Monument protection: The Ruth family has to use expensive bricks

Monument protection: The Ruth family has to use expensive bricks

Claudia Ruth and her family from Hanau are standing in front of a listed house on Hahnenkammstrasse in the Freigerichtsviertel, which has expensive consequences. After the family repaired the roof of their house, they were informed that their house was listed as a historical monument. This meant that Frankfurt pans that had already been laid had to be replaced with expensive plain tiles.

The family were shocked that they were not informed when their home was listed. The Lower Monument Protection Authority in Hanau explained that the terraced houses as a whole were protected and that the beavertail roof landscape had to be preserved. Other houses in the neighborhood have also undergone illegal modernization, but so far the authority has not taken any action.

The necessary work on the listed house led to enormous additional costs, which the family now has to cope with. The application for funding was submitted, but the long processing time and the unlikelihood of funding led to Claudia Ruth withdrawing the application. The family's personal situation, including her husband's health problems, caused additional stress.

Despite everything, the authorities made no exceptions and the family had to follow the instructions. The work was completed and the roof is now covered with plain tiles, but the financial burden was significant. The family wants to use their story to warn other homeowners that it is important to be informed about historic preservation because the consequences can be serious.