Grafing

Grafing bei München, officially called Grafing b.München, is a town in Germany. It is located in the district of Ebersberg, in the region of Upper Bavaria. The town's name means "Grafing near Munich," showing that it is close to the big city of Munich. Many people live there, and it has become an important place for travel and trade because of its position near Munich.

Geography

Grafing is located in the Munich Region, about 32 kilometers southeast of Munich. Two small rivers, the Urtelbach and Wieshamer Bach, flow into the Attel River nearby. It is roughly the same distance from Rosenheim and Wasserburg am Inn. Close towns include Ebersberg, Glonn, and Kirchseeon.

The town includes several traditional areas called Gemarkungen: Elkofen, Grafing b.München, Nettelkofen, Oexing, and Straußdorf. Grafing station, west of the town, connects to the Munich S-Bahn and national train services on the Munich–Salzburg railway line. There is also a station named Grafing Stadt in the town center, served by the S-Bahn.

History

Grafing was founded around the year 960 and was originally called Gisling. It was part of the Munich Rentamt and the Swabian legal district in the Electorate of Bavaria. During the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops looted and burned the town in 1632, though the castle Elkofen was said to have been missed by the soldiers.

Later, in 1818, Grafing became an official municipality. In 1933, the nearby village of Oexing joined Grafing after the two places had grown close together. Today, reminders of both places include two parish churches and a local ice hockey team called the Oexing Killers. Grafing also had its own market court with important powers. It became a official town in 1953, and in 1978, the areas of Elkofen, Nettelkofen, and Straußdorf were added to it.

Population

Grafing bei München has grown over the years. In 1950, the town had 6,763 people. By 2018, the population had increased to 13,800. This shows that more families and people have moved to the area over time.

Politics

Since 2020, the mayor of Grafing has been Christian Bauer from the CSU party. The town council has seats shared among several groups: CSU has 9 seats, Greens has 7, Free Voters has 3, SPD has 2, and smaller groups like the Bavaria Party, FDP, and The Left each have 1 seat.

In 1999, Grafing collected taxes worth about €7,703,000, with €1,654,000 coming from business taxes.

Coat of arms

Grafing’s town emblem shows a bear on a gold background. Local stories say that Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian gave the town this symbol in 1325. The people of Grafing fought bravely in a battle near Ampfing-Mühldorf in 1322, and they were said to have fought “like bears.”

Education

Grafing has several schools and learning places for children and adults. There is an elementary school called Grundschule Grafing, a middle school named Georg-Huber-Hauptschule, and a high school called Gymnasium Grafing. There is also a special school named Johann-Comenius-Schule and another high school called Gymnasium im Collegium Augustinum.

Besides schools, Grafing has other places to learn, such as the Volkshochschule Grafing for adult education, a music school, a district education center, and a Christian education center.

Sightseeing

Grafing has several interesting places to visit. You can see the town hall called Rathaus, and visit churches such as Pfarrkirche St. Ägidius, Marktkirche, and Leonhardikirche. Other notable spots include the Wildbräugebäude, Schloss Elkofen castle, Mariensäule column, and the Heimatmuseum im Rieperdinger-Haus, also known as the Homeland Museum.

Sport clubs

Grafing is home to many sport clubs. The most famous is EHC Klostersee, named after a lake in nearby Ebersberg. This club began with ice hockey games in the 1950s and later moved to Grafing. Today, they play in a special arena that has a nice Italian restaurant overlooking the ice.

Another big club is TSV Grafing von 1864, which has many members. It includes teams for football, volleyball, and judo, among other sports. The volleyball team currently plays in a top-level league, and the judo team has done well in regional competitions.

Pictures

Twin towns

Grafing has a special friendship with a town called Saint-Marcellin in France. This friendship began in 1993, and the two towns work together and share traditions.

Notable people

Grafing has been home to some interesting people throughout history. Max Joseph Wagenbauer (1775–1829) was a talented artist known for his paintings of landscapes and animals. He also worked as a royal court painter and gallery inspector. Another notable person from Grafing is Josef Schuster (1906–1996), who was a German weightlifter.