The Karlsberg in Bad Ems, also known as the “House of Four Towers”, caught fire on Wednesday night. Special cranes will now be used.
Firefighters brought the fire under control on Wednesday morning, but it was still not under control until Wednesday evening. According to the district administration, the fire department now wants to use a special crane to remove the destroyed roof structure, i.e. demolish it in a controlled manner. The fire was still raging inside the “Four Towers” on Wednesday evening.
According to the Rhine-Lahn district, a total of around 230 firefighters are on duty so far. According to the fire department, it may take until Thursday morning for the fire to be completely extinguished. A fire watch has now been established.
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The cause of the fire in the Four Towers building is still not clear
According to the police, it is not yet clear what caused the fire. According to the police, no one was injured. On Wednesday afternoon, the Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein factory fire brigade from Andernach also assisted in extinguishing the fire in Bad Ems. It has a special vehicle with a telescopic arm. This allowed the fire department to reach deep into the building to extinguish the fire.
The roof structure of the Carlsberg in Bad Ems was completely engulfed in fire
According to Mayor Oliver Krügel (CDU), the entire roof structure of the Carlsberg burned down. “The damage is obviously massive,” says Krügel. Interior expansion of the hotel should begin in the next few months. It should open later this year. The extent of the damage caused by the fire is currently unclear.
Mayor Krügel says the late 17th century building shapes the town’s landscape. “As a result of the fire, the historic structure of the building was completely destroyed.” This is dramatic for the town, as the building is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Great Spa Towns of Europe”. “Bad Ems was sad and a bit stunned that day,” says Krügel.
As a result of the fire, the historical structure of the building was irreversibly destroyed.
Carlsberg stands out thanks to its “Four Towers”
Representatives of the monument protection authority were already on site on Wednesday afternoon to get a first impression of the damage to the Baroque Carlsberg. According to the city of Bad Ems, because of the four corner towers, the people of Carlsberg gave it another name: “House of Four Towers”.
Many European kings once stayed there. For Tsar Alexander II, the “Four Towers” was his unofficial summer residence. The bathhouse is next door and just a few minutes’ walk from the Lahn.