160 Years of the Traunstein Business Association: Celebration Evening on Hochfelln Between Retrospective and Positioning

The Business Association of the Traunstein District celebrated its 160th anniversary with a festive evening in Bergen. More than 300 invited guests came to a venue in the Hochfelln area – the open-air stage at the mid-station of the Hochfelln cable car was planned – where the association brought together history, present, and its economic self-image.

Motto: Community, Commitment, and Economic Strength

The evening was held under the motto "160 Years of Community, Commitment, and Economic Strength." The slogan was more than mere festive rhetoric: it marked a positioning of an association that, since its founding in 1866, sees itself as a link between trade, crafts, and services in the district – and emphasizes its role as an advocate in the 35 municipalities also towards politics and the public.

The Business Association at a Glance

The Business Association describes itself as the largest business association in the Traunstein district in terms of membership. According to the association, the network currently includes around 263 members from 144 trades.

Historically, the association has grown, among other things, from its former name "Gewerbeverband Traunstein"; since May 10, 2022, it has operated as the Business Association of the Traunstein District e.V.

The board is led by a first chairman, currently Thomas Eberl.

Program and Staging of History

A defining part of the evening was the staging of its own history – not just as a chronicle, but as a narrative of regional economic strength. In addition to historical retrospectives, the program relied on a play as a deliberately unusual format to make the association's long development visible and to connect it with current topics of the economic region.

Organizationally, the celebration evening was designed to enable encounters between member companies, guests from public life, and partners from the region – as part of the networking work that business associations often see as their core mission beyond specific individual topics.

Venue and Setting

The location also carried this message: The Hochfelln massif with its tourist-oriented surroundings is considered a prominent point in the Chiemgau; the mid-station of the cable car is used for events. For the association, the setting was thus not only an atmospheric backdrop, but a visible commitment to the region in which its member companies do business.

Special Publication for the Anniversary

Beyond the celebration evening, the Business Association is accompanying the anniversary with a special publication for the 160th anniversary. The 40-page booklet – published in July 2026 – brings together insights into the history, structures, and activities of the association and at the same time acts as a work record: It documents that the anniversary is not understood as a one-time celebration, but as an occasion to reaffirm the ongoing association work and the self-image as a permanently present force in the district.