A future for the lobby

Created: 01/10/2023, 07:00

By: Christina Jachert-Maier

The listed foyer is currently protected from the weather and further decay thanks to a number of structural measures.

© STEFAN SCHWEIHOFER

The foyer was once the heart of the spa town of Bad Wiessee, and guests from all over the world strolled on the spacious terrace.

Today she paints a sad picture.

But the substance is secured, monument protection has taken care of that - and district master builder Christian Boiger also has the future of the hall in mind.

Bad Wiessee - Not much reminds of the good times of the Wiesseer foyer.

The representative terrace with the outside staircase has disappeared, as has the entire old iodine-sulphur bath, which the municipality of Bad Wiessee demolished in 2018.

The Swiss company SME, as the new owner, wanted to build a clinic with a luxury hotel on the property, but the plans fell through.

What remained was a huge wasteland in a prime location.

The listed foyer with the distinctive turret stands alone there.

In 2021, the district office, as the lower authority for the protection of monuments, had made sure that the owners had the building shell repaired at least provisionally.

"We have prevented further damage caused by the weather," explains district master builder Christian Boiger.

He assumes

that the current state has a lifespan of a few years.

"This condition gives us room to think about what good can be done with it."

What makes all considerations very difficult is ownership.

In February 2018, the mayor at the time, Peter Höß, handed over the keys to the foyer to SME boss Florian Kamelger with happy anticipation.

The foyer with the spacious terrace was to become a place of fine gastronomy, not only for the guests of the new medical center.

The builders also got started there, but soon complained about the requirements for monument protection and threw everything down in May 2019.

18,000 square meters with a foyer - the municipality is not thinking of buying it back

Since then, many investors have contacted the municipality of Bad Wiessee who are considering buying the 18,000 square meter area with the foyer.

"Some with creative ideas," says Mayor Robert Kühn (SPD).

But the municipal council decided to only talk to property owners about future plans.

This means: SME can sell the property to interested parties who take it over together with the approved plan.

Kühn says what's on the site now, "is none of our business."

The community is of course aware of the importance of the foyer, notes Kühn.

However, there is no thought of a buyback.

The signal is clear: the municipality wants to have a clear edge on SME and not give room for a huge profit margin.

The company paid seven million euros for the space five years ago.

Irrespective of this, district master builder Boiger has an eye on the preservation and future of the foyer.

There are – not ready to say – considerations for future planning.

"The foyer is an incredibly beautiful space that begs for a beautiful, preferably public, use," he says.

It was built in the 1930s.

According to Boiger, the architecture is good and transparent. What was particularly nice was the possibility of opening the window front to the lake.

"There was a kind of arcade."

The heart of the spa town of Bad Wiessee was the foyer after it was built in the 1930s.

© Bad Wiessee municipal archive

Even before the sale to SME, the municipality of Bad Wiessee had been looking for a good idea for using the historic hall.

In 2010, the municipality left the historic building to event manager Julian Siebach for marketing.

He raved about the charm of the foyer and wanted to make it the most attractive event location in the Oberland.

Siebach moved his company's headquarters from Munich there and arranged for minor renovations.

Monument protection was not an issue at the time.

But the concept didn't work out.

Siebach left the west bank again in 2013.

From 2011 to 2013 he also organized the Montgolfiade, part of the supporting program took place in and in front of the hall.

The foyer was also known as a representative venue for the International Bavarian Chess Championship.

The last time it took place there was in 2016.

Boiger is keen that the historic site is not forgotten.

"You should think about what you can best make of it," he says.

There is certainly more than one solution, but many possible variants.

The district office wants to accompany this process in an advisory capacity, with whatever owner.

"We don't want to stand idly by and see if there will still be a ruin in 20 years."

You can read more information about the region here.

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