Expedition into the unknown: The Sauerland – soon probably Chancellor’s home

The next Chancellor is probably Sauerländer. And offensive Sauerländer. Friedrich Merz himself campaigned in the election campaign with the fact that he wanted to “dare more Sauerland”. He is also strongly associated with his home region from the outside: “Friedrich Merz is certainly someone who is more of a Sauerland,” says Angela Merkel, for example. The Sauerländer himself would say: Friedrich Merz is “from Da Wech”. In the sense of: comes there. But what and how is that anyway, this Sauerland?

If the Sauerland has a problem, it is his name. Sauerland – that sounds like a country of lousy. The name has nothing to do with the current meaning of the word. Rather – you don’t know exactly – with “swampy” or “south”.

The latter would then be that the region was already located in the Middle Ages south of several larger cities such as Dortmund, Soest, Münster and Paderborn. Sauerland equal to the southland – that almost sounds like the famous “Terra Australis Incognita”, the unknown southernland, which seafarers have been looking for in vain for centuries. But they never checked in Westphalia.

Before Friedrich Merz, two Sauerländer already made the leap to the political top: Heinrich Lübke (1894-1972), the second Federal President, and Franz Müntefering (85), formerly SPD leader and Vice Chancellor. Lübke, born in Enkhausen in the Hochsauerlandkreis, has been remembered primarily because of his style flowers and his idiosyncratic way of dealing with the English language (“Lübke-English”). This was even good for a successful long -playing plate entitled “Heinrich Lübke talks for Germany”.

His most famous quote “Equal goes it” – it starts right away – is said to have been invented by a journalist. Müntefering, called “Münte”, was considered to be an embodiment of the Sauerländer par excellence due to his taciturn-grey-gone nature. An unforgettable quote from him is: “There is a Sauerland elementary school.”

None other than Pierre Brice helped the natural stage in the Sauerland Elspe in the 1970s and 80s to nationwide celebrity. In the cream -colored fringe suit, the beautiful Bretone rode down the festival hill over loudspeaker -based film melody and announced in German -colored German: “Isch ‘AB spoken!”

In the meantime, Pierre Brice has entered the eternal hunting grounds, but otherwise nothing has changed in 50 years. The question is how long in view of the rapid loss of meaning of Karl May and the growing criticism of the I-word.

For the time being, however, Elspe gives its regular audience a Winnetou without breaks: noble is the apache, helpful and good. Friedrich Merz would certainly be the last to have a problem with it.

The legend of the lack of tact

The “land of the 1000 mountains” with its black fairy tale forests is particularly rich in legends and legends. Many of them revolve around the “Hollen”, the underground, a kind of Heinzelmännchen. They are described as very social beings, so the Sauerlanders are said to have given their children with them to be careful before they went to work on the field. A free daycare center, so to speak, the little helpers expected no more than a bowl of milk for their layers.

However, when a brazen farmer once potentiled the milk, they never disappeared in the mountain. According to another legend, they are said to have even given children playing in the forest with gold, whereupon their parents promptly started with a shovel and pick -up hoe to break down the precious metal on a large scale. The hoses also reacted to this with an immediate break in contact. From which one could conclude that the Sauerländer sometimes misses the necessary tact.

Het Sauerland as a longing goal

For Dutch, the Sauerland is the fastest -reaching low mountain range. This makes the region extremely popular, especially in winter. Some hotels have been completely specialized in guests from neighboring country for many years, with Dutch television, Dutch music and Dutch food (Hagelslag-Sprusel, Frikandeln).

In the Sauerland you can “host ultiem”, says Dutch media – the German region stands for ultimate enjoyment. Particularly popular: “Kerstsfeer Opsnuive in Sauerland” – Supernate Christmas atmosphere.

The weather situation is sometimes followed more precisely than in Germany itself: “Sauerland: Blijft de Winter Kwakkelen?” (“Does winter stay unstable?”) Then it says. Or also: “Dik Pak Sneuw Onderweg Naar Het Sauerland” – a thick pack of snow is on the way. The change of perspective shows that the Sauerland can be a classic longing goal.

Farm and Big Business

The rumor persists that the Sauerland consists exclusively of meadows, forests and one cow per inhabitant. The band Zoff, who in a popular song (“Sauerland”), could have contributed to this in a popular location from the region into a co-gravity text (“My heart beats for the Sauerland, bury my heart in Lennesand, where the girls are even wilder than the cows”, “In a barrack in calf cheers, the chapel of the fire brigade is practiced”).

However, you shouldn’t be fooled by this: in the Sauerland, it is also efficiently produced industrially. The local Chamber of Commerce and Industry lists various world market leaders- for example for “machines for the manufacturing process of the controlled roller-ending technology”, bag locks and in the traveler industry. If someone knows what it is like to go down and up the stairs, then probably Friedrich Merz. So political.

You can eat the fat Sauerlanders

Anyone who clicks from the Sauerland through a gallery with well -known specialties may develop a certain shortness of breath while reading – it is hearty and meat -heavy.

A well -known dish is for example, a potato -filled and baked potato dough. Some may have bitten into fat Sauerland – sounds like cannibalism, but is the name of Bock sausages in a tin.

In summary, it can be said that those who successfully digest the Sauerland cuisine will certainly prove steadfastness – a virtue that is also in demand in politics.