The city administration will receive the formal application for a change of usage for the building before its summer break. 31 apartments and rooms between 23 and around 90 square meters will be built in the five-story building. The accommodations are aimed at people who want to live in Königswinter for a few weeks or several months. Employees of major Bonn companies, the UN and the university could be the target group. Those who live there for half a year are to pay less rent than those who stay for just four weeks. The first guests are expected to move in by the end of 2023.

"Until now, Königswinter has been pigeonholed for some people. Changing that is not a walk in the park, it's a marathon," says Diego Fernández Reumann, senior partner at Verianos Real Estate. In addition to the Drachenfelshotel, the Cologne-based company has also purchased the Hotel Loreley, as well as the Zera site, the former building of the Economic Development and Housing Association, the Volksbank building, the Alte Brauhaus, the Orangerie and several commercial buildings in the Old Town. Cultural projects are currently taking place in some of these empty buildings.

The former Drachenfelshotel is now to be the first building converted for future use. For Reumann, it is a key property, a kind of gateway to the city, and crucial for the revitalization of the city. Verianos had acquired the hotel from Munich-based Baynunah Suites GmbH. The company, whose parent company is based in Abu Dhabi, bought the building in a prime location at auction in 2014. The target group was to be medical tourists from Arab countries. During an inspection in 2018, the city found that fire safety requirements had not been implemented and use of the building was prohibited. Since then, the hotel has been closed. The blue armchairs in the entrance area still bear witness to the oriental flair. In the future, they will find a new place in a lounge of the art project in the Zera buildings.

To develop ideas for the redesign, Verianos invited two renowned architectural firms from Berlin and Darmstadt to a workshop a year ago. "The architects came up with a lot of smart ideas," says Reumann. Unfortunately, only some of them could actually be implemented. The entrance area and the current breakfast room with a view of the Rhine will be used for gastronomy in the future, with the operator also offering outdoor eating possibilities on Marktplatz. All experts had agreed that the Marktplatz square was nice, but completely empty and of no use to the public.

In one of the sample rooms, Reumann demonstrates how his company envisions future living in the building. Beds and sitting areas are located on pedestals of different heights, which, depending on the room, offer a view of the Rhine or the Drachenfels. This is intended to compensate for the fact that there are no balconies. Pull-out beds in the one-person apartments provide additional sleeping accommodation for possible visitors. A modern kitchenette also allows guests to prepare their own meals. In the bathroom of the sample room, the old tiles were painted dark blue and now contribute to a modern ambience with several red elements. "The design of the rooms is certainly unusual for Königswinter, but we believe it will appeal to our target group. We want to offer a workable mix for a longer stay," Reumann says. For families, there are also apartments with up to 90 square meters.

The building includes a small swimming pool with mosaic walls showing waterfowl. It remains unclear as to what will happen with that pool. ”It could be a cool bar. But when it floods, the pool fills up and would have to be renovated every time," Reumann said. Also still unclear is whether the building's exterior will change. Both the city and the owners' association would have to weigh in on this matter. The large complex also contains numerous resident-owned apartments. On the south side facing Sea Life, Verianos would like to build a wooden frame with green balconies in front to create a more attractive facade and at the same time shade the rooms. Whether this can be realized, however, is questionable. The plan to create a tower in front of the entrance with public access to a roof terrace has already been abandoned because the apartment owners would lose their view of Drachenfels.

The Drachenfelshotel and, a little later, the Volksbank building on Drachenfelsstrasse are to be Verianos' first two projects in Königswinter. But the sharp rise in construction prices and interest rates could lead to delays. "Our goal is a continuous process of change. There should be a constant flow of movement visible," says Reumann. He says the aim is to provide a good complement to the projects of Ulrich Keinath and Hans-Helmut Schild (Bergischer Hof, Kaufmannsladen, Eselstall, Kontor & Kaffeehaus, Hotel Wenzel) and the Rosenbaum couple (Hotel Krone, Hotel Hindenburg). "Königswinter needs a mix of traditional and modern approaches from different stakeholders," Reumann says. Unlike the investors who have been mentioned, however, they cannot act as operators themselves. “For that reason, we are planning a campaign to attract young restaurateurs and retailers.”

Orig. text: Hansjürgen Melzer

Translation: ck