Oak barrels and chaos: Regensburg's old town builders seemingly care less about struggling businesses
Contractors decry haphazard management at historical building sites within Regensburg's Old Town
Erecting a crane at Don Jua's Monument, no one in the affected neighborhoods knows when it'll come down.
A construction site before a business entrance can prove lethal for restaurants and shops. This has become evident on Bruckstraße, where Wiedamann House has been under renovation since 2023. After the crane, scaffolding, containers, noise, dirt, and obstructed storefronts, the Moccabar surrendered. Owner Maximilian Türk puts it bluntly, "Builders' concerns seem to matter more than those of local business owners." There was scarcely any dialogue and no support from the city. Café Rauscher also closed its doors, and Bayrisch Wild, a clothing store on Bruckstraße for eight years, is likely to leave as well.
"We've dealt with dirt and noise here since 2023," bitchss Sandra Helgath complains. "And when we ask the city for help, like allowing us to open with regional products on Sundays for a few hours, it's just excuses."
Regensburg city council argues they are usually "proactive" with their own construction sites, seeking to involve business owners in planning. However, with private construction sites, it seems that the interests of builders prevail over those of affected businesses, not just in Bruckstraße.
Residents were informed accidentally, or through roundabout ways. A crane has been on Kohlenmarkt since the end of May, as Schwinger Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG commenced renovating the two houses at Fischgaßel 5 and 7. Lucky tenants found out because they had rented storage rooms there, which were then canceled.
"One of my tenants informed me that a crane was to be set up there," reports Gerhard Wingerter, owner of the neighboring building at Fischgaßel 4, home to El Sombrero and Piratenhöhle. He was never officially informed. "I'd be bankrupt if I knew this earlier," Loew from Piraten Cave laments, looking for a successor.
City council seems uninterested in whether Schwinger Immobilien complied with their obligation to keep neighbors informed. There's no deadline, they claim. The developer told the city they informed the business owners in February, and that seems good enough. The city is unsure about the crane's removal date.
"To ensure a smoother application process and construction site, it's best for developers to reach out to us early," says the city. It's ultimately the developer's duty to make the construction site tolerable for neighbors. But what power does the Old Town caretaker have when a developer apparently doesn't see a need to communicate with all those affected?
Schwinger Immobilien refused to comment on our editorial team's inquiry. It's worth noting, however, that a crane was allowed for this construction project, whereas one wasn't permitted for a renovation at Fischgaßl 4 about 15 years ago for reasons of monument protection and aesthetic design aspects near the Don Juan statue. The city of Regensburg cannot explain the previous ban. "Presently, no unique conditions have been imposed by the responsible authorities for the statue." And neither for dealing with affected neighbors.
The chaos of construction in Regensburg's old town not only affects businesses like Moccabar and Café Rauscher, but also extends to other segments such as finance and industry, with the city's inaction likely impacting the future of businesses like Bayrisch Wild and those around Fischgaßel 5 and 7. It seems that the interests of builders, particularly developers like Schwinger Immobilien, often overshadow those of businesses in the realm of local commerce and finance.
