The ghost village course: former residents dream of home

The ghost village course: former residents dream of home

Kursdorf, Deutschland - Welcome to the ghost village course, where the kerosene smell of the nearby motorway and the Leipzig/Halle airport drowns out the once lively village life. In this small town, only a little more than 13 kilometers northwest of Leipzig, the tragic history of loss and forgetting becomes visible. The village, which once counted over 200 inhabitants, is completely emptied today. The last remaining resident left course village in 2017, and today the population is exactly 0, as the LVZ reports. However, the memories continue to live, preserved from the few former villagers who think back to their homeland.

The roots of course village go back to 1497 when the place was first mentioned in a document. But the location of the village, clutched by airport facilities and traffic axes, became his doom. The expansion of the airport, in particular the expansion of the Südbahn in 2003, led to the hollow of the village, which broke under the forces of noise and pollution. Experiences such as fixed and common life, once highlights in everyday life, were remembered. Margrit Weber, one of the last residents, recalls: "We have a home but no home." This sentimental reflection on the loss of community expresses the sadness and nostalgia of the former villagers who still remember the good old days.

memories and memorials

A monument that was built near the church and the cemetery symbolizes the loss of the community and the past of the once flourishing course. It shows a hand that looks like she is tearing the village off the map. Letters have captured the sad history of the village and are reminiscent of the difficult decisions that had to be made. "If we now hear from the airport expansion, everything will come to life again," complains Jochen Parthier. The mental wounds of the loss are deep, even if the former course gates now live in the new environment in Altscherbitz. Her longing for community and the connections they had remains a bitter grief.

The history of course village, which has now become a ghost village, exemplifies the challenges that arise from the expansion of air traffic and urban development. The stories that the citizens lived are not lost, even if the houses are missing. Every year on the Christmas Eve, the church, the last place, embodies the dimensions of the common life. "In order to keep the beautiful memories and revive," the former course Dorfer would like to meet more often to share and celebrate the "noise" of lost life as it was once.