The outside of the “Kultur am Bahnhof” pub, or “Kuba” for short, has changed a lot: the self-made roof construction with tarpaulins over the outside terrace and the striking wooden decorations have already been torn down and removed. After all, a lot has to be done after the Landsberg district office took action on the basis of a complaint from a Schondorf citizen and issued an immediate ban on use due to construction defects in November.
Since then they have been struggling in Schondorf to find a solution for the cultural sector. The support for the pub is great: Among others, Emilia Schmidt and Tim Funk from the supporters’ group “Freunde der Kuba” are committed to preserving the place of worship. After organizing a demonstration attended by more than 250 people at the end of November, they have now collected 540 signatures.
Many people had already entered supporter lists at a demo at the end of November.
(Photo: Georgine Treybal)
Schmidt and Funk handed over these signatures – most of them from Schondorf residents – at the recent Schondorf municipal council meeting. Mayor Alexander Herrmann (Greens) thanked and was happy that so many people signed. The Friends of Cuba fight with the slogan “We need Cuba” for the preservation of the culture pub, which is an atmospheric meeting place for all generations with a mixture of concerts, cultural events and gastronomy. In addition to the approximately 40 seats inside the pub, the business lives mainly from the 70 seats on the terrace.
The most important goal now, write Funk and Schmidt in their statement on the handing over of the signatures, is that the ban on the use of the Kuba be lifted as quickly as possible. An inspection with the district office and the municipality is to be organized in January. Tenant Harry Wildenstein is currently eliminating the defects. Fire protection and statics have to be checked, and the construction plans are outdated. Meanwhile, the municipality takes care of the legal procedures.
Schmidt and Funk hope that the collection of signatures and the demo have made it clear how “important the Kuba is for Schondorf and the population”. The friends of the Kuba hope that a temporary solution will be found after the winter break and that the pub can reopen in April. A tent can also be used to cover the terrace, which can be left there for a maximum of three months, explains Funk. In order for the Kuba to be able to be fully used again in the high season, however, further mandatory components for the new building must be in place by the beginning of the summer.
There is still some homework to be done
According to Mayor Herrmann, some homework needs to be done in order to keep to this schedule. A planning application for a stable patio roof and removable side walls is waiting for official approval, the municipal council had already given its approval seven years ago.
The approval could not be granted by the district office at the time, since the station area used to belong to the railway and the area had not yet been dedicated. When this hurdle was cleared two years later, the municipality, which leased the restaurant to Wildenstein, entered a land use planning process. However, this was delayed by a lawsuit, which has now been dismissed. Herrmann reported that there was a meeting with the tenant in the district office and a timetable was drawn up.