After a major fire in a luxury hotel: Ex-employees are suspected

Created: 03/03/2022, 18:00

By: Patrick Huljina

In September 2021, a major fire raged in the luxury hotel "Badischer Hof".

(Archive image) © Patrick Neumann/SWR/dpa

Last September, a fire destroyed the luxury hotel Badischer Hof, which had reopened a few months earlier.

Now a former employee is the focus of the investigation.

Baden-Baden - The "Badische Hof" in Baden-Baden is the oldest palace hotel in Germany.

Many great personalities have already been guests there.

The hotel is considered by many to be a testament to the glamorous era of Baden-Baden as a princely spa and meeting place for the European aristocracy.

It is the only house in the region with its own thermal water connection.

After being taken over by a hotel group, it was renovated and reopened in mid-July last year.

Then came the shock at the beginning of September 2021: a major fire destroyed large parts of the “Badischer Hof”.

Baden-Baden: Big fire destroyed luxury hotel - 75 million euros in damage

At that time, the fire had caused considerable damage to a historic, listed part of the building.

The police and public prosecutor's office now estimate the damage to property at around 55 million euros, of which around 50 million are to the building and 5 million to the inventory.

The damage caused by the loss of operations should therefore be around an additional 20 million euros.

So a total of about 75 million euros in damage.

Around 160 guests were brought to safety in good time when flames erupted from the roof of the luxury hotel in Baden-Württemberg in the middle of the night.

In bathrobes and pajamas, hotel guests initially stood on the street, the Red Cross looked after them.

According to information available at the time, the ballroom, restaurants and the spa department were destroyed.

"What I see is so terrible," hotel manager Benjamin Eichner

told the

After a fire in the "Badischer Hof": Ex-employees are suspected

As the investigators have now announced, they have since questioned more than 200 witnesses and evaluated traces and clues.

The suspicion of arson was strengthened.

A former employee of the luxury hotel "Badischer Hof" could have set the fire shortly after the reopening.

The 36-year-old suspect is now abroad.

"By way of legal assistance, the public prosecutor's office in Baden-Baden arranged for the accused to be questioned in his home country." This has not happened so far, said public prosecutor Michael Klose.

The alleged arsonist is said to have committed similar crimes abroad in the past.

However, Klose did not reveal any details due to the ongoing investigation.

The investigators also said that "currently nothing indicates a possible technical cause" that could have led to the major fire.

More and more evidence would also have substantiated the suspicion against the ex-employee.

He has never heard of such an incident, said Nicolai Danne from the Dehoga Baden-Baden industry association.

The question of the presumed motivation naturally arises.

Was it revenge?

The presumption of innocence applies until a court verdict, emphasized Danne.

"In any case, I have hope that this will remain an isolated case." The "Badischer Hof" has been closed since the fire.

According to the website, the opening is planned for 2024.