The spring car show, the historical old market festival, the pottery market, late-night shopping, the meeting of Father Christmases, shops open on five Sundays a year – it is amazing what the trade association “We in Auerbach (wia)” has been able to instigate. One of its active participants is Uwe Prenzel.

He and his wife Ute have been running two fashion shops in Auerbach since 2007; he has been a member of “wia” since then too and works on the board – particularly to organise the Sundays when the shops are open. “Working with others is just as important for me as the fun factor,” says Uwe Prenzel, giving the reasons for his involvement.

The native of Sebnitz first arrived in the Vogtland region in 1977 at the age of 11. He trained for the Nordic combined event at the Dynamo Klingenthal club, attended the children’s and young people’s sports school, was East German champion several times and just missed out on a gaining a medal at the Olympic Games in 1988 in Calgary when he finished fourth. He gave up skiing in 1993 and started working at Mayer’s Markenschuhe, where he was sales manager for 24 years. “I was never interested in going to Ulm or Stuttgart. I feel at home in Tannenbergsthal and in the Vogtland region; this is where I have my family, friends and acquaintances,” says the 50-year-old father of one adult daughter.

Stamina, a healthy portion of ambition, no fear of new challenges, not giving up – they were and still are the sporting qualities that he is able to use in his professional career. They helped him solve the tasks at Mayer’s without any great specialist knowledge. They also enabled him and his wife Ute enter the textile retail business as self-employed people and successfully expand their fashion stores. “Fashion up” is now no longer just the name of the two shops on the old and new market squares in Auerbach, but they also have stores in Schwarzenberg, Chemnitz, at the Globus centre in Weischlitz and most recently in Halle – the shop there has only been operating for a few weeks.

All this will certainly help him cope with his new task as “city manager” in Auerbach. “It’s important to continue to establish Auerbach as an attractive shopping centre with a presentable town centre and a good mix of chain stores and private retailers. We’ve already achieved a great deal and can be proud of it,” says Uwe Prenzel. At the same time, he emphasises that it is important for everyone to pull together and keep their eye on the bigger picture. As it is no longer possible to handle this on a voluntary basis, he now works on behalf of “wia” as the city manager. “I view myself as the link between the town’s administration departments and the retailers. We need to communicate with each other and provide information in both directions in order to be prepared for new situations or make the most of funding opportunities,” he says, outlining his field of work.

“Alongside winter sports at the Sparkasse Vogtland Arena, a great deal of unspoilt countryside and various attractions, Auerbach should be an important dash of colour and an attractive shopping centre in the Vogtland region, where both shoppers and guests feel at home,” says Uwe Prenzel, who has deliberately chosen to make the Vogtland region his home.