided in a joint project to build a venue for events: “The Harxheimer Kulturheim” or also called the “Gut Stub”. So some Harxheim citizens set off with their carts to Mainz to dismantle the disused warehouse of the clothing company Lotz und Soherr and transport it in parts to Harxheim. On the former gymnastics field and the adjacent field of the family Ludwig Rösch II. the cultural home was built in the course of the years 1950/1951 by the club members and some volunteers.
The building was brick in the lower part (about 1.60 meters high) and had wooden elements above with a few small windows, so that it was relatively dark inside even in the most beautiful sunshine. On the exterior, the weathered wooden facade had a light gray-blue color. On the north side facing the unpaved and unkempt-looking parking lot and entrance area were two entrances, although usually only the right entrance was opened and served as the main entrance. Directly in the entrance area was also the bar for events, which was otherwise closed with folding shutters. Behind the bar was the guest room with a bar.
At that time, the inn was mainly run by Harxheim citizens (e.g. Robert Blase, Heinrich and Katharina Müller, Änne and Philipp Gemünde, Johann and Johanna Knab) and was only open during practice hours and events. The hall and inn were initially heated with a large wood/coal stove – later with an oil stove. In the left, eastern part of the building there was a fixed stage, framed with wooden paneling on the sides and top. Seating in the hall was provided with beer table sets for events. The parking lot was delimited with a hedge and poplars to the station road and to the east. The simple restroom facility was located at the northeast corner of the site in a separate, plain and poorly lit concrete structure.
Perhaps because of the simplicity of the Kulturheim and the simple interior design, a certain coziness and such an atmospheric atmosphere arose at the events that the events in the Kulturheim were very popular and known far beyond the local borders.
However, as the Kulturheim did not meet the increased demands in the course of time, the board of the SG 03 agreed to the construction of a new sports hall near the sports field Am Weinberg on April 9, 1966. In the board meeting of the SG 03 on April 30, 1966, the then head of the soccer department, Walter Sparwasser, presented a preliminary design of a new sports hall building, which had been designed by the local architect Krenzer. After this design was approved, further steps could be taken to build a new sports hall, so that the end of the Kulturheim was sealed. In the summer of 1966, only the most necessary repairs were carried out on the Kulturheim in order to be able to hold the upcoming 1200-year celebration of the local community in it in 1967. The Kulturheim was demolished in 1969 because it had to make way for the residential area Am Rheinhessenblick in 1972.
References:
Reßler, Tanja (2017): Kulturheim Harxheim. In: Ortgemeinde Harxheim (Hrsg.): Festbuch 2017. Harxheim. Eintausendzweihundertfünfzig. Selzen. p. 101f.
