In the Reichelsdorf district of Nuremberg, work has apparently begun on the partial demolition of the historic cycle track. This emerges from a lawyer’s letter from the law firm Baumann Rechtsanwälte to the city of Nuremberg, in which it is asked to take action against this. According to the letter, demolition excavators have been “boring holes in the runway” on the historic railway since Thursday morning. “Shakes” were also felt on houses in the neighborhood, and work began “without any prior notice.”
The information is confirmed by the chairman of the Reichelsdorfer Keller citizens’ and historical association, Wolfgang Hölzli. Nuremberg’s construction officer Daniel Ulrich, on the other hand, is surprised by the letter. The work did not mark the start of construction or clearing. It is “quite simply a matter of demolishing a partial surface in the concrete”. This was applied for and approved. The monument may be damaged as a result, but the intervention is by no means illegal.
The law firm represents the “Monument Network Bavaria”, which is fighting to preserve the railway. According to the preservationists, the Reichelsdorfer Keller cycling track is “the oldest 400m concrete racing track still preserved in Germany and all of Europe” with a curve height of six meters. The first standing races took place on the track as early as 1905. It was one of the most popular slopes in Germany, with up to 15,000 spectators attending the races. The last race took place in 2017. The railway is considered to be of great industrial and sporting historical importance for the former cycling stronghold of Nuremberg.
In December 2022, the city council agreed that the area could be largely built over with apartments. The city argues that eleven million euros are needed to renovate the dilapidated railway; In addition, stayer races hardly take place today. The decisive sentence in the demolition template was: “If a monument no longer has any use and can only be used as a museum, then as a rule a private owner cannot demand its preservation due to a lack of reasonableness.” The historical significance of the railway is recognized. But failing to demolish them would be “disproportionate”. Especially since many were calling for the urban landscape to be “densified” – and the area near an S-Bahn station should not only be used as living space in the future, but also for a daycare center. In addition, a section of the railway should be preserved as a reminiscence of the monument.
At the beginning of the year, the State Association for Homeland Care had a vote on the “demolition of the year”. Without this having already been completed, the cycle track came in first place. Extensive objections were raised against its demolition. According to the Baumann law firm, the measures that have now become known constitute “demolition measures”. The city is therefore being asked to take action against it.