Question: why is there not a common foreign language concept for the town. The town hall is set to have signs in English and French, the Taunabad only has signs in English and in the case of the bio-waste rubbish bins the town’s own subsidiary, BSO, issued information leaflets in English, Turkish and Polish. [Read more…]
EU nationals ask the candidates: 3. Daycare strikes
June 10, 2015 By
Recent strikes at child daycare centres have crippled some Kindergartens and left parents using up their holiday to look after their children.
Question: When do you believe the striking child daycare workers will receive a better wage?
EU nationals ask the candidates: 2. Culture Festival
June 9, 2015 By
Question: To enable a better understanding between the cultures, what do you think of holding a cultural event, where each of the cultures is highlighted – including the German culture.
I pointed out that Dr. Zenker of the Ausländerbeirat has said that the committee will not be arranging festivals anymore. And we also have smaller cultural events such as the international village at the fountain festival and Worldfest at FIS. But what about one large festival, which includes German culture as well? [Read more…]
EU nationals ask the candidates: 1. Welcome Meetings
June 8, 2015 By
A couple of weeks ago I asked for questions from EU nationals living in Oberursel to put to the candidates for the Mayoral election.
I have now interviewed both candidates and will be publishing one question each day this week with their answers.
Question: I found out that the Ausländerbeirat existed through the blog “AllThingsGerman”. When I arrived in Oberursel and went to register, no-one told me about this committee or that there office to offer support. What do you think about holding welcome meetings for new residents to tell them about the schools, taxes, and everyday life in the town? e.g. every two months? [Read more…]
Prince Jürgen I. at the town hall
February 12, 2015 By
Having successfully taken over the town hall last Saturday, Prince Jürgen I. moved into the Mayor’s office on Monday where he intends to run things until Ash Wednesday.
The photo shows him settling into the Mayor’s office with his page Sonja Coy and Lord Stewart Patrick Volz, with Mayor Hans-Georg Brum, Alderman Christof Fink and Treasurer Thorsten Schorr in the background.
Carollers at the town hall
January 9, 2015 By
Carol singers in German do not go from house to house before Christmas eve, they do it afterwards instead – specifically between 27th December and 6th January.
During this time, the so-called “Sternsinger”, organised by the local church and who are sometimes translated as “star boys”, go from house to house to collect for a particular good cause using the year’s motto and dressed as the Three Kings.
This year the motto is “Segen bringen – Segen sein!” (bring a blessing – be a blessing!) and the money raised will go to help children worldwide, in particular in the Philippines. With the whole country taking part, it is not unusual to raise over €40 million.
Before they leave they write 20*C+M+B+15 on the door frame, the letters standing for “Christus mansionem benedicat”, or “God protect this house”. [Read more…]
Town guides thanked for 10 years of tours
July 21, 2014 By
10 years ago a group of Oberursel’s residents met in the “Zum Schwanen” pub in the old town to begin their training as town guides. Knows as the “Stadtführer”, they not only take groups around the town centre, but other parts as well such as the Hohe Mark clinic and Camp King. They also offer walks along the Mühlenwanderweg and themed tours about the war memorials and jewish life in the town.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, a group of the guides returned to the spot where it all began where they were met by Mayor Hans-Georg Brum and town treasurer Thorsten Schorr. [Read more…]
Prince Benjamin I. at the town hall
February 25, 2014 By
Having taken over the town hall on Saturday, Prince Benjamin I. has taken a “hands-on” approach.
Not only did he take a tour of the departments on Monday morning, he sat in on a press conference and announced his intention to take over the council meeting on Wednesday evening.
In the photo he is seen in one of the offices getting to grips with the telephone system, wtih Mayor Hans-Georg Brum (left), treasurer Thorsten Schorr (right), his Lord Steward Harald Pratt and pages Nadine and Nathalie.
Carollers at the town hall
January 7, 2014 By
Carol singers in German do not go from house to house before Christmas eve, they do it afterwards instead – specifically between 27th December and 6th January.
During this time, the so-called “Sternsinger”, organised by the local church and who are sometimes translated as “star boys”, go from house to house to collect for a particular good cause using the year’s motto and dressed as the Three Kings.
This year the motto is “Segen bringen – Segen sein!” (bring a blessing – be a blessing!) and the money raised will go to help children worldwide, in particular in Malawi. With the whole country taking part, it is not unusual to raise over €40 million.
Before they leave they write 20*C+M+B+14 on the door frame, the letters standing for “Christus mansionem benedicat”, or “God protect this house”. [Read more…]
A Petition for the Yang Family
November 30, 2013 By
The Yang family live in Stierstadt, one of the suburbs of Oberursel. For the past two weeks their story has hardly been out of the local newspapers, and at the last meeting of the Ausländerbeirat on Monday, 25th November, 2013, two representatives from Amnesty International came along to explain what it is all about.
The story begins 10 years ago when Mr. Yang came to Germany from China without a visa, but as an asylum seeker. Mrs. Yang – at the time no relation – came later by foot! She also applied for asylum, claiming that her family was discriminated against at home because her parents had had more than one child.
Their asylum applications were turned down, but as they did not have sufficient identification on them to travel back, their presence in Germany was tolerated – “geduldet”. [Read more…]
