The entrance area of the Munich orphanage speaks a clear language. Colorfully designed like an aquarium with fish and a turtle on the walls, the room proves that everything here revolves around children and young people. Around 137 girls and boys for whom this property is their temporary home. What the stairwell does not reveal at first glance, however, is the condition of the building. Because the orphanage, built in 1899 with funds from the orphanage foundation founded in 1819 as a bourgeois counterpart to the Nymphenburg Palace, is dilapidated.
The city has long been aware of the extent to which this is the case. The first plans for a general renovation were made in 2014, but implementation was delayed – not least because of the pandemic. In the meantime, things have started to move again, and in December the social department wants to submit a proposal for a “major repair” to the property, which is under ensemble protection, to the city council.
The list of shortcomings is long. It ranges from flaking facade plaster and leaky windows to balconies with corrosion damage. There is also a need for fundamental refurbishment on the inside: outdated and dilapidated bathrooms and kitchenettes, drinking water installations that require cost-intensive filter installations in order to comply with the limit values. Due to the old water and heating pipe networks, pipes regularly burst with water damage, so that the residents often have to do without water for hours while the repairs are being carried out.
Power failures are also the order of the day due to the outdated house connection. In addition, the building does not have any barrier-free access. Although fire protection measures were already implemented between 2004 and 2012 and the most serious deficiencies were repeatedly rectified, for example through the renovation of the roof by 2018. But there is now a considerable renovation backlog. The planned measures amounting to around 61 million euros are now intended to remedy all of this.
Full of anticipation: Head of Administration Kathrin Krist (left) and Manager Andrea Dietzel-Krause.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
The plan is to renovate the outer shell of the building, both energetically and in accordance with the historic north wing. The windows are to be replaced, balconies and terraces are to be rebuilt if necessary, and kitchens and bathrooms are to be modernized. “In the pools, we want to focus more on the privacy of children and young people by creating places of retreat,” explains Head of Administration Kathrin Krist.
The residential groups change during the renovation within the building
In addition, all the technical systems have to be renewed, a new house connection and the renovation of the event hall in the central building are required. And accessibility is also to be improved, for example by installing a corresponding toilet on the ground floor. The social department and the home management also suggest accommodating five apartments for employees, interns or parents of the home residents in the attic of the middle building. The area is already prepared for expansion. “We are very well staffed at the moment,” says Andrea Dietzel-Krause, director of the orphanage. But for new applicants, accommodation is difficult to obtain because of the expensive housing market in Munich.
Most of the children and young people from infancy to adulthood live on Waisenhausstraße seven days a week, only the 16 children from the day groups stay with their parents. Working with parents is very important to the house, emphasizes Dietzel-Krause. It is still unclear when the general renovation should start if the city council agrees to the project – which the Munich SPD, which had invited to advance information, is firmly assuming.
In this case, the project is carried out in several sections. It should start with the south wing and the central building services, followed by the central building. The north wing is the last in line. The residential groups of the orphanage will be relocated within the site during the renovation.