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Final end for the shooting range in Maintal: shooting clubs in need!
The shooting range in Maintal is finally closed, the shooting clubs are looking for new training opportunities and financing.
Final end for the shooting range in Maintal: shooting clubs in need!
Bad news for the shooters in Maintal: The shooting ranges in the Maintal hall are finally closed. How op online reported, the magistrate decided on September 1, 2025 not to pursue the renovation of the facility due to high costs and a lack of co-users. Since the shooting range has not been allowed to be used since September 2023 by order of the Main-Kinzig district, shooting operations have now been finally stopped.
A number of shooting clubs are affected by this closure. The clubs affected include Hubertus Bischofsheim, the Maintal sports shooting community and the Wachenbuchen shooting guild. The club members now have to look for new training locations, which is not that easy. In November 2023, those responsible will inform that the search for new opportunities and financial aid for the renovation has already begun, as is the case hanauer.de explained.
Alternative training options
The three larger clubs have now been able to find some alternative options. Hubertus Bischofsheim trains in the Bischofsheim community center, while the Wachenbuchen Rifle Guild also uses a training facility in Niederdorfelden. However, this move brings with it additional financial burdens. The Tell Hochstadt-Dörnigheim shooting club is fortunate to have its own shooting range, but suffers from restrictions on small-caliber shooting in Mittelbuchen - there are only four shooting days per season instead of the previous eight.
The Maintal sports shooting community also had to disband two competition teams, and the remaining members are now looking for individual training opportunities. This development could jeopardize the preservation of shooting in Maintal.
Shooting as an intangible cultural heritage
Shooting has a long tradition in Germany and is deeply rooted in the region. In the last ten years, Maintal has even achieved UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status. This award shows how important shooting is as part of local identity. It includes numerous customs and traditions that are presented in various forms and strengthen the sense of community, such as dsb.de describes.
The first chairman of the GMS, Ullrich Laupus, sharply criticizes the dismantling of the infrastructural basis for shooting sports in Maintal. He has doubts about whether the city administration will continue to seriously pursue the matter after February 2024. Two emails from him also remained unanswered. Laupus hopes for financial support from the city: “Using other shooting ranges causes additional costs that we cannot bear alone.”
Regarding the shooting ranges, there are plans to convert them into a multi-distance shooting range that will meet the requirements of the police and security service providers. Mayor Monika Böttcher has already given initial cost estimates, which are between 800,000 and 1,000,000 euros. A return to operation of the shooting ranges would only be possible after extensive renovation that takes different user groups into account.
In the meantime, the shooting clubs are going their own way to keep the tradition of shooting sports in Maintal alive and pass it on to the next generation. It remains to be seen how this chapter will develop for the shooters in Maintal.