Local residents are astonished, and even drivers who regularly drive past the former Colonial in Puchheim-Ort find it strange: Actually, a fancy guest house should have been on the Alte Bergstraße long ago. But that is only available on the Internet.
Puchheim-Ort - jewelry looks on the website, the new pension in Puchheim-Ort. Facades as if repainted, an inviting seating area in front of the entrance, apparently freshly renovated rooms and a sparkling clean, spacious kitchen. There is WiFi in the house and satellite TV with 300 programs. The prices are moderate and the guests seem enthusiastic: "We felt very comfortable and would love to come back," writes a Mira. One Alexander thought the accommodation was "perfectly selected".
Old Colonial: pile of rubble in front of the porch
The super hostel has only one shortcoming: it apparently does not yet exist. If you stand in front of the building on Alte Bergstrasse on a weekday, you won't see any cars in the parking lot, but you will see a pile of rubble on the veranda. A look through the window shows a bed with the mattress still wrapped up. There are private names on three mailboxes, as well as the addresses of an "Invest GmbH", an "Operator GmbH" and a pension - all under the same company name. The name "Colonial" is still in large letters on the rear facade. After all, a sign reveals that the former restaurant should be converted into a boarding house. Today, however, seems to be a day off for the workers. There is no one there who can find out more.
Old Colonial: Owned by a real estate fund
Unfortunately, telephone inquiries from the daily newspaper to the operating company also failed. So there are few facts to stick to. An application for the renovation of the empty building was submitted over two years ago and is believed to be owned by a real estate fund. The upper mill once stood here, later liquor and curtain strips were made here, and the last guests were catered for. The construction committee of the Puchheim City Council mostly approved the change of use, although concerns were raised about the new - now created - escape stairs, which is practically right next to Augsburger Straße.
According to the committee's wishes, the district office should check whether 24 parking spaces could actually be sufficient for the initially planned 112 beds and whether they were even available. The district authority did not consider the number of parking spaces to be sufficient. Finally, a total of 82 beds were approved after a second application at the end of 2018. According to a fixed key for accommodation establishments, 15 parking spaces are sufficient.
Even if the guest house is not yet ready - overnight guests may already have existed. A neighbor suspects that the workers at the construction site have already had a trial sleep there. At least every now and then the light burns all night. According to her observations, there is always, but not always, operation on the construction site. Electricians were there several times. The interior seems to be finished and before Christmas an opening seemed to be imminent because the windows were cleaned. Since then it seems to have become quieter on the Alte Bergstrasse. "We can only be surprised," says the resident.