Last week, the Rheinpfalz reported that there will be no races in Haßloch this year. The largest village in Germany with over 20,000 inhabitants was said to be too dependent on the income from PMU races. The Palatines did not want a "normal" race day, which was originally planned for Whitsunday, because of the lack of funding. Another alarm call - and once again it`s about money.
At least it seems that Haßloch will go on in the coming season. In the meantime, there are many tracks that have long since disappeared from the map. The best-known hippodromes are, of course, Frankfurt, where the DFB was able to secure the site as a bargain with political support. In Neuss, too, the politicians found no proximity to the racecourse. The end followed. In Bremen, the fight is still on. The outcome is uncertain. There is no support from the politicians here either.
But it is not only the big town names where horse races once took place regularly that remain only memories today. Thirty years ago, there were still twenty organisers in the southwest, some of them with several race days a year. Herxheim, for example, can definitely be called a flagship not only in the southwest, but also in overall sport. Great race days, often in close proximity to the meetings in Iffezheim, attracted not only visitors but also political celebrities to the track. The last races were held there in 2008.
But Herxheim is not the only venue. Dieburg no longer hosts trotting races, Heiligenwald and Herschberg are other long-forgotten names, Karlsbad and Nussdorf are also among them. And a race day in Walldorf on Whit Monday was once a must. What an outcry rang through the country when plans became known to possibly cancel Whit Monday as a public holiday. This holiday still exists, but the Walldorf racecourse has long since ceased to exist.
With the death of the racecourses, a piece of culture is also lost. Therefore, keep fighting in Bremen - and let Haßloch rise again.
