The scary stories that have grown up around Frankenstein Castle in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district are as famous as the Halloween festivals that have been held on the castle walls for 44 years.
But that could be over now.
The state of Hesse, owner of the castle, terminated the tenant Ralph Eberhardt's lease for the castle on December 31, 2023, which expires at that time anyway.
However, the accompanying circumstances raise some questions.
The tenant is now relying on verbal commitments from Hesse's Minister of Culture, Angela Dorn (The Greens) and the Darmstadt-Dieburg District Administrator, Klaus Peter Schellhaas (SPD).
Last week there was a three-hour conversation between Eberhardt, who is both the managing director of Restaurant GmbH at the castle and the managing director of Halloween Event GmbH.
The point was that during the renovation of the restaurant, which Eberhardt also classified as urgent, events at the castle could still be possible.
During the conversation, however, the press release was issued with the information that events would not be possible without catering and while the castle walls were being renovated.
The result of the conversation was therefore already certain for the country beforehand.
No events without a functioning kitchen
Eberhardt can hardly hide his deep disappointment at this action.
The fact that the restaurant had to be closed because there was a long list of defects for the building from the 1970s was undisputed.
However, he does not understand that immediately after the Corona pandemic, during which Eberhardt had almost no income as a castle leaseholder, he was now also being deprived of the opportunity to earn income from the events.
Because even during the first construction phase of the castle wall renovation, there were events despite the construction site.
But Eberhardt can probably not count on a concession from the state.
Even during the pandemic, he had to transfer the full lease to the country every month, even though he had no income in the restaurant.
In addition, the head of the state office for construction and real estate in Hesse, southern branch, Sabine Freienstein, said that if there was no functioning kitchen in the castle, no events would be possible either.
"Therefore, the leasing of the entire facility cannot be continued from the beginning of 2024."
Eberhardt, who has been a restaurateur for decades, vehemently disagrees.
The gastronomy can also be ensured from outside.
This is common at many events.
If the state enterprise sticks to its attitude, it was the Halloween festivals in the castle, which are well-known throughout Germany, and the romantic Christmas market, as well as the cultural events that Eberhardt just got going.
Eberhardt understands that the lease for the restaurant, which expires at the end of 2023, will not be extended.
There must be fundamentally renovated, he agrees with the state company.
This ranges from the windows and the energy supply to the sewer and the kitchen.
But Freiestein also sees no scope for events outside of the restaurant on the castle grounds during the renovation work, because the construction work would take up space on which these events have previously taken place.
Refurbishment of the restaurant building in 2026 at the earliest
How long all this will take is anyone's guess.
According to the state company, a comprehensive inventory is to be made in 2024 because the necessary preliminary investigations are not possible during ongoing operations.
"It is therefore not yet possible to make any statements about the total duration and costs of the measures," says Freienstein.
The renovation of the restaurant building should start in 2026 at the earliest.
Ralph Eberhardt can well imagine how long the renovation will take.
Veste Otzberg, which took almost ten years to complete, or Breuberg Castle are good examples of this.
"You have to fight," says Eberhardt.
Both Minister Angela Dorn and District Administrator Klaus-Peter Schellhaas have verbally promised him their support over the past few months.
"I'm demanding that now." Eberhardt questions whether there will be another Halloween party, a Christmas market or a New Year's Eve party at the castle in 2023.
"If I have to hand in the key on January 1, 2024, these events will no longer take place." After that, he still needs a few weeks to get everything that belongs to him and Halloween GmbH out of the castle.
There is at least one small consolation.
According to Freienstein, the castle should remain accessible to hikers and tourists during the construction work.
It will also be possible to get married in the castle chapel next year and in 2024.