Palatine Hill (Wiesloch)
The Palatin is a congress hotel and cultural center in Wiesloch in the Rhein-Neckar district . The facility, designed as a town hall with a parking garage and hotel , was opened on March 14, 1992, as the largest building project in the city to date. In Palatine take place among other congresses, conferences, concerts, theater performances and exhibitions. The plans for a new town hall go back to the 1970s. The operation and ownership of the town hall and hotel were originally in different hands, but in 2010 came into the joint hands of a municipal company that operates the hotel as part of a Best Western cooperation. The overall operation also includes the Premiere restaurant located in the Palatin and, since 2012, the boarding house opposite the hotel building with further apartments.
history
Previous buildings and early planning elsewhere
Until the time after the Second World War there was no town hall in Wiesloch. Instead, the adjoining rooms and halls of the inns as well as the meetinghouses of the parishes served as event rooms. The structural change in gastronomy with a simultaneous increase in population then led to an urgent need for a suitable venue. In 1961, the town of Wiesloch acquired the former as a cinema film stage used former Brown House in Heidelberger Straße 52 and converted it into a town hall. In the following years, the city also acquired former corrugated cardboard production halls on the neighboring Gerberstrasse and converted them into multi-storey car parks.
In February 1978, a majority in the Wiesloch municipal council voted for the construction of a new town hall with a hotel in the area of the fairground and the Gerbersruhpark, for which an investor had already been found. The construction plans in the Gerbersruhe, which would have lost around 35 percent of the parking area, immediately met with strong resistance from the population, so that the local council discussed a referendum , which was then no longer necessary because the investor was considering the upcoming Difficulty announced his withdrawal.
Architectural competition and construction
In 1985, large inner-city areas became vacant after three companies previously located there were relocated to commercial areas outside of the city. The old commercial facilities, including the production halls on Gerberstrasse, which were already used as parking garages, were torn down. The development plan of the city envisaged both a residential area (today's Tuchbleiche residential area ) and a new town hall for the area gained. Once again there was controversy, which now mainly focused on the cost-effectiveness of a new town hall. After tough discussions, the building decision was made on October 22, 1986. On April 8, 1987, the local council finally decided to call for an architectural competition . Among the designs submitted, the jury first decided in February 1988 in favor of the plans for an office in Wiesloch, had them revised again and then expressed multiple criticism, so that finally the second-placed design by Fellbach planner Jan Beng Oei , which was a circular building with a central Arrangement of the functional rooms provided for construction costs of 30.5 million DM.
The subsequent investigation of the subsoil showed that the subsoil was not stable enough for the planned construction. That is why it was decided to change the construction plan to include another underground parking deck in order to get deep enough on stable ground. Due to the additional parking spaces, further planning for a new parking garage in the inner city area became obsolete, so that the planned additional costs of 5 to 7 million DM for the construction of the town hall could be amortized. Temporary plans for the installation of a civil defense bunker or a combined heat and power plant in the added basement were rejected again. The Stadthalle Betriebs GmbH was founded to carry out the construction project, and the detailed decisions on questions that arose during construction were transferred to the Stadthalle Aufbaugesellschaft GdbR . The execution of the construction was awarded to the Berlin entrepreneur Roland Specker .
The groundbreaking ceremony for the plant took place on April 19, 1989, and the inauguration of the plant was celebrated on March 14, 1992. The actual construction costs were around 62 million DM, of which 42 million DM went to the town hall and 20 million DM to the underground car park. The hotel building, which is also part of the overall complex, caused a further DM 22 million in construction costs. The construction was both the largest and the most expensive construction project in the city's history to date. The city of Wiesloch participated in the city hall and the parking deck with a cost share of 33 million DM, the hotel remained the property of Stadthotel Wiesloch GmbH , a subsidiary of the building contractor Specker, who also had to pay for the management of the city hall, for which the tenants of the Hotels committed.
First years of operation
In order to be able to go into regular operations immediately after the opening, tickets for the first theater season in the building had been offered long before the opening, and the local associations had been granted discounts of up to 80 percent on the hall rent in order to ensure that the Secure the cultural center. In fact, around 75 percent of the theater seats were occupied by ticket subscriptions and some of the hall was rented up to five years in advance. The city was expected to have an annual deficit of around DM 1 million, which was considered normal within the framework of public subsidies.
While the operations in the cultural center were initially satisfactory, the operation of the hotel fell far short of expectations. There were also legal disputes with the building contractor Specker. In December 1993, the first hotel lessees withdrew from the lease agreement. Due to the short-term closure of the hotel, the management of the town hall was no longer guaranteed. Via a Palatin Hotel an der Tuchbleiche GmbH founded by Specker , the hotel operations could be continued with the previous employees within a few days and the management of the town hall secured. After a few years, under new management, the hotel was able to generate profits.
In 1998 there were 90,000 visitors in the town hall. 543 events were held in the Palatine Hill on 334 calendar days . The operating deficit of this year was 780,000 DM. In the meantime, however, the interests of the hotel and the city hall operator had become strongly opposing. The hotel had generally reached a high occupancy rate and was no longer interested in congresses and meetings, while the city hall was no longer attractive for some events due to a lack of hotel space.
Takeover of the entire complex by the city
In 2001 the previous contracts between the town hall and the hotel were terminated. The city Palatin Kongress- und Kultur GmbH took over the shares of the Palatin Hotel in the Tuchbleiche GmbH in the same year , so that the city operated the hotel as a tenant in the future. In the following years, the operating result improved significantly. In 2004, the operating costs were covered by the operating result for the first time. At the same time, the economic situation of Speckerschen Stadthotel Wiesloch GmbH as the owner of the building deteriorated, which had to pay for expensive fire protection measures and was behind with maintenance measures . Initially, it was agreed that the municipal GmbH would finance the necessary measures in advance and offset them against the lease due, but then in October 2009 it was agreed that the city would acquire ownership of the hotel.
The hotel was transferred to the municipal GmbH on February 1, 2010 for 3.2 million euros. In 2012, the operation was expanded to include the boarding house of the congress hotel opposite the city wall , which was designed in such a way that it can also be converted into a municipal apartment building if the operational purpose is changed.
Gastro offer
In the hotel there is the restaurant "Das Restaurant" and the "DenkBar".
In the restaurant with winter garden and small sun terrace, diverse dishes are offered. As the "House of Baden-Württemberg Wines", mainly local wines from well-known winemakers are served.
At the "DenkBar" you can enjoy unusual regional and international drinks as well as selected dishes.
Furnishing
The hotel has 115 rooms in the main building, 14 feel-good studios, two junior suites and three exclusive suites in the boarding house.
Free WiFi & Sky TV in the hotel rooms.
City underground car park with 416 spaces
Panorama sauna with roof terrace and sanarium, activity room
Best Western Plus Palatin Relax - in-house wellness, massage and cosmetic area
Bicycle and e-bike rental (available from April to September and subject to availability)
Spaces
From the small seminar room to the event hall with a capacity of up to 1,200 people, the 16 event rooms offer a variety of uses. The Palatine can thus be used for meetings, congresses, company celebrations, family celebrations, cultural events and much more.
Surroundings
Cities like Heidelberg, Speyer, Sinsheim and Mannheim can be easily reached by train and car.
The Palatin is located in the heart of the wine town of Wiesloch, the pedestrian zone is just a few minutes' walk away. Also not far away are the vineyards, which are ideal for a hike.
literature
- Klaus Rothenhöfer: Palatin celebrates its twentieth birthday , in: Kurpfälzer Winzerfestanzeiger , 2012 edition, pp. 26–40.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 17 ′ 34 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 3" E