Kurhaus Stromberg

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Kurhaus 1939

The Kurhaus Stromberg is a listed five-storey mansard hipped roof building with an associated park in Stromberg (Hunsrück).

history

planning

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Rheinische Provinzial-Lehrerverband e. V., based in Cologne, is looking for a piece of land on which he could build a teacher's dormitory.

As early as 1909, the climatic health resort of Stromberg appeared to the provincial teachers 'association as a suitable location for the construction of a teachers' rest home. The picturesque landscape, the climate and the good transport connections through the Hunsrück Railway, which opened in 1889, spoke for it. District doctor Dr. Lembke wrote: “The healthy climate, the beautifully scenic location, the beautiful and large forests, which are criss-crossed with good network of paths and extend to the immediate vicinity of the town, offer absolute tranquility and, with good rail connections, without being far from general traffic The prerequisites for recovering from the efforts of the service. ”The teachers' association already operated a“ reception and accommodation office ”in the“ Zur Post ”hotel in Stromberg in order to place its members in the hotels and guest houses on site. Stromberg restaurateurs and businesses have already placed numerous advertisements in the yearbooks of the teachers' association. The decision to build and operate a teacher's home in Stromberg was made on March 29, 1910 at the meeting of representatives in Gummersbach and May 13, 1913 in Solingen. The planning, "which sometimes brought the project almost to the brink of failure," turned out to be tedious.

Contract and start of construction

In anticipation of tourist impulses and new jobs, Stromberg decided on June 11, 1913 in a city council meeting to approve the building project. From the notary contract of November 13, 1913, it becomes clear that Stromberg showed great courtesy in order to win the project for itself: The city gave the association free of charge under certain conditions an extensive meadow land consisting of several parcels worth 18,000 marks, which was Dörrebach (north), Haus Obentraut (east), the way to Neupfalz (south) and the city forest "Krummschlag" (west) is limited. The traffic connection of the home site was made via a bridge to be built to the Stromberg- Dörrebach district road . In addition, the city leased 6 hectares of the neighboring city forest ("Krummschlag") to the west for a symbolic lease of 1 Mark per year. The forestry should be used according to the plenter principle and remain with the city, as well as the creation of walking paths, benches, shelters etc. according to the wishes of the association. In return, the association undertook to “keep the forest district belonging to the company, including the facilities to be made in it, open to the public during the day”. On the western part of the site, on the edge of the city forest, there was the shooting range of the Stromberg rifle club, which had to be removed. The construction of the water connection was at the expense of the city, the water for the construction site was provided free of charge. The association committed itself to operate the home “as a public hotel accessible to all residents and visitors to Stromberg, provided that its members do not use it”. In the notary contract, the city merely expressed the wish “that the residents should be considered as suppliers as much as possible during the construction and later operation of the teachers' home”. The construction work had to "begin in the course of 1914", otherwise the city could withdraw from the contract. If the teachers' home were sold within 30 years, the ownership of the parcels would have reverted to the city or could have been acquired by the association for 45 marks per ar. On November 29, 1913, the land surveying negotiations took place in front of the Royal Cadastral Office in Stromberg; one day later, Mayor Carl Janssen signed the notary contract for the city of Stromberg and Rector Christian Backes for the Rhenish Provincial Teachers' Association. From the yearbook of the teachers 'association it becomes clear how the building project was celebrated during the 38th Provincial Teachers' Day on Easter 1914:

"May the company grow, flourish and prosper, may it fulfill the hopes both materially and ideally that the Rhenish Provincial Teachers Association and the city of Stromberg have placed on it, may it always be a place of relaxation and refuge for courageously striving teachers, remain the support and source of a healthy German national soul and a flourishing national economy. "

Planning sketch of the Kurhaus from 1914

The foundation stone was laid on April 14, 1914 immediately after Easter "with the participation of several hundred teachers". With the outbreak of the First World War, leisure-oriented activities lost their importance, and the completion of the Kurhaus was delayed for years. Erected as a mansard hipped roof in the local style, the basement consisted of hewn rubble stones, the other floors of plastered bricks. The building technology was advanced for the time with central heating including hot water supply and double-glazed windows.

After the First World War

Kurhaus and parks in 1939

On April 1, 1921, the opening took place with “a simple celebration in a narrow frame”. Around 60 rooms were available for around 100 spa guests. The Kurhaus was advertised as an "elegant modern house with all the comforts, lounges, reading and play rooms, terraces, a beautiful dining room, tastefully furnished guest rooms with a magnificent view". The basement housed a boiler, coke store, laundry, wine store and supplies, the basement housed a. a. the catering area with the "Deutsche-Michel-Stube", club room and large kitchen, which was connected to the other floors by a dining elevator. Behind the main entrance on the ground floor was the foyer with reception, to the right of it the dining and ballroom, to the left the library and lounges, and also offices. The hotel rooms were located on the first to third floors, with shared bathrooms in the corridors. Rooms on the first floor had a terrace on the east side with a view of the Stromburg . The top floor was divided into smaller units that served as staff apartments.

