Still in top shape

He really didn’t want that. And if he had known, he would have been strictly against it: That he would open the newspaper and what would he see first? Themselves! But somehow the world has to know that Heinz Steidle is celebrating his 80th birthday today. Because even if he is not born in Kissingen, he is undoubtedly one of the Kissinger veterans – which is not an unsuitable title given his enormous and undaunted commitment to the German Alpine Club and its Bad Kissingen section.

Heinz Steidle was born on October 12, 1940, in Wrzburg, which was still undestroyed at the time, as the second child of the telegraph operator Josef Steidle and his wife Josefine. His brother Toni was born in 1935. Shortly before the heavy bombing of the city on March 16, 1945, the mother brought Toni and Heinz to safety with their parents in Kitzingen. The father was always on vacation visiting the family for a short time. At the beginning of 1946 – the father had meanwhile returned from captivity – the family in Bad Kissingen got two rooms in the Allee Kurheim from Dr. Syassen (today Haus Altenberg) assigned. Josef Steidle had found work as a telegraph technician in the telegraph office, and something like living was gradually starting again for the Steidles. But still pretty unsteady. After a short time, the family moved into living rooms above the telegraph office on Ludwigstrasse and, in the spring, under the roof of the Postgarage on Mnnerstdter Strasse.

In September 1947, the life of six-year-old Heinz changed in one fell swoop: he became an Abc shooter at the Anton Kliegl primary school. Four years later he moved to the Bad Kissingen grammar school, which he left after 10th grade in 1958 with the secondary school leaving certificate. Since he saw his professional future in the judiciary, he went to the Bavarian School of Justice for three years at Haimhausen Castle near Dachau, where he completed a specialist degree in the administration of justice. Then the Bundeswehr first brought him to Wildflecken.

Six in the lottery: Lieselotte

In 1961, Heinz Steidle met Lieselotte Prtner, his “sixth in the lottery”, at the carnival. In 1962 the two became engaged, and on May 30, 1964 – he had just finished military service, she had passed her administrative training in the town hall as the best examiner – they got married. They moved into their first joint apartment on Hartmannstrasse. Her two daughters Anja and Silvia were born in 1965 and 1967. Of course the apartment became too small and the family found a house on St.-Bruno-Strasse.

In contrast to his family life, in which he moved frequently, at least in the first few years, Heinz Steidle’s professional life was very sedentary. Because where he began his professional career in 1958, he ended it in 2003 by taking early retirement: at the Bad Kissingen district court. There he worked for 33 years as a Rechtspfleger. And there he was appointed to the position of managing director at the Bad Kissingen district court in 2002. Because not only his knowledge of the law and his dealings with employees and clients were in demand, but also his organizational talent. Among other things, he was responsible for the complex relocation of the Kissinger Auenstelle from Hartmannstrae (“Marienruhe” house) to Spitalgasse – while business continued. And he played a leading role when it came to the purchase of land on Von-Hessing-Strasse and Maxstrasse to create more space for the district court. At the time of completion, however, he was already retired. Which he began with a small confession: During his tenure in office he had not been able to drive the stamps off the desks of the court and replace them with digital tools. With his ideas he was a bit ahead of his time and his employer.

Whoever hears the name Heinz Steidle today does not think first of the court people, but of the mountain people: The Bad Kissingen section of the German Alpine Club was and is more or less his second family for many decades: he joined the section in 1962, In 1976 he brought the entire family to join him. In 1978 he was elected deputy chairman and only two years later he took over the management of the association, which he held for 34 years. He did not stand for re-election six years ago. It goes without saying that he has been honorary chairman and press officer since then.

Section experiences an upswing

In these 34 years the section experienced an enormous boom. The number of members rose from 400 to 2500, who could take advantage of a constantly growing offer. Steidle found a group room on Steinstrasse, which eventually became a clubhouse. In 2000 he was able to lease part of the former squash hall in the barracks area from the city and convert it into the first climbing hall. Ten years later, the current large climbing hall “no limits” was opened under his leadership.

The most decisive step, however, was a courageous step in 1993, which of course developed into a success story: The still small section decided to buy and rebuild the Pfrontner Htte on the Aggenstein in the Tannheimer mountains – and rename it to Bad Kissinger Htte, of course. For the section team this meant many years of extreme tension, constant back and forth between Bad Kissingen and Tyrol and never-ending work. For Heinz Steidle all this stress came at just the right time. Because February 27, 1997 turned into a catastrophe day for the family: Silvia, their younger daughter, was killed in a traffic accident. In this way he was able to find support and distraction not only in the family, but also in the work for the section.

Of course, for Heinz Steidle there was and is not just a practice. He was a member of the Association Council and Main Committee of the DAV in Munich for twelve years. In 2002 he was there when the advisory board was founded in Bad Kissingen. He was on the board until 2009 and was a member of the plenary session until a year ago. In 2004 he received the city’s citizen medal for his commitment, followed in 2015 by the Bavarian Prime Minister’s badge of honor for services to honorary office.

Heinz Steidle has kept himself fit: “He’s always running up the mountains. He can’t help it,” is the saying in his environment. As a member of the hut working group with his frequent work assignments, he has to do that. That his two granddaughters Sophia and Pauline share his love for the mountains and sometimes accompany him on his tours makes him happy. And when he’s not on the road, he goes on long excursions on his bike on Sundays. Boredom looks different.

Because of Corona, a small group of friends will celebrate this morning and the family in the evening.

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• Bad Kissingen

• Bad Kissingen District Court

• employer

• climber

• job and career

• Brder

• armed forces

• German Alpine Club

• parents

• Familys

• Family life

• Birthdays

• Employees and staff

• Mtter

• Sesshaftigkeit

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