Stefan Fink
Stefan Fink (born September 2, 1908 in Veringenstadt ; † August 12, 2000 there ) was a German entrepreneur and local politician. The trained carpenter and carpenter founded the sawmill Fink and Maschinenbau Fink in 1936. From 1945 to 1966 he was mayor of Veringenstadt. He was the holder of the Federal Cross of Merit and honorary citizen of the city of Veringenstadt. A century of German municipal history from the imperial era to reunification is reflected in his life .
His home: Veringenstadt and Hohenzollern - life between emperor, princely house and republic
Stefan Fink was and saw himself as Hohenzoller . Veringenstadt was part of the Hohenzollern Lands , which fell to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1850 after the princes of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen had renounced the throne and since then, as an administrative district enclosed by Württemberg and Baden, had a separate life under Prussian administration, in 1873 / 74 had received a legal basis through the creation of the regional association of municipalities with a municipal parliament and partial self-government.
The people in the Hohenzollern Lands saw the emperor and king of Prussia in distant Berlin as the guarantor of a stable order, which for the young Stefan Fink was condensed in the song he had learned from the kindergarten nurse in the “Kinderschüele” and often quoted by him: “The Kaiser is a nice man and lives in Berlin, and if it weren't that far from here, I went there today. "
The importance of the House of Hohenzollern in the region for creating identity should not be underestimated. The Hohenzollern paid attention to independence and expressed this on a blackboard in their country house , clearly expressed: "At home they happily governed themselves, according to their own custom and law."
Economic and administrative relationships with Württemberg and strong ties to Baden had existed for a long time , as the Catholic Hohenzollern had belonged to the Archdiocese of Freiburg since the dissolution of the Diocese of Constance in 1821 . The people between Hechingen and Sigmaringen, however, felt neither like Württemberg nor Baden, but were proud to be Hohenzollern.
The administrative order of the Hohenzollern Lands had been partially shattered during the Nazi era . There was a Prussian government president in Sigmaringen until the end of the war in 1945. After that, the Hohenzollern Lands were administratively attached to the developing state of Württemberg-Hohenzollern in the French zone , as all ties to Prussia had been severed since the end of the war and the state of Prussia in 1947 had been crushed by the Allies.
The ancestry of the Fink family in Veringenstadt
The Fink family has been firmly rooted in Veringenstadt for centuries. As ancestor born in 1620, Peter Finck applies. In addition to Stefan Fink, the best-known representative of this sex is the teacher, writer and poet Anton Fink (1853–1944).
Stefan Fink's ancestors worked as farmers and fishermen or as craftsmen. The father Gerhard was a farmer and the last professional fisherman from Veringenstadt on the Lauchert . In 1862 Gerhard Fink's grandfather Meinrad Fink (1809–1890) - he was also a farmer - signed the fish water lease, which was granted to his son Nikolaus Fink (1835–1903), then to his son Gerhard Fink and then to his son Josef Fink (brother of Stefan Fink) passed over. Meinrad Fink decided to take this step because small-scale farming alone did not produce enough income to support the family. Especially the lauchert trout , but also pike and up to the flood of 1912 the Treuschen enjoyed an excellent reputation that extended far beyond the region due to their excellent quality and so the youngster Stefan Fink was allowed to deliver fish to Ebingen .
The parents Gerhard Fink (born September 24, 1868 - † February 25, 1949) and Maria Fink b. Fink (February 9, 1873 - June 10, 1965) married on January 31, 1899. Their marriage had ten children:
- Johann (born July 7, 1900)
- Wilhelmina (born July 27, 1901; married Eggstein)
- Anna Maria (born August 2, 1902; † July 29, 1995; married Wern)
- Friederika Viktoria (born October 14, 1903; † July 4, 1980; married Ott)
- Wilhelm (born November 30, 1906, † March 1, 1944 in Riga / Latvia)
- Stefan (September 2, 1908; † August 12, 2000)
- Victoria (December 19, 1910 - September 14, 1958; Sr. Mechtundis)
- Rosa (born March 15, 1912; † 2000; married Schmid)
- Joseph Nikolaus (born October 21, 1913 - † May 4, 2004)
- Fridolin (born July 30, 1916, † September 4, 1947 in a fire accident in Veringenstadt)
Stefan Fink grew up in the “Pearl of the Laucherttal”, as his hometown is often called, whose townscape is still characterized in a special way by the castle ruins of the Counts of Veringen , the St. Nicholas Church and the oldest town hall in Hohenzollern. The roots in his hometown are one of the essential foundations of Fink's personality, as is his self-evident belief in God and anchoring it in the Christian scale of values . Without these influences, neither the person nor the mayor and politician Stefan Fink and his actions can be understood.