"Deutsche-Michel-Stube" in the Kurhaus Stromberg

As a restaurant, the Kurhaus ran the "Deutsche-Michel-Stube" (sometimes also referred to as the "Hunsrückstube"), the name of which is reminiscent of the famous son of the city of Stromberg. The Michel-Stube was furnished with elaborate wood paneling and artistic elements. There was a large relief above the chimney, which showed Hans Michael Elias von Obentraut in front of his hometown, several regional coats of arms in stone and lead glazing with Stromberg motifs in the windows. A separate club room was attached to the dining room.

Until the beginning of the Second World War, the teachers' association ran the house with generally accessible hotel and restaurant operations by various tenants. After 1933, the Rhenish Provincial Teachers Association was brought into line with the National Socialist Teachers Association (NSLB). With the beginning of the Second World War, the hotel business came to a standstill. During the war, the Kurhaus served as an alternative hospital for the Marienhof Hospital in Koblenz and the Bad Kreuznach Diakonie-Anstalten .

After the Second World War

Coffee terraces at the Kurhaus at the beginning of the 1960s

Immediately after the end of the war in 1945, American forces confiscated the house, which served as the seat of the American Cemetery Commission and then as accommodation for French occupation troops. In 1946 the state government occupied the Kurhaus with 100 beds as a lung sanatorium for released German prisoners of war. From 1948 onwards, other lung patients from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate were also admitted. On June 27, 1953, it was returned to the ADLLV (General German Teachers' Association) as the legal successor to the NSLB, the pulmonary sanatorium closes and the Kurhaus was once again "made available to general hotel, restaurant and café operations". The house, which has meanwhile been heavily used, could not be run economically for long. A cold water sanatorium was to be set up to revitalize the spa business. In 1954 negotiations between the city of Stromberg and the management of the Kneipp baths in Wörrishofen broke down for economic reasons. In April 1955, the General German Teachers Association sold the Kurhaus to the Rhineland-Palatinate regional association of the German Red Cross for DM 250,000 . After renovation and refurbishment, the house was inaugurated and reopened on July 2nd. It was named "Kurhaus Oberpräsident Dr. Fuchs ”after Johannes Fuchs (1874–1956). Run as a general hotel in the summer months, it served as a training center for the DRK in the winter. Hunting festivals were also held, including a. with politicians such as Federal Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano and Prime Minister Peter Altmeier .

Non-public sanatorium

Kurhaus 1979

The off-season consistently produced unprofitable results. For this reason, the DRK converted the Kurhaus from 1960 into a closed convalescent home, which was occupied annually in around 16 stages by an average of 95 female spa guests from various social insurance providers. The cold water cures were applied according to the Ohlstädter method. For this purpose, the DRK built water treading pools, a gymnastics hall and a bathhouse. In the 1960s, a tower with an elevator was built in a functionalized form on the south side and a staff apartment to the west. After 1972 extensive renovations and extensions took place. A modern bathing department with swimming pool, sauna and facilities for spa treatments was built at the rear. Each guest room received its own bathroom with toilet. The site was opened up to the south by a second driveway, as the bridge was too narrow for large trucks.

The general recession at the beginning of the 1980s led to a decline in spa prescriptions of up to 40 percent. As of 1981, some spa facilities in the area had to give up. In 1983 the health resort, which was leased to the state insurance company, also closed for financial reasons. In the following years the parks, the building services and the building itself were maintained and given the DRK. The gymnastics hall was converted into a clubhouse by the “Crayfish MC 1975” motorcycle club.

Transitional residence for emigrants

From 1989 the state operated a residential home in the Kurhaus for repatriates from Eastern Europe and refugees from the GDR . In the summer of 1989 220 resettlers, including 75 children and young people up to 18 years of age and 22 pensioners, were housed. 90 emigrants came from the USSR , 18 from the GDR , one family from Hungary and the rest from Poland . In 1990, Südwestfunk presented the facility in its television program "Blick ins Land". The dormitory closed in 1994 due to the falling number of resettlers and the Kurhaus was sold into private hands.

Seminar and training center

In 1996 the “Economic Trade Center Verwaltungsgesellschaft” (ETC), which marketed the “Euro Consum Card” (ECC), set up a seminar and training center in-house. The rooms have been renovated and have telephone and television connections. The sauna, solarium and indoor swimming pool could also be used. The "Michel-Stube" restaurant has been reopened as a restaurant for external visitors. At the same time, the owner was developing plans to build two-story houses on an area of ​​around 1500 m² behind the Kurhaus, which is designated as a mixed area. From 1998 the Kurhaus reactivated its baths department and offered baths in green beer as a special feature in order to attract additional guests. The economic success did not materialize in the following years, however, on July 21, 2000 the Kurhaus Betriebs GmbH had to file for bankruptcy, in 2001 the company was deleted from the commercial register.

