Feature photo: Sülmerstraße
Despite the not-so-great weather, I'm out and about to "check if things are all right" in the north of the city center — an almost daily routine that I'm happy to take on. There are two routes available, the first leads along the Allee and the second along the Fleiner- und Sulmerstrasse.
So I'm coming from Wilhelmstrasse today, although I'm missing a few things that I'm used to. The ASB and a new dormitory happened quickly, followed shortly afterwards by the Brenner dance school and two other things better restaurants, then comes the courthouse and something to look at, namely the Fromm furniture.
But then it gets very dark again, the woolen house is just standing around — only lit by the Telekom shop — a few children are playing with the wooden sheep. And if you were to turn right now, you would come to the Seel.
But then you are already at the Fleinertorbrunnen and see what the master's dog, who usually sits there, is doing. One or two beggars away is the Kaufhof, which most people still know as Horten or Merkur. Opposite there, the question immediately arises as to whether the chocolate on display is still merrily going moldy, or whether something is still happening.
A look at a construction site gives hope, because another fast-food restaurant is to move in there, and immediately to the left of it is a small shopping mall, which together with the Kaufhof can still come up with a few interesting offers.
To the right of that is the fast-food restaurant, which I only entered once, namely the branch in Brussels — because of the champagne bar. I ignore the beggar in a prayer position and instead control the shop window knife mason at. Then it gets pretty dark again up to the jeweler Beilharz.
When you arrive at Kiliansplatz, you always see a few people. They enjoy the atmosphere that is created by the lighting in four stores of slightly larger chains, and where quite a few people still shop again and again. A coffee on the corner of Kaiserstraße completes the ensemble.
When you enter Sülmerstraße, it gets pretty dark again, which only gets better shortly before the Hafenmarkt. The travel agency on the corner has probably always been there and the new steakhouse across the street brings in some public traffic. Playing children use the space and also bring momentum to the city.
Continuing along Sülmerstraße, I'm already looking forward to the shop windows of Optik Fickartz and briefly consider whether I should go to the record store around the corner before I get to the new grocery store. There I keep asking myself why there is no Lidl in the entire Sülmerstraße - after all, this is the place of origin of this retail chain.
The Nikolai Church is in sight, the next beggars are not far away and opposite the church there has always been - at least as long as I can remember - the photo kiss.
Then we're already at Berliner Platz, which actually doesn't exist anymore, but which is illuminated by a few restaurants and where there's a lot to look at; and always beggars. If I now turn into Turmstraße, I'll arrive at Electro Krauss over — and there's always something to look at there.
Recently one could read in the voice of Heilbronn that people are angry about not being able to drive their car directly into the shops, and the regulatory office has probably already reacted, because the cars that drive through Fleinerstrasse and Sülmerstrasse getting more and more. And it's quite obvious that it's not just suppliers and shopkeepers who have apparently acquired the right to park their cars — and probably those of the entire family — in front of the shop.
I can certainly understand that we from the lowlands are happy to spend 10 euros on lousy wine, watered-down cocktails, cold beer or coffee substitutes, but don't have a single euro left for a parking garage, because you have to set priorities in life. However, I would like to point out that the desired shopping experience does not come about by driving directly in front of the checkout — this is what many people confuse with fast food restaurants.
You could also read that there are too few owner-managed shops here in Heilbronn. Unfortunately, this is a fact and, in my opinion, is due to the fact that we are all more interested in making a quick buck — namely saving the same money — than making life easier for each other in the long term. If you miss owner-managed shops, you should start shopping at the ones that still exist. This then leads to further and new businesses settling in Heilbronn. Tritschler from Stuttgart or Spielwaren Wiedmann from Backnang, which have also settled in Heilbronn, can serve as good examples.
In addition, unfortunately, there is the original Heilbronn idiosyncrasy that as soon as you can afford it, you go to Stuttgart, Munich or Milan to do your shopping yourself, and they are happy to do the same Heilbronn voice lets know.
Recently, one could also read that the homeowners are to blame for the misery, as they are increasingly renting out to kebab shops, nail salons, hairdressers and one-euro shops. The counter to this is that unless a homeowner is making a fortune off depreciation, he has to make sure the shops are rented out — vacancies not only look bad, they also damage the buildings.
And due to government regulations, such as: B. facilitating money laundering of any kind, or municipal failures, such as: B. in terms of order and cleanliness, the tenants, even desired by the landlords, tend to stay away and “only” very short-term business models are still interested in the “good locations”. And if the local newspaper exploits the whole thing with lust and continues to write it badly, you shouldn't be surprised about experiences like today's walk from “south to north”.
This vicious circle can only be broken by the city administration by enforcing and then continuously ensuring peace, order and cleanliness, especially in the pedestrian zone of Heilbronn. Because good rental contracts are concluded over decades and not on a monthly basis!
And as soon as you have ensured this and the landlords have a basis for their own investments, then you start with a long-term and, above all, well-founded advertising and acquisition campaign that has the advantages and advantages of Heilbronn's city center as its subject. Interestingly, we in Heilbronn already have our own very large marketing company for this.
And as soon as the shopping experience starts up again with us, we Heilbronn residents should jump over our own shadow and go back to shopping in Heilbronn ourselves!
I'm already looking forward to the wonderful sights of many happy people with even more shopping bags, who stroll through the city center and always relax from their shopping experience with a drink or good food, only to return shortly afterwards, freshly strengthened, to the next store to strive for.
In Heilbronn we really have everything that would be necessary for this - we should also use this!
