Pirna Rifle Guild
The Pirnaer Schützengilde (PSG) was first mentioned in a document in 1464 and is one of the oldest rifle clubs in Germany. It served the city of Pirna to protect against enemy attacks and looting. Its members enjoyed a high reputation at the time. When the protective function was later taken over by the armed forces , the PSG developed into an association for the maintenance of tradition and customs.
The annual highlight was bird shooting with a folk festival character. It took place at the ship gate in Pirna as early as the 16th century . The ship's gate , which was razed in the 19th century , stood northeast of the old town on today's Steinplatz and was the passage through Long Street. On the large meadow in front of the ship's gate (which was called "Habe") lay the bird pole and the shooting house. In 1901, bird shooting was moved to the other bank of the Elbe in Copitz , hence the name "Vogelwiese" today. The celebrations came to an end with the coronation of the respective marksman king. A historical newspaper clipping from 1904 and a festival program sheet from 1926 show the significance and scope of these events.
From the year 1939, the club life came after the seizure of power by the Nazis to a standstill. In October 1945 the Pirnaer Schützengilde was banned with the SMAD order 124/126 . The Schützenhaus (today's Hanno-Günther-Heim) and land on Hohen Strasse were expropriated. In 1951 they were handed over as public property on the basis of a decree of the city of Pirna , after which the city sold these properties to private individuals. After the re-establishment of the Pirnaer Schützengilde in 1991, transfer back or repurchase was no longer possible.
The last king's chain of the PSG, donated in 1909, is today again in the possession of the association. It was kept by Manfred Werner from Pirna from 1942 to 2000. He had inherited it from his grandfather, who was himself a shooting brother.
According to information from a citizen of Pirna, the historic club flag was said to have been in the attic of a residential building on Gartenstrasse until 1978. With the change of owner every trace is lost. A new club flag was therefore created in 1991.