Forgotten signs: A piece of Gunskirchner church history returns

Forgotten signs: A piece of Gunskirchner church history returns

Gunskirchen. The parish church of Gunskirchen has a new landmark: old name signs that keep the history of the parish alive. These signs, which once marked the rented seats from 1856 to 1960, have now been restored and are now visible to all churchgoers. They tell of a time when the awarding of seats in the church was a common practice.

The processing of these historical signs was initiated by Erich Haselberger, the former parish council chairman. As he cleaned up in the rectory, he came across around 400 signs from different materials such as brass, aluminum, leather, email and ceramics. These artifacts are not only souvenirs, but also important witnesses of the Gunskirchner church history.

History of the assignment of seats

Until the 1960s, it was common for believers to pay for a personal place in the church. This system ensured that everyone had a permanent place on Sundays and public holidays, with the allocation often based on the social status or size of the property. Interestingly, the men sat on the right and the women on the left, which reflected an image of the company at that time.

The names of the square owners were not only found on the signs, but often also the house or business name, which made it easier to hand over later. The cases only occurred on special occasions such as weddings and funerals that no fixed seats were reserved, since many strangers who visited the church had to take a seat here.

RESITION OF THE SICES

In the 1960s, these signs were finally removed from the parish church and were forgotten. But now an initiative, led by Haselberger, has led to the walls of the church again, where they serve as witnesses in history. "The different explanations of the signs are impressive; some have a rough and self -work, while others are artistically decorated," explains Haselberger, who took care of cleaning and restoration.

The idea of making these signs visible again arose from the desire to strengthen the identity of the Gunskirchner with their parish. Together with parish archivist Johann Weiss, who sorted the signs by town, and the helpers Ivica Ljubas and Josef Freimüller, the reproduced signs were attached with a lot of care of wooden boards, which are now being launched in the recently renovated church.

Visitors to the church have already discovered the signs of their families, which leads to a lively exchange about their own history. This campaign significantly contributes to raising awareness of the historical importance of the parish and makes church history tangible for the parishioners.