The Fink family had no wealth. The father did what he could to support the large family. The mother was forced to be thrifty, no purchases could be made “out of order”. It was a success when the family members had enough to eat and were not too cold in winter. The eldest brother Johann had his bed on the stage directly under the roof tiles, so that in winter when the weather was windy, snow would blow into his bed. So one lived in modest circumstances; Two siblings each had to share a bed in the cramped living space. The siblings didn't know anything else and probably didn't miss anything. In spite of all the material hardship, the parents created a stable framework for their children to grow up in, in which family cohesion could develop and reliability, diligence, frugality and hard work, but above all discipline, were trained. These Prussian virtues provided Stefan Fink with the tools for his life and his extensive public activity.
Raised in the Catholic faith, Fink attended the Catholic elementary school (or " elementary school ") in Veringenstadt . At that time there were two teachers working on it who taught around 100 students in three classes. When the First World War broke out in the summer of 1914 , Stefan Fink was almost six years old. During this time he had two hard and formative experiences. His teacher Hermann Fecker, whom he liked very much and who was very popular with the children, was killed by a grenade on July 1, 1916. The second experience came when Stefan Fink was an altar boy collecting eggs for a hospital from the population in Veringenstadt. He came to the wife of the brickworks owner Wilhelm Schmid at the moment when she learned that her third and last son Leopold had also died in a poison gas attack in Ypres and that she no longer saw any meaning for herself and was completely resigned.
When Fink left school, it was an extremely difficult time due to hyperinflation . He actually wanted to start an apprenticeship as a watchmaker. But the local watchmaker refused, and the family could not raise the teaching fee demanded by the Sigmaringen watchmaker. So he began an apprenticeship as a carpenter with a relative in Veringenstadt, master carpenter Johann Eggstein, who later became the father-in-law of his eldest sister Wilhelmina. At the same time he attended the advanced training school and the trade school in Sigmaringen. 17-year-old Stefan Fink passed his journeyman's examination in 1925 with good results - but his master did not take him over to his carpenter's workshop.
First professional steps as a carpenter and carpenter
As a young man, he found a job for a short time in a construction and furniture joinery in Neukirch near Tettnang . From 1927 he worked for Thomas Kappler's carpentry business in Sigmaringen. To do this, he rode his bike to Sigmaringen every day. During this time he was senior gymnastics supervisor in the gymnastics club for several years. One of his greatest successes was a second place at the German Sports Festival in Stuttgart in 1936. At the same time he joined the church choir, to which he was an active member for more than 60 years. In 1927 he was also a founding member of the band and ten years later its chairman. Almost as a leitmotif, these activities reflect Stefan Fink's enthusiasm for music and his urge to exercise in the fresh air, which was also characteristic of the very old.
It was a matter of course for Fink, who at times also worked in the Black Forest and the Rhineland, to regularly deliver his meager wages to the family. Everyone had to stick together to ensure the family's survival. Times were bad and didn't get any better after the Great Depression after 1929. Veringenstadt suffered from a blatant population decline, which brought the number of inhabitants down to a low of 527 by 1938 - compared to 782 inhabitants around 1800. The helplessness of politicians to get the numerous problems under control prepared the ground for the political success of the National Socialists, the also gained ground in the Hohenzollern Lands.
