The public appeal of the Rheingau-Taunus district to the citizens to report suitable properties for the accommodation of war refugees from the Ukraine produced an unusual response.

The owners of the former luxury hotel Schloss Reinhartshausen have offered the district to accommodate refugees there for an initial period of up to six months.

The hotel in Eltville-Erbach is currently empty and is to be renovated after the French operator, who specializes in conferences and seminars, withdrew during the Corona crisis.

According to the district administration, up to 230 war refugees can be accommodated there, which is why District Administrator Frank Kilian (independent) is very grateful for the offer.

On Tuesday, Kilian tried to get a positive circular resolution from the district committee,

to accept the offer.

In the case of a circular resolution, all 15 members of the district committee must agree.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus district and for Wiesbaden.

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However, since there was at least one dissenting vote, the district administrator will probably schedule a special meeting shortly.

So far, the Eltville AfD parliamentary group has been the only political voice to speak up and has rated the renting of the castle as "a good thing in itself", because "Ukrainian mothers and their children deserve our protection and our solidarity" in view of the more than 200 000 refugees who have arrived in Germany.

However, the AfD wants to be sure that only "real war refugees from Ukraine" are housed in the castle hotel and no supposed "Ukrainians" from African and Arab countries, says AfD parliamentary group leader Frank Grobe.

The exact examination of the identities of supposed students is essential.

A spokesman for the district administration contradicts these statements and assigns them to the term "baiting".

The war refugees from the Ukraine would be assigned to the district via the central reception facilities of the state of Hesse, such as in Gießen.

In addition to Reinhartshausen Castle, the district is also negotiating other suitable properties.