Expensive update for Theresienbad Greifenberg

Created: 11/28/2022, 8:35 am

By: Dieter Roettig

Thomas Söldner, head of the district retirement homes, is pleased that the pretty inner courtyard in Greifenberg will be preserved during the new construction and renovation work.

© Roettig

Greifenberg - A new chapter in the eventful history of the Theresienbad Greifenberg is about to begin.

After a lively preliminary consultation of the Senior Citizens and Social Policy Committee, the district council is to make a final decision in its December session on the all-round renovation of the district retirement home, in which around 115 elderly people currently live and are cared for.

It is about a total of around 35 million euros.

Several investigations revealed serious deficiencies in fire protection in the Greifenberger home, the elimination of which has top priority.

Deficits were also revealed in terms of energy balance, accessibility and room layout.

In order to obtain meaningful concepts for refurbishment, redesign and partial new construction through to demolition and complete new construction, the district hired the Munich architectural office Tronsberg, which can already offer several similar projects as reference.

Markus Tronsberg presented three concretely worked out variants and one that was only planned.

All with plus and minus points, with one being recommended and most practicably favored by the architect himself, district master builder Christian Kusch and home manager Thomas Söldner.

However, not all committee members agreed.

Despite detailed explanations and considerations of the variants by the architect, they did not want to propose the favored one ad hoc to the district council.

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Hans-Peter Schlierf (ÖDP), Hannelore Baur (SPD) and Daniela Groß (Greens) asked for more time to think about it and for the presentation to be made available in the internal council system so that they could study it again in peace.

Margit Horner-Spindler, who chaired the meeting as deputy district administrator, agreed.

However, the vote to postpone to the next date was to the detriment of the applicants, so that ultimately the preferred variant was approved with a 7:3 vote as a recommendation to the district council.

Daniela Groß felt overwhelmed by the "rush through" and deadline pressure as "disregard for the committee" and left the meeting room of the district office after the vote.

In the variant recommended to the district council, the original building on the east side and the connecting building with the main entrance are retained.

The remaining buildings are gradually being demolished.

For this purpose, three new buildings with 120 care places in a contemporary living group layout are being built in several construction phases during ongoing operations, which can later be expanded by 46 places by adding a storey on the roof.

According to architect Tronsberg, this concept preserves the ensemble structure and the inner courtyard with the trees.

Helga Gall (Greens) attached particular importance to this.

A downside is the long construction period from around 2023 to at least 2026 and the fire protection measures for the old building, which have to be carried out despite the later move.

Because people have already thought about a sensible re-use of the old building.

Changeful history

Even most of the residents don't know why the district senior citizens' home in Greifenberg is called "Theresienbad".

In 1833, a country doctor named Dr.

Josef Hasinger a healing spring with iron, carbonic acid and hydrogen sulphide.

He opened a health resort "for the treatment of suitable diseases".

When Bavaria's King Ludwig I and his wife Theresia were staying with Baron von Perfall for coffee in Greifenberg Castle on October 15, 1835, they passed the mineral baths "in a lovely location" on their way back.

Theresia was delighted, spent a "summer holiday" here and the king then gave the bath the name "Theresien-Heilbad" by ministerial rescript.

According to the Augsburg City Court Councilor Dr.

Koller "among the most important spas in our Bavarian fatherland".

Due to the lack of a railway siding right in front of the front door, operations were stopped in 1907.

The complex later became a BdM leadership school and, after the end of the Second World War, a military hospital.

In February 1948 a fire almost completely destroyed the bath.

Only the southern extension and the pavilion with the onion dome remained.

In 1948, the district of Landsberg bought the site and rebuilt the main wing to care for elderly and needy citizens.

After numerous other new buildings and conversions, the "Kreisseniorenheim Theresienbad" now offers space for up to 115 people in need of care.

In addition to inpatient care, the portfolio also includes short-term and day care.

Manager of Greifenberg and also of the Vilgertshofen retirement home has been qualified gerontologist Thomas Söldner for over ten years.

With his wealth of experience, he is fully involved in the planning for the redesign.