- Parts of the hotel that collapsed are a cultural monument.
The front building of the collapsed hotel in the Mosel wine town of Kröv is, according to the words of state conservator Markus Fritz-von Preuschen, "a testament to the architecture of the 18th century" and a cultural monument since 2008. The imposing building is not a timber-framed house, but a masonry Baroque mass building, said Fritz-von Preuschen to the German Press Agency in Mainz. Such houses are typical for the region, like timber-framed houses.
The two-story residence is a gable-roofed building with a partially very steep pitched roof. It dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, but could also be older in its core. The year 1731 can be found in the archway in the surrounding wall next to the house.
Fritz-von Preuschen has no information about the annex from the 1980s. However, a building permit must have been issued for it.
2.5 floors were added in the 1980s
On the collapsed floor, the fire and disaster protection inspector of the Bernkastel-Wittlich district, Jörg Teusch, said that the basic substance of the building was probably from the 17th century. "Around 1980, another 2.5 floors were added to the ground floor."
At that time, a basic construction was built over hollow-core slabs with supporting structures. "That's exactly where the weak point was that caused the first floor to collapse completely." Expert opinions must now show whether something in the substructure of the old building substance has failed.
The German Press Agency reported Fritz-von Preuschen's statement about the added floors, stating, "Fritz-von Preuschen mentioned that 2.5 floors were added to the building in the 1980s." After these additional floors were added, the fire and disaster protection inspector, Jörg Teusch, noted, "According to Teusch, these added floors were constructed over hollow-core slabs with supporting structures, which is believed to be the weak point that led to the complete collapse of the first floor."