The entrepreneur - between peace and war
An important date in Stefan Fink's vita is October 1st, 1937. On this day he started as an independent entrepreneur. With the help of a guarantee from his eldest brother Johann, he acquired a completely derelict building at the Lohmühle that had been closed down 30 years ago (previously Lohmühle, Gipsmühle, Öle und Walke) and built it up into a profitable company. The saw frame was supposed to be operated with water power, but after the construction came the big disappointment: the water power was not enough for the operation and he was forced to buy a completely overpriced motor.
At the beginning of the Second World War, Stefan Fink completed basic training in the Wehrmacht in Donaueschingen. During this time his sister Rosa ran the sawmill. Since five brothers of the family had drafted into the Wehrmacht, Stefan was released. As a result, he was not actively fighting during the war. This, in turn, was the basis for his being installed as mayor after the war.
Starting a family
On November 26, 1946, he married Ida Ott (born September 5, 1920 in Inneringen; † May 30, 2007 in Immenstaad on Lake Constance), daughter of Johann Georg Ott (born February 24, 1892 in Inneringen; † July 26, 1971 Inneringen; Farmer and after 1945 temporarily acting mayor in Inneringen) and Juliana Ott, b. Ott (February 15, 1894 - December 4, 1979 Inneringen). The times immediately after the war were very bad. No bells could ring for the wedding because they had to be delivered during the war, and a camera could not be organized so that there are no photos of the wedding. The marriage with Ida had nine children, seven of whom reached adulthood.
Post-war entrepreneurs
After the Second World War, there was a great shortage of petrol everywhere and the vehicles ran with wood gasifiers . For this reason, Stefan Fink founded a tank wood factory in 1949 and began to repopulate the very old settlement area of Deutstetten , which had not been populated for almost 500 years. At the same time he founded the company Maschinenbau Fink, which he handed over to his managing director Moritz Reiser in 1955 and which has operated under the name Maschinenbau Reiser since 1967. In 1949 he also moved the sawmill to Deutstetten.
Fink sawmill at the Lohmühle (1947)
Fink sawmill. Relocation from Lohmühle to Deutstetten (1949)
Tank wood factory Stefan Fink (1949)
Mechanical engineering Stefan Fink (later Moritz Reiser). Ice milling machine for the butcher shop. Exhibition in Essen (1953)
Fink sawmill in Veringenstadt (1955)
Fink sawmill in Veringenstadt (1990)
Mayor in the post-war period
In June 1945, Stefan Fink was working in the field when a boy came up to him and told him to come to the town hall immediately. The previous mayor appointed by the NSDAP gave him the keys to the town hall and a letter from the French occupying power stating that he was appointed mayor of Veringenstadt with immediate effect. The appointment took the 37-year-old Fink completely by surprise and required a fundamental and rapid change in his entire life so far. His professional activity as an entrepreneur had to be harmonized and coordinated with his public tasks. The assumption of this office took place in the first few years without payment.
Stefan Fink began his work as mayor under the most difficult conditions imaginable. The concentration of a large number of serious problems, some of which were waiting for a solution as quickly as possible at the same time, posed a challenge for those involved in politics and administration in post-war Germany, as it has probably never been before or since in German history with this concentration. Those responsible had very little room for maneuver in order to be able to remedy the numerous fundamental problems that people faced after 1945 quickly and sustainably. At the same time, there was a curfew and a mandatory pass. One was arrested very quickly if one did not meet the numerous requirements of the French occupying forces.
The food and supply shortages from 1945 to 1949 are hard to imagine today. The situation was particularly depressing in the French zone of occupation. The farmers in Württemberg-Hohenzollern had to hand over their products not only to the members of the occupation troops, but also to the troops in the French sector in Berlin. On the agricultural side, there was an obligation to deliver all agricultural products such as milk, potatoes, grain and cattle. Agriculture took a dangerous downturn due to a shortage of seeds, feed and labor.
In addition, the population had to cut down large areas of forests in compulsory missions. Those who did not take part in these compulsory missions no longer received ration cards . The wood was delivered to the French occupying forces, who used it themselves (F-Hiebe = France) or sold it abroad (E-Hiebe = export). There was also a duty to pay for clothing, shoes and furniture.
