Plans scuppered City council against ‘Escape Room’ in Poppelsdorf bunker

Bonn · Ralf and Lars Gerland wanted to set up an ‘Escape Room’ in Poppelsdorf. Entertainment facilities are however prohibited in residential areas.

Brothers Ralf and Lars Garland were convinced that the city would agree to their plans, but unfortunately the project seems to have failed. They wanted to set up an ‘Escape Room’ in a bunker in Poppelsdorf. The concept of an escape room originates from Japan and involves a group of people locked in a room who have to solve various puzzles in 60 minutes to find their way out. The players are watched on camera by the event organisers who provide them with clues and assistance on request.

Although the brothers already had the Monument Protection Authority on their side, the city council has not yet agreed to their proposal. The area in which the bunker is located in Poppelsdorf is designated as a residential area. The escape room is classified as an entertainment facility which cannot legally be sited in such an area. The city press office advised that other court rulings support this. One example is the escape room in Endenich called ‘Fluchtgefahr’ by Jochen Richarz. The area where ‘Fluchtgefahr’ is located is classed as residential as well as industrial, and such entertainment facilities are allowed, according to land use regulations. So in other words, the council is playing by the rules.

The brothers are disappointed. Escape rooms have been put on the same level as pubs and casinos, they say. They would have liked to use the space in the bunker to create three different escape rooms and had already developed their ideas in detail. Initially, they were optimistic that the council would change their minds. A draft resolution had been prepared to reject the plans but then further discussions took place which reawakened the brothers’ hopes.

The bunker in question belongs to Ina Storck and Dorothea Kniesel, who have built housing on its roof. They had no qualms about the noise levels, as the visitors to the escape room would wait inside. The idea could also benefit local restaurants. Parking would be a problem though. Richarz confirms this. Lots of cars arriving and leaving, people gathering at the entrance and discussing their experiences, late opening hours – all of these issues are connected with escape rooms. “At the weekend, we have up to 20 groups per day” he explains. He is not worried about possible competition because each visitor can only go into the rooms once anyway, to prevent them from giving away the answers. “It is important that the first room is well done so that people want to come back”, he says. The people in Bonn are an appreciative audience for this type of entertainment.

According to Markus Schmitz of the city press office, the council is definitely interested in using the bunker but is “aware of the difficult conditions” of such constructions. Several ideas for the bunker have already been rejected, much to the regret of Ina Storck. The Gerland brothers’ plans may not succeed. But the search for a compromise continues. The brothers could look for another location for their escape room, but for them, the bunker had particular flair. “Here you can really tell a story”, they said.

In Bonn there are currently two ‘Escape Rooms,’ both located in Endenich. One has also been opened in Siegburg. As well as providing a popular leisure activity, the escape rooms offer companies and businesses an original location for their team building events.

(Original text: Stefan Knopp. Translation: Caroline Payne)

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