“We look forward to spring every year – that’s when work begins again for us”, says Heinz Gebauer. The 44-year old from Constance is a showman and member of a traditional family business. Gebauer’s face lights up when he starts to talk about his work. And that’s how it should be. For enjoying your work is part of the business that he has learned from his childhood. Having fled from Silesia in the 1950s, his father Heinz Senior, and his two brothers Hans and Willi bought a tree trunk for the lordly sum of eight marks. And from it, they built their first chairoplane. The family has now built up a little showman dynasty. Their cousins for instance run the “Traumland” leisure part at Bärenhöhle near Reutlingen.

The Gebauer company from Constance, consisting of Heinz, his sister Barbara and her husband Ralph Vogt, organise 25 events a year in Baden-Württemberg as general lessee. This involves transporting their own amusement rides, including one of Germany’s largest dodgems, on nine trucks across the country every week. They have to continuously maintain contacts and keep their business abreast of the times.

The Gebauers transport their fairground games of chance, children’s merry-go- rounds and shooting galleries far and wide – and even hire out individual amusement rides on request. In doing so, with energy and skill the family have succeeded in striking a balance between the fun of the fair and a modern business venture that creates steady jobs. Today they can bring virtually any fairground magically to life – with marquees and amusement rides to firework displays – all from under one roof. This is also the reason why family man Heinz Gebauer enjoys his job so much: “I love and am privileged to do a job that brings people pleasure.”