At the same time, there were very few jobs and for years all staple foods such as potatoes, milk, bread and meat were only available on grocery cards.
Later, another major challenge was the settlement of displaced people , which he proactively and actively promoted. So he went to the reception camps and tried to reach displaced persons with social connections as whole groups for settlement in Veringenstadt. Initially, the displaced persons were assigned to accommodation in existing households by locals, which often led to conflicts and marginalization. A considerable amount of new living space was created, which in turn aroused envy and resentment. In individual years he has received almost all of the district subsidies for the creation of housing for Veringenstadt. In more than 20 cases he was the personal guarantor for new buildings.
Services
- After the Second World War, Veringenstadt recorded a population increase of 161% within a few years due to the active settlement of refugees (largest increase in Baden-Württemberg). The community has thus taken in significantly more displaced people than the small town had inhabitants. During this time, more than 300 new apartments were built. For more than 20 refugee families, Stefan Fink was the personally liable guarantor for their house construction.
- Industrial settlement and creation of new jobs: e.g. B. Schwörer, Fauler, Rudolph, F. Fink, Lieb
- 1949: Bells purchased for St. Nikolaus and Deutstetten
- 1950: Street renovation in the small town
- approx. 1953: Strübbrunnen in front of the town hall
- 1953: Interior and exterior renovation of the pilgrimage church Maria Deutstetten
- 1953: New school building and kindergarten
- 1957: New rectory built
- 1957: Interior renovation St. Nikolaus
- approx. 1962: Renovation of the town hall
- 1960–1963: Expansion of the communal routes
- 1963: New construction of a gymnasium and festival hall with a teaching pool
- 1963: New construction of the lower and upper Lauchert bridge with a Neanderthal bridge figure * 1964: Establishment of the local history museum in the historic town hall
- 1964: In the middle of the Cold War , only one year after the wall was built on the inner-German border , Stefan Fink visited Mayor Werner Tietze in the community of Hohnstein (Saxon Switzerland) in what was then the GDR to enter into a town twinning . However, this partnership did not come about due to political pressure from the SED .
- 1964: Interior and exterior renovation of the Peterskapelle
- Introduction of the sewage system
- 1965: Construction of a new fire station building
- 1966: St. Nikolaus exterior renovation
- 1967: cemetery expansion
- 1973: Preparation of the bypass road with Schlossberg tunnel
- Foundation of the action group Rettet das Strübhaus
- 1982: St. Raphael and Tobias - bridge figure
Bell consecration for St. Nikolaus and Deutstetten on March 13, 1949. Mayor Stefan Fink on the right in the picture.
Desolate road conditions in Veringenstadt in 1950 before road renovation.
Veringenstadt new housing estate in Deutstetten 1953
Veringenstadt. New kindergarten and school building with sgraffito Hermann the Lame 1953.
Interior view of the choir of St. Nikolaus in Veringenstadt after the renovation in 1957.
1964 Inauguration of the Veringenstadt town hall. Address by Mayor Stefan Fink.
Neanderthal monument inauguration on December 31, 1965 District President Willi Birn (2nd from right) and Mayor Stefan Fink (right). Design: Adolf Rieth , Tübingen. Sculptor: Eduard Raach, Eningen.
Raphael and Tobias Inauguration on May 9, 1982. Address by the initiator Stefan Fink.
Voluntary work in clubs, politics and associations
Since his youth, Stefan Fink has been particularly involved in the work of the association.
- Since his school days he was a singer in the church choir, to which he belonged for more than 60 years and chaired it for decades.
- In the gymnastics and sports club, he was head gymnast and board member for many years. He was also the head of the sports club's theater group during the premiere of the "Witch of Veringen"
- Stefan Fink was never a member of the NSDSP and, when the leader principle was introduced in the clubs, resigned his chairmanship of the sports club, to which he was elected only a few weeks earlier.
- Stefan Fink was a founding member and long-term board member of the Veringenstadt municipal band.