Expiration and Investor Plans

Ruin of the Kurhaus 2018

In the years that followed, frost damaged the building services, there were burst pipes and moisture damage with mold growth. Vandalism and theft hit the house hard. Today there are hardly any traces of the original park, the entire area with the walking paths is overgrown by vegetation. In 2013 the Immonen-Group (Berlin) acquired the building as a new investor. This commissioned an architecture firm from the Moritz Group to develop the approx. 52,000 m² site with apartments; the Kurhaus itself was to be preserved. To do this, it must be completely gutted, since the degree of damage inside is almost 100 percent. The outer shell should be preserved. A system for residents of all generations with a hotel in the one or two star sector was planned. In 2014, the city began drawing up a development plan. In addition to the house, the park is also a listed building and may not be changed. In particular, the line of sight to the Kurhaus must be preserved. In the same year, the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage of Rhineland-Palatinate commissioned an expert opinion that clarified "which structures and elements of the former park are still there today and how they can be classified in terms of garden history". The monument authority first demands the renovation of the entire ensemble before a decision is made about new apartment buildings. There are also concerns of the State Office for Mobility, as the access is through a narrow railway underpass. The investor then withdrew and sometimes did not continue the planning.

On the morning of October 8, 2016, a fire broke out that destroyed the catering area and the foyer. The building has since been considered to be in danger of collapsing. The damage is in the six-figure range. The criminal police determined arson with several sources of fire as the cause. The lower window caves and entrances have been walled up since March 2017.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ludwig Bogerts: Stromberg as a climatic health resort . In: Naheland calendar 1957. A home book . Bad Kreuznach 1957, p. 135 .
  2. ^ Yearbook and Festschrift for the 38th Rhenish Teachers' Day. Rhenish Provincial Teachers Association, 1914, accessed on August 12, 2018 .
  3. ^ Yearbook and Festschrift for the 38th Provincial Teachers' Day. Rhenish Provincial Teachers Association, 1914, accessed on August 12, 2018 .
  4. ^ Robert Schmitt: Stromberg. The city on the Soonwald. Stromberg 1971, p. 211 .
  5. ↑ Notary contract, November 30, 1913 by Dr. jur. Wilhelm Golling, Reg. No. 1167/1913 at the Royal District Court of Stromberg, § 7
  6. ↑ Notary contract, November 30, 1913 by Dr. jur. Wilhelm Golling, Reg. No. 1167/1913 at the Royal District Court Stromberg, § 4
  7. ↑ Notary contract, November 30, 1913 by Dr. jur. Wilhelm Golling, Reg. No. 1167/1913 at the Royal District Court of Stromberg
  8. ↑ Notary contract, November 30, 1913 by Dr. jur. Wilhelm Golling, Reg. No. 1167/1913 at the Royal District Court Stromberg, § 17
  9. ↑ Notary contract, November 30, 1913 by Dr. jur. Wilhelm Golling, Reg. No. 1167/1913 at the Royal District Court of Stromberg, § 3
  10. ↑ State Library Center Rhineland-Palatinate / Festschrift zum ...... [233]. Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
  11. ^ Robert Schmitt: Stromberg. The city on the Soonwald. Stromberg 1971.
  12. ^ Rainer Seil: Chronicle of the city of Stromberg . Stromberg 2002, p. 299 .
  13. ^ Robert Schmitt: Stromberg. The city on the Soonwald. Stromberg 1971, p. 211 .
  14. ↑ cf. Promotional card from the 1920s
  15. ^ Robert Schmitt: Stromberg. The city on the Soonwald. Stromberg 1971, p. 207 .
  16. ↑ a b c Robert Schmitt: Stromberg. The city on the Soonwald. Stromberg 1971, p. 212 .
  17. ↑ Dr. Harald Uhlig: District of Kreuznach. Koblenz administrative district. Speyer 1954, p. 231 .
  18. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, January 2, 2014
  19. ^ Rainer Seil: Chronicle of the city of Stromberg . Stromberg 2002, p. 301 .
  20. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, August 1, 1989
  21. ^ Oeffentlicher Anzeiger (Rhein-Zeitung), July 9, 1996
  22. ^ Oeffentlicher Anzeiger (Rhein-Zeitung), December 12, 1996
  23. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, January 2, 2014
  24. ↑ North Data Smart Research. Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
  25. ↑ immonen-group-berlin | STROMBERG. Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
  26. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, January 1, 2014
  27. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, January 31, 2014
  28. ↑ Official Journal of the Verbandsgemeinde Stromberg No. 22 (2014), p. 5
  29. ↑ Stromberg. Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
  30. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, July 2, 2015
  31. ↑ Allgemeine Zeitung Bad Kreuznach, January 15, 2018
  32. ↑ VRM GmbH & Co. KG: Fire in the old Kurhaus in Stromberg . ( Online [accessed August 12, 2018]).
  33. ↑ Hanz-Online - Stromberg: Several sources of fire in the event of a devastating fire in the old Kurhaus. Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
  34. ^ Fire in the old Kurhaus in Stromberg: It was arson . ( Online [accessed August 12, 2018]).

Coordinates: 49 ° 56 '34.4 "  N , 7 ° 46' 3.6"  E