An Unusual Traveler
© suteishi – gettyimages.de
After almost 125 years in its original location, a dance hall has been relocated from Geislingen to Beuren in Germany, saving it from dereliction.
Civil engineers have a reputation for disregarding existing structures and indulging in a building frenzy. However, an unusual move proves just how wrong this is. What is remarkable about this move is that, rather than somebody packing their belongings into boxes, it involves a whole building changing its address: the dance hall and garden room of the former Wilhelmshöhe restaurant in the southern German town of Geislingen. The aim was to save the building – which was built in 1893 and was at risk of falling into dereliction – for posterity. The removal team included civil engineers and project managers from Drees & Sommer.
The destination for the relocation was an open-air museum – Freilichtmuseum Beuren – almost 40 kilometers away at the foot of the Swabian Mountains. The museum is already home to several historic buildings, which were likewise carefully dismantled at their former sites and painstakingly reconstructed in Beuren, using the original components.
The dance hall before its move to Beuren ...
© Drees & Sommer
... and at its new home at the open-air museum.
© Drees & Sommer
No Small Undertaking
This is precisely what the district administration of Esslingen had in mind for Geislingen’s dance hall. The team from Drees & Sommer provided support to the client, including awarding of contracts for design and construction services and coordination with architectural historians and technical experts, in addition to careful integration of the new use, and incorporation of state-of-the-art technology into the historic building.
After almost a year under reconstruction, the hall was officially opened on September 17, 2019. In a reconstruction that reflects how the building looked in 1953, it now houses exhibitions on the history of the building and public places of entertainment as well as an interactive display where visitors can learn about regional fruit and vegetable varieties.
The relocation was no small undertaking: the single-story building measures approximately 28 by 15 meters with a ridge height of roughly 6.50 meters. The main structure is timber-framed, while the foundations consist of a concrete base which has protected the hall from damp and damage.