- Founding member of the singer association Veringenstadt and the fools guild
- He maintained close contacts with the prehistorian Eduard Peters , who led the excavations in the Veringenstadt caves
- Founding member of the CDU Hohenzollern with Gebhard Müller
- Initiator and founding member of the CDU local group Veringenstadt
- Member of the CDU district executive in Sigmaringen
- Member of the Hohenzollern municipal parliament
- Member of the board of directors of the district retirement home in Gammertingen
- Member of the Sigmaringen district council and district council
- Alderman at the Hechingen District Court
- Member of the Ravensburg model committee
- Chairman of the Parish Council Veringenstadt and the Board of Trustees
- Board member of the Veringenstadt Trade and Industry Association
- Chairman of the board of the Sigmaringen district building cooperative
- Head of the local court in Veringenstadt
- Referee "wood" for the Federal Republic
- Chairman of the board of AOK Sigmaringen
- Initiator and founding member of the Strübhaus e. V.
Stadtkapelle Veringenstadt 1932. Stefan Fink front row 3rd from left.
July 1933. German Gymnastics Festival in Stuttgart. Gymnastics club Veringenstadt with a 2nd prize. Stefan Fink with wreath.
1946 Convalescent stay in the Black Forest of Eduard Peters (left) with Mayor Stefan Fink (right).
September 1950 gymnastics festival in Veringenstadt. (Anniversary celebration of 80 years of gymnastics club, delayed by the war)
1955 Excursion to the church choir Veringenstadt
Honors
In 1983 he was granted the honorary citizenship of his hometown Veringenstadt, in 1980 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon by the Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Dietmar Schlee .
Commemoration on the occasion of the 100th birthday
In September 2008, a symposium was held in Sigmaringen Castle to commemorate the 100th birthday of Stefan Fink: Hohenzollern in the post-war period - time and space shape people - people shape time and space. With articles on Stefan Fink of Karl Friedrich von Hohenzollern , Erwin Teufel ( Prime Minister retd. Of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg ), Frank Raberg (historian and political scientist), Max Gögler ( District President retd. Of the administrative district of Tübingen ) Hermann Schwörer ( MdB a. D. and MdEP a. D.), Erwin Zillenbiller and regional dean a. D. Franz Gluitz.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Hohenzollern in the post-war period. Symposium at Sigmaringen Castle 2008: Time and space shape people. People shape time and space. With articles about Stefan Fink by Prince Karl Friedrich von Hohenzollern , Erwin Teufel (Prime Minister a. D.), Frank Raberg (historian), Max Gögler (District President a. D. and District Administrator of Sigmaringen a. D.), Hermann Schwörer (Entrepreneur , Member of the Bundestag and CDU district chairman a. D.), Erwin Zillenbiller (Ministerialdirigent a. D.) Franz Gluitz (Regional Dean a. D.).
- ↑ See text in the Volksliederarchiv
- ↑ a b c d e f g Thomas Fink: Stefan Fink (= materials on the history of the city of Veringen. Volume 32 ). 2014.
- ^ Quote from Friedrich Schiller : Wilhelm Tell. Chapter 8 .
- ↑ This bond is z. B. visible in the photos of the city chapel of Veringenstadt, which was co-founded by Stefan Fink. The current photos 2014 also show Veringen Castle in the background. Veringenstadt town chapel
- ↑ See Hohenzollerische Volkszeitung 1917. No. 83 / April 11th. District archive Sigmaringen.
- ↑ Reisser is a Swabian success story . In: Schwäbische Zeitung of March 5, 2007
- ↑ See Reiser Maschinenbau
- ↑ Schwäbische Zeitung, Sigmaringen edition of January 5, 1963.
- ↑ a b c d e From Veringenstadt . In: Schwäbische Zeitung of September 2, 2008.
- ↑ See history of the guild of fools Veringenstadt
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fink, Stefan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fink, Stephan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German mayor and local politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 2, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Veringenstadt |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 12, 2000 |
| Place of death | Veringenstadt |