In order to prevent right-wing extremist activities, Hof, Kulmbach and Kronach bought the Fels inn together. But what do the three districts want with this castle-like property in the Franconian Forest?
Around a year and a half ago, the districts of Hof, Kulmbach and Kronach were able to jointly purchase an impressive inn. Background: The district administrators feared that the property in the Franconian Forest could develop into a neo-Nazi meeting place. But what do three districts want with an inn? An information center is to be built for the Franconian Forest Nature Park in the striking building directly on the 173 federal highway and to strengthen tourism in the region.
A spokesman for the Kulmbach district office announced that further planning and agreements would be continued in the first and second quarters of this year. Based on a rough concept, the next step is to develop concrete plans, said a spokeswoman for the district of Hof. In all probability, the costs for the planning would be financially supported by the Free State of Bavaria. Because of possible funding for the nature park center itself, there is an exchange with the Free State.
The castle-like Gasthof Fels is located directly on the borders of the three districts and has long been the subject of legal disputes. Local politicians had expressed concerns that the property could become a meeting place for the neo-Nazi scene under the previous owner. A communication from the district office in Kronach from 2021 said: “The districts had already wanted to buy the property in 2018, also to prevent members of the right-wing scene from using it.” But there was a legal dispute.
In 2021, the purchase finally worked out. Elsewhere in Franconia, too, there have been repeated concerns over the past few years that the neo-Nazi scene could settle in old inns. For example, at the beginning of 2018, the news caused a stir that an NPD official wanted to buy an empty inn near Waischenfeld (Bayreuth district). The municipality itself was finally able to purchase the property.