Host Nation Update, March 31, 2023
Parking in Sindelfingen: The next act in the parking ticket drama
Sindelfingen. The municipal regulatory service, which was newly established in September 2022 as part of the municipal council’s action program “Sindelfingen clean and safe”, caused a lot of annoyance in Schleicher and Lützelwiesenstraße. Parkers who had been accustomed to parking their vehicles on the roadside there for years without being penalized suddenly found themselves covered in tickets. According to the interim report from the head of the Department of Public Order and Civil Status, Mehmet Koc, on the service’s activities, the municipal council clearly supports the head of the Department of Public Order.
CDU city councilor Frank Bechtle explicitly mentions the many letters to the editor that were received by the SZ/BZ in his statement, in which readers complained about the city’s actions against parkers on narrow streets. Bechtle, who is also the head of the Maichingen police station, responds to these critics by saying: “Customary law does not justify unlawful behavior.” Although he explicitly praises the increased presence of the regulatory service in the city, he also admits that he would have preferred a more transparent approach from the city. “I think it’s too short-sighted to rely mainly on repressive measures,” Bechtle acknowledges. In this context, he welcomes the brand-new news that the city is initially suspending the targeted controls in the two areas and will soon hold a traffic survey together with the residents.
City councilor Helmut Hofmann (Greens) praises the high density of controls, as blocked sidewalks and bike paths are a problem. However, he says that Sindelfingen is not a “ticket paradise.” “This is not arbitrary, but rather the implementation of the requirements of the Road Traffic Act,” says Hofmann.
Ulrich Röhm from the Free Voters is very critical of the city’s approach and suggests working together with residents to find solutions and, if necessary, turning a blind eye. “I don’t know if that’s possible,” he admits. However, he sees a completely different problem in the hooded crows that threaten the outdoor gastronomy in Planie with their contamination. Knowing that a district concept is needed here, he suggests exploring solutions such as covering trees with nets.
“Legal regulations are not negotiable,” explains Manfred Stock (SPD): “There is no customary law in relation to legal regulations.” However, Stock adds that a bit more sensitivity would have been appropriate, and finally, he supports the head of the regulatory authority: “Keep up the good work!”
In the context of regulatory law, customary law is simply legal nonsense, notes Max Reinhardt (FDP), but calls on the regulatory authority to “involve citizens and ensure understanding.” A state also lives on the trust of its citizens, not just the enforcement of rules, adds Andreas Knapp (FDP), and warns, “One must be careful not to get into a hunting frenzy. It can also be done on a smaller scale.” SZBZ 30 March 2023
Concerts, art exhibitions, and readings: Here is the SZ/BZ festival schedule
On Friday, March 31st and Saturday, April 1st, the big Easter concerts of the orchestras and bands will take place at the Albert Einstein Gymnasium in Böblingen. This year, a large number of soloists from the graduating class will be featured, including pieces from Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Eduard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Concert Overture “Great Russian Easter”.
The large number of musical contributions will be heard on Friday, March 31st in a long concert night starting at 6 pm. Before that, the big Easter market will take place in the afternoon at the AEG. On Saturday, April 1st, the performance will be in a classical concert format starting at 7 pm. Admission is free, but donations are requested.
On Friday, March 31st, the band “Jazzmo” will play traditional New Orleans jazz, blues and jazz oldies from the “Roaring Twenties”, music from the swing era, mainstream and hard bop, as well as many well-known songs from the 1950s and 1960s at Villa Schwalbenhof in Gärtringen. The concerts will be at 6 pm and 8 pm.
Tickets and further information are available by phone at 07034/923106 or by email at nothacker-kost@gaertringen.de, or to a limited extent at the box office.
On Friday, March 31st, at 7 pm, Bernardino Di Croce will read from his book “Giuseppina’s Story. Wife, Mother, Guest Worker: In Search of Recognition”. Apart from the pure reading, the audience can expect lectures, stories, and reports at the German Butcher Museum on Böblingen Market Square.
The Sindelfingen author deals intensively with the many chapters of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, which are called “Labor Migration from Italy after 1945” in the subtitle.
Admission is free, but a donation to the author for his expenses is requested. SZBZ 30 March, 2023
Sindelfingen: Long Shopping Evening, Flower Action, and Fashion Show: Downtown Retailers Celebrate Spring
Sindelfingen. Once again this year, City Marketing Sindelfingen (CMS) is welcoming spring in the city center with a triple greeting, and has organized a colorful weekend of activities with many surprises from March 31st to April 2nd.
