TAUBACH

The bridge over the Ilm river at Taubach, as the first NAW-Project (Nationales Aufbauwerk - National Reconstruction Work) built by the Taubachien themselves in 1953.

The bridge over the Ilm river at Taubach, as the first NAW-Project (Nationales Aufbauwerk - National Reconstruction Work) built by the Taubachien themselves in 1953.

History of Taubach

The development of Taubach in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) under the leadership of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED).

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The inauguration of the new Ilm bridge

was the solemn conclusion of the first NAW-project (Nationales Aufbauwerk - National Reconstruction Work) in Taubach in 1953. NAW was a "mass initiative on voluntary, non-profit and non-paid labour", which should improve the living conditions. The NAW-system was particularly well suited for measures in the immediate residential area, i.e. the own road, or generally accepted, important measures. Later this initiative was named "Schöner unsere Städte und Gemeinden - Mach mit!" (More beautiful our cities and municipalities - Join in!), but this also did not change the fact, that the commitment was diminished by the population. All the more, the Taubachien, who contributed a part of their live time for the further development of the village, can be proud of the results of their work.

The next project of this kind was the construction of a community building, the "Haus der Freundschaft" (House of Friendship), which was completed in November 1958. This building, whose name was usually specified only with "HdF", accommodated the office of the burgomaster inclusive secretarial room, a doctor's office, a waiting room, a youth room, a larger meeting room, a small library and an apartment.

In 1959 the new kindergarten, which still exists today, went into operation. For this was a building on the Hauptstraße, today Ilmtalstraße, was acquired by the municipality and extensively rebuilt. The new crèche, who has been housed in this building, was able to start its services a year later. In addition could be occupied two new apartments on the attic storey, one of them got a young couple, who until then had lived separately: he in his parents home, she by her sister. Their first child followed in summer 1964.

The barrack, which was used as the kindergarden, was demolished in 1959 and a small park was formed around the church St. Ursula. This was created almost entirely by the pupils of the 8th grade and handed over by them on the eve of their school graduation ceremony in 1960. The park was a gem of the community with its well-tended paths, flower beds and places to stay. Officially designated as "Park der Jungen Pioniere" (Park of the Young Pioneers) or briefly "Pionierpark" (Pioneer Park), the Taubachien simply called it Park. The primary-school pupils tended the park after the opening of the new Mellingen school at the end of 1968. The leaves of the trees became to dense with the time and the flowers died. Mellingen received another school in 1984, the building of today's Lyonel-Feininger-Gymnasium, the primary-school pupils from Taubach, Mechelroda and Kiliansroda changed into the school built in 1968. The park turned into a green space.

Much of the field pathes were plowed under and the open country received a completely new look in the course of the industrialization of socialist agriculture in the German Democratic Republic. Layer groundwater springs and trenches were backfilled, the trees cleared at their slopes, drains laid. An example of this is the field area "In Albanus Weiden", where willow trees were still standing in this fields area in the early 1970's.

Since the SED did not succeed in solving the problems of the time in the GDR, in particular clearly to advance the material living conditions of the population and to grant a greater freedom of travel, more and more people protested and demonstrated for fundamental changes in the GDR in 1989. The path to the reunification of the two German states was free with the opening up of the GDR borders, but the GDR became only a part of the former FRG.


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