Nostalgia in Templin: Memories of the Gierloff family's grocery store

Nostalgia in Templin: Memories of the Gierloff family's grocery store

A lot is happening on Ernst-Thälmann-Straße. The Gierloff family's newly opened grocery store alone has shaped generations and now it is framed by the growing memories of a place steeped in history. Marlies Born, who grew up in Templin as the eldest daughter of the family, immediately recognized the photo from the “Historical Peep Box” series. The former bakery opposite, where fresh coffee often had to be fetched on Sundays, was a popular meeting place for many. It is not surprising that Klaus Preuß from Milmersdorf, a big fan of the peep show, was able to immediately identify the scenery. “It was a completely normal life, with the wooden doors of the grocery store open in the summer,” Born remembers.

The lifestyle and shops on Thälmannstrasse are very connected to the people who lived there. In the past, people learned to be a pastry chef in the bakery, and there was even a snack bar that opened early in the morning. We learn from Rolf Prütz that there were once two bakeries here that looked after the well-being of the community. Renate Engel, who was closely related to the Gierloff family, knew the area well and stated that there was a store diagonally opposite the shop.

A new chapter – The Little Tooth Villa

In the same breath, the doors of the “Little Tooth Villa” opened on December 1, 2023 at Ernst-Thälmann-Straße 33. The building will soon celebrate its hundredth birthday. The house's history dates back over an interesting 100 years, with construction documents filed in 1928. In the words of builder Johann Radomski, a master hairdresser, the past remains alive. He once ran a “special hair shop” on Frankfurter Allee before he ventured into this new project, which was completed in 1931.

The architecture comes from Adolf Mothes, whose buildings, which have received attention elsewhere, have also found a home in other communities. The building's origins are complex; The first tenants soon became a legacy in the minds of local residents. Otto Kurtz opened the lending library, followed by shops ranging from hardware stores to a pizzeria and a hair salon. The building has changed enormously through different tenants and their stories.

A historical context

The street on which both the grocery stores and the new dentist's office are located bears the name of Ernst Thälmann, an important politician of the Weimar Republic. Thälmann was chairman of the KPD and was murdered by the National Socialists. His names were found in many places in the GDR, which caused a lot of discussion even after the fall of the Wall in 1990. There are currently 613 streets and squares in Germany that bear his name, with each of these streets telling the story of its time.

The memories of Thälmannstrasse are complex and go back into the past. It is remarkable that despite all the changes and shifts, people and their memories remain. The opening of new shops, like the “Little Tooth Villa”, is a sign of change and closeness to the history that continues to live in people’s hearts. Whether it's a coffee in the bakery or a visit to the dentist - the spirit of Thälmannstrasse is preserved and carried with pride.