“Events that attract various interest groups from outside the city have an enormous impact on revitalizing the city center. For business owners, they are an excellent opportunity to be more visible and attract new customers with their offerings. That’s why it’s important for us to integrate business owners into the activities of City Marketing. Compared to last year, the number of downtown businesses participating in ‘Sindelfingen blooms’ and conducting their own activities has increased by one third. We are particularly pleased with that,” says City Manager Hanno Kreuter.
On Friday, March 31, from 4 pm to 9 pm, there will be a long shopping evening with live music in the stores in the center of Sindelfingen. This year, large tulip-shaped lighting elements will be placed in front of all open shops to create an inviting atmosphere and even more evening spring vibes. Solo artists and bands will accompany visitors musically throughout the evening. “Walking acts” will mingle with the crowd on the streets, providing pantomimic fun while shopping.
Hanno Kreuter: “A free photo action on the Planiedreieck will amaze visitors: as a memory of the day, they can have themselves photographed by a professional photographer in front of a spectacular and lasting photo backdrop. It is already certain that the new attraction will not only be popular at ‘Sindelfingen blooms,’ but also become a new attraction in Sindelfingen. We’ve had the idea for a while, and many citizens have also suggested it. Let yourself be surprised by what we have realized together with the city of Sindelfingen and the economic development agency.”
Flowers and more on Saturday The Sindelfingen weekly market is one of the attractions in the city center. The variety of market vendors’ offerings is enormous, both in breadth and depth. Moreover, the weekly market is an important and convivial meeting place for residents of the city and guests from outside to exchange the latest stories and catch up with one another. The market is a special place of encounter. As part of the “Sindelfingen blooms” event weekend, on Saturday, April 1, City Marketing Sindelfingen will distribute tulips in small pots to weekly market customers from 10 am to 1 pm.
The cultural office and the Sindelfinger Zeitung/Böblinger Zeitung newspaper will be represented with a booth where tulips will be distributed. At the SZ/BZ booth, for example, editor Jürgen Wegner will be on site from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. During this time, visitors can discuss the future of the Sindelfingen city center with him.
Fashion show on the Grüner Platz The fashion show has almost become a “tradition” at “Sindelfingen blooms.” On Sunday, April 2, from 2:30 pm to 4 pm, Mode Klein, Intersport Klotz, Optiker Mezger, and Mieder Müller will present the new fashion and eyewear trends for spring and summer (picture: Nüßle/archive). As always, seats at the fashion show are limited and in high demand. A telephone registration is necessary at 07031 / 7786703. Secure your place in time. Flyers with further information about “Sindelfingen blooms” and the music program are available in many downtown shops. City Manager Hanno Kreuter can be reached by phone at 07031 68842-22 or by email at hanno.kreuter@sindelfingen.org for further questions. SZBZ 30 March, 2023
The bird’s nest of Sculptoura in the Maurener Valley is inhabited again
Ehningen. “Fried eggs” now adorn the Sculptoura artwork by Mathias Schweikle in Maurener Tal. As in previous years, the artist once again placed three eggs in the trademark of Sculptoura. He had collected countless mirrors beforehand and smashed them into small pieces.
Attached to the eggs, they now shine in the light. “The eggs hold a mirror up to us humans by reflecting nature,” he said during the installation of the 180-kilogram eggs. The stilts of the nest are wrapped in a colorful covering resembling a flower meadow, with magenta spots included. Pfalzgrafenweiler is pleased that numerous walkers and cyclists stopped briefly to take pictures during the “laying” of the eggs. “The feedback is always very positive and many said they were actually looking forward to the installation,” says Schweikle.
The eggs and the covering of the stilts will remain in place for four weeks. SZBZ 29 March, 2023
Climate activists in Baden-Württemberg face imprisonment
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion are said to have removed road signs at various locations on the A8 and B10. The Interior Ministry has threatened penalties for the unauthorized introduction of a speed limit.
In recent months, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion have called on their supporters in Baden-Württemberg to remove traffic signs on their own that lift speed limits on highways. In various media appearances last week, the activists once again drew attention to their goal of highlighting the quick feasibility of a general speed limit and practically introducing it themselves without political will by removing the signs. The Ministry of the Interior in Baden-Württemberg now criticizes the activists’ guerrilla speed limits in the southwest as too dangerous.
According to a request, the Interior Ministry stated that the measure could have far-reaching consequences for the safety of road users. “Traffic signs are installed based on applicable traffic regulatory orders, which is why changes by unauthorized persons can impair road safety,” said Katharina Lutz-Schädler, spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. Accordingly, removing a sign could, depending on the case, constitute a criminal offense and be classified as a dangerous interference with traffic and punished with a prison sentence of up to five years. SZBZ 29 March,2023