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Growing up in an old city in Germany made for a unique childhood for Matthias Plachta. Plachta was born in Freiburg but grew up two hours away in Mannheim, a city that originated centuries ago. In 1886, an enormous water tower was erected in the town, which eventually became the center of the city. Plachta said it’s an impressive sight, as are the hills and woodlands of the famed Black Forest located nearby.
As with many European cities, hockey was a big part of daily life. Plachta grew up with the sport and, as with all players in Germany, grew up admiring admiring a particular German player who’s considered the greatest of all time in the country, who also happens to be the father of a current Pittsburgh Penguin.
Player: Mattias Plachta
Hometown: Mannheim, Germany
Type: City
Population: 296,690
Distance from Wilkes-Barre: 3,914 miles
What does the city of Mannheim look like? “There’s a water tower in the city and a lot of old buildings. The water tower is in the center of the city and everything got built around it. There’s also a garden down there. It’s nice.”
Is life in Germany different from the U.S.? “The culture in Germany is a little bit different than in the U.S. You can sit down for a coffee downtown and just relax. You’re not allowed to drive cars in a certain area, it’s where all the shops are. You can sit and watch people and enjoy it. It’s on one street. It’s a walking only area. Almost every European City is like that. It’s nice.”
Did you ever go explore the Black Forest? “It’s pretty close. You don’t even notice it that much that you live in a big forest because it’s all spread out. There’s some waterfalls you can go and visit, and if you go south toward Switzerland where the mountains go into the Black Forest it’s pretty cool.”
Tom Kuhnhackl’s father, Erich, is considered the Wayne Gretzky of Germany. How famous is he in Germany? “He was retired long before I started, but he’s the best we ever had back then. He was pretty good. I never got to talk to (Tom) Kuhnhackl about it, but everyone knows who he is.”
Are there any similarities between Wilkes-Barre and Mannheim? “Here you drive everywhere because things are so spread out, which is different. But the people here are very nice, like Germany. You go five minutes out of town it’s beautiful countryside with hills, similar to here.”
Would you like to move back to Mannheim one day? “I have a lot of hockey in front of me and I haven’t thought about where I’m going to live when I’m done. I do miss Mannheim and I enjoy it there, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
