An unusual real estate advertisement from Trostberg (Bavaria) causes a stir: “Air raid shelter, 50 meters in the rock, with a place secured by a notary”. Behind it is Reinhard Klein. On FOCUS online he explains his unusual offer – and who is already interested.
FOCUS online: Mr. Klein, you are planning an unusual project. You want to set up an air raid shelter in an old beer cellar that you bought from a wheat beer brewery a few years ago in the Bavarian town of Trostberg. Unfortunately, we have been at war in Europe again for six months. But Ukraine is far away. How did you come up with the idea?
Reinhard Klein: That’s what my grandfathers told me about the Second World War. Wars often spread faster than you think. And then countries are quickly involved from which one could not have imagined. So I asked myself: What will the Trostbergers do when Putin comes and drops bombs on Trostberg?
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They advertised the following in a local newspaper: “Air raid shelter, 50 meters in the rock, with a notarized location. Is entered in the land register. 14,900 euros per seat.” And they say themselves that it is “relatively unlikely” that there could one day be an air raid in the city of 12,000 inhabitants. Why do you think anyone would pay so much money for a private spot in a bomb shelter?
Klein: Because the state no longer provides shelters. Better safe than sorry.
Where exactly is the basement?
Small: It is 50 meters below the Nagelfluhfelsen in the district of Schedling, below the old town of Trostberg. It is a young but very solid sedimentary rock. In the brewery cellar itself there is still an original brew kettle, the entire building complex is a listed building.
Eventually I found out that there must be another room behind a wall. I broke open the wall and lo and behold: a tunnel came to light that is around 150 square meters in size. Must have been something like an ice house for the brewery. The “Weissbräu Trostberg” was once brewed here. In the 1960s, the brewery was then taken over by a large Munich brewery.
Now, 14,900 euros is quite a lot of money for a plot of 5 x 1.5 meters that will probably never be used. What comfort do you offer for this?
Klein: So comfort is not planned. The owners of the plots are entered in the land register, they can also store potatoes there if necessary in times of peace. Or make beds. Whatever you want. What I’m offering them is a guarantee of shelter in the event of an air raid.
You won’t stay there forever. Only briefly, for the time of an air raid. However, it remains to be clarified whether I will overwrite the parcels for life or limit it to a certain number of years. An 18-year-old would obviously have an advantage over an 80-year-old.
So you don’t even plan for a toilet, water supply and ventilation?
Klein: No, no toilet. I’m assuming airstrikes don’t last forever. The facility should not be designed for long stays, but only for a few hours. Those seeking protection will be able to squeeze their legs a little, I’m assuming that’s the case.
A water connection is also not planned. The ventilation is there. I have no idea how the designers were able to chisel that into the rock back then. But there are shafts through which the warm air flows to the outside and fresh air can flow in from the entrance. The most important utensil, which I would definitely have ready as standard equipment, are two battery lights per seat, which last at least 5 hours.
They placed the ad on August 13, which is almost two weeks ago. Are there interested parties, and if so: how many?
Klein: Yes, two serious and one dubious. The serious ones have said they are genuinely interested. But you want to remain anonymous. The dubious woman just asked me by email how deep the basement was. Which is weird since it says so in the ad. No signature, no name.
And what did you tell the two interested parties?
Klein: That I need more interested parties at the moment so that the whole project is worthwhile. If it stays with just two, it won’t work. I would block the whole basement with it. Maybe I’ll put a door in front of the basement. And besides, I want to restore the building later. It costs.
And what do the people in Trostberg say?
Klein: The answers are mixed. There are some who make fun of it, of course. Others say: ‘Well, that’s pretty unusual, but you never know’. If I didn’t own the building myself, I’d be someone who would bite.
And if it doesn’t work with bunker, then again with beer?
Klein: No, beer doesn’t come back in here. The times are over.