Schleswig-Holstein
Haus am Abyss: Youth organization has to close building
The cliffs and the youth house “Haus Seeblick” of the youth organization “SJD – Die Falken” in the Brodten district on the Baltic Sea. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
Only four meters to the abyss – a youth center near Travemünde offers a spectacular view over the Baltic Sea. But it is now much too close to the bluff, and that now has consequences.
It doesn’t get much closer to the abyss – and after almost 70 years it really doesn’t get any longer. For decades, the “Haus Seeblick” on the Brodten cliff near Lübeck-Travemünde gave thousands of young holidaymakers a fantastic view over the lake Baltic Sea offered.
Located directly on the steep bank, only a narrow hiking trail separated the house from the abyss. But the sea and storm have continued to eat away at the steep bank, and now the hiking trail is closed – a section of the path directly in front of the house has broken off.
“The house has to be demolished”
The youth organization “Die Falken”, which took over the house in 2011, is pulling the ripcord. “The house is now no longer available for children and young people,” said Renate Paulien-Wittmaack from the SPD-affiliated “Socialist Youth of Germany – The Falcons” to the German Press Agency. All bookings for the year would have to be canceled.
The “Lübecker Nachrichten” had previously reported on it. At the end of January, a tree fell into the Baltic Sea and tore a hole in the already narrow hiking trail. The hole and trail barrier can be seen frighteningly clearly from one of the front rooms. There are only four meters left between one corner of the house and the abyss. The small front garden is even closer to the demolition edge.
The most recent demolition was the deciding factor. “The house has to be demolished, we are in negotiations with the city about how that will happen,” said Paulien-Wittmaack. The youth organization acquired the house in 2011, but the Lübeck youth group had been organizing camps here since the 1950s. In 2011, the house was still relatively safe, about twelve meters at its closest point from the bluff. The falcons couldn’t do anything because the Brodten bluff is in a protected landscape area.
The house is a popular photo motif
The approximately four kilometer long cliff lies between Travemünde and the town of Niendorf, which is part of Timmendorfer Strand. The hiking trail along the cliff is popular with walkers and cyclists because of the great views of the sea. The House on the Abyss is a popular photo motif.
According to the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine Protection (LKN.SH), the steep bank here is one of the most active cliffs in Schleswig-Holstein. Every year, around a meter breaks down due to rain, wind and the sea. According to the state authority, there are a total of 122 kilometers of steep banks on the Baltic Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein, around 80 kilometers of which are crumbling to a greater or lesser extent.
The youth organization now wants to demolish the house and would like to build a new one further back on the property – but the city won’t go along with that. Due to the location of the requested project in the outdoor area and in the landscape protection area, development for the intended use is not permitted in accordance with the provisions of the Building Code, the city informed the dpa upon request. This marks the end of an era on the steep bank.