Apr 29, 2021

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Restaurants in Germany

In general, restaurants which have added take-out and/or delivery to their services, have been able to hold on in this latest lock-down. Restaurants, pubs, etc. have been closed since mid-November 2020.

Government support for this industry in need is coming at a slow pace, I’ve heard.

One restaurant (which also is a guesthouse and brewery) in the small town of Breitengüßbach in Upper Franconia (north of Bamberg), has to close its doors. The remarkable thing though is that it has been in the same family for 380 years and will be missed by its town’s 4.600 residents.

The interior has already been auctioned off. As of October, the estate will be turned into a day care facility for senior citizens. The restaurant owner, Thomas Hümmer, said he will have to find himself a new job.

You can read more about this here in German: https://www.infranken.de/lk/bamberg/breitenguessbach-brauerei-gasthof-schliesst-nach-380-jahren-wegen-corona-art-5200765?fbclid=IwAR3bJg9AZ7nJI7gJrNrS7A5dDNXeB-kiTsIYp3LDjy9tykiBPdzyKmgeSes

Jul 5, 2020

Pubs Are Open in the U.K. as of 4 July 2020

The Corona lockdown started in the U.K. in March, which was one week after Germany started its own.

As of yesterday, 4 July 2020, pubs and hairdressers are open again in the U.K.. Our son, who lives in London, finally went to the hairdresser yesterday. I got to see the before and after shots – I’m glad he had the chance to go. He did not go to the pub, but took this photo while passing by this one, Blanca Road Brew Co.

Understandably, young people, after all that time of isolation, have more of a need to go out and socialize.

We ourselves had our first outing in a beer garden in Germany back in mid-May, but there was plenty of spacing and precaution.

… all’s well that ends well.

May 21, 2020

Biergarten Time Again in Oberursel

As of 15 May, 2020, restrictions have been eased on pubs and restaurants in Germany. These new rules for pub- and restaurant owners are not easy to comply with, so some continue with only take-out or delivery service, and some have reopened.

This Biergarten on Hohemarkstrasse in Oberursel has enough space to accommodate everyone’s updated social distancing rules.

Biergarten 16 May 2020

When we left the Biergarten, we noticed this fairly new sign right by the U-3 tracks. It is posted in all kinds of languages, but not the local one. 🙂

I imagine though after a few beers at the Biergarten, the word STOP is enough for Germans to clear the tracks before crossing.

The same crossing is used by refugees housed in one of the buildings near the Biergarten. That explains it.

I’m so glad it is Biergarten time again. After almost two months of self-isolation, this is a real blessing.

If you want to know more about this Biergarten, visit Sommergarten am Urselbach.

Jan 14, 2018

The Current State of Mainberg Castle

A stateside reader, who plans on visiting Mainberg Castle this summer, inquired about its current state and whether the castle would be open to the public.

Based on various sources in the media, the castle is in urgent need of repair and restoration. The current owner, the real estate agent Ms. Renate Ludwig, bought the castle in 2005. She and her initial partners were in the process of running a restaurant there, until fire safety regulations deemed the castle not safe enough.

Now the castle is for sale on the internet, but there is no private investor to be found.

Price: € 3.850.000 €
Lot size: 15.646 m² (168.400 ft²)
Floor space: 4.716 m²  (50.700 ft²), 50 rooms

Interested? Then view: Mainberg Castle for Sale

 In November 2017, the State of Bavaria authorized public funds of euro 700.000 to provide immediate help as the castle has been classified to be in danger of collapse.

At first, a team of experts checked to see if the deterioration stemmed from the underground tunnel, which was built during the Sachs Family reign during WWII. Their results further stated, that the tunnel itself would  not be the main cause of a possible impending collapse. Wear and tear of a 700-year-old castle does run its course.

In 1915, the industrial tycoon Ernst Sachs bought the castle. Then from 1954 – 1960, the castle was owned by Wilhelm Heger, until it had to be auctioned off. The city of Schweinfurt bought it then and in 1982, it changed hands again. This time, the castle was owned Gerhard Eichhorn & heirs, until the current owner bought it in 2005.

Efforts are made to save the castle from its ruin. I wish the state funds would have been available sooner.

The current renovation is supposed to be finished by the summer 2018. Since we are in Germany, please add another two years for completion.

Jan 14, 2013

Frankfurt and Sunday Shopping Calendar for 2013

For some readers, who are not familiar with our German shopping laws, this might seem unusual.

Things have eased up a bit over the years, giving individual states the choice of whether to have shops open and running or not. Before this adjustment was made all shops had to close on Sundays (except for open markets and fairs).

Our state of Hesse just announced the dates for the four (limited!) Sundays for Sunday shopping. An unusual concept for many Germans, and the shops are usually full on those days.

The German term is Verkaufsoffene Sonntage (no proper translation is available at this point).

Sunday shopping 2013 calendar:

* 14 April (same Sunday as the Dippemess/Frankfurt Fair)

* 26 May (same Sunday as the Wolkenkratzerfestival /Skyscraper Festival)

* 15 September (same Sunday as the International Auto Ausstellung (IAA)), but restricted to certain parts of town

* 13 October (same Sunday as the world’s biggest Book Fair)

This new trend of keeping shops open on certain Sundays has been labeled a positive move by our economic experts. Long overdue, but all in good German time.

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