Both local politicians were welcomed there by Jacob Geditz, Chairman of the Board of the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH) in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, and the architect responsible for the project, Matthias Dimmer (Stadtkyll/Eifel), and given a tour of the building. At the meeting, Geditz emphasized that there were two main pieces of good news: "Our construction project is still on budget and we are still on schedule to open at the end of the year."
Renovation work on the Idar-Oberstein youth hostel building, which was constructed at the end of the 1950s, began in April 2024. For a long time, the future of the guest house, which had been closed since the coronavirus crisis, had been in doubt. However, the decision was then made to bring the youth hostel up to a state-of-the-art standard and let it shine in new splendor. The investment amounts to around 6.5 million euros, with the DJH being able to rely on financial support from the town of Idar-Oberstein and the Birkenfeld National Park district. During their interim budget consolidation phase, they had each agreed to contribute 1.5 million euros to the construction project at the "Alte Treibe".
Almost all of the main trades have already been put out to tender or in some cases even awarded, architect Dimmer informed the two visitors on Tuesday. When asked by Frühauf and Kowalski, he added that a large number of local companies - for example for the upcoming electrical engineering work - will also be involved. The roof renovation is due to begin in the next few days and the façade insulation will start in April, said Dimmer, naming some of the key points in the upcoming steps on the major construction site.
During their visit, Kowalski and Frühauf were very impressed by the fact that everything in the future reception area and lounges, for example, looks much brighter and more open. The floor-to-ceiling windows that have already been installed are a decisive factor here. In the course of the project, not only the functional rooms but also all the rooms will be modernized. After the reopening, a total of 125 beds will be available in the "Alte Treibe" building. They are spread across 34 rooms with en-suite shower rooms. There will also be three seminar rooms, a restaurant-bistro lounge and, as a special highlight, a viewing terrace with a panoramic view of Oberstein. The plans also include an attractive outdoor area - including a large slide.
The house next door, where the future hostel operators will live, will also be modernized. In response to Frühauf's question as to when the DJH will clarify this personnel matter, Geditz replied that this is expected to happen in the spring. In this context, the DJH regional chairman pointed out that such a host role in a youth hostel is certainly more demanding than, for example, operating a hotel with only bed and breakfast. "You have to offer full board in a youth hostel. The operator also has to organize programmes for groups or school classes. The portfolio of tasks is therefore large," says Geditz.
Kowalski and Frühauf suggested that the DJH should take the opportunity to approach the regional tourist offices, such as Edelsteinland, in order to create attractive excursion and activity programs for future guests of the youth hostel. There are worthwhile destinations for this not only in Idar-Oberstein itself, but in the entire national park district, such as the copper mine in Fischbach or the national park gate with wildlife enclosure at Wildenburg near Kempfeld, which is currently being modernized by the state. Kowalski also pointed out the plans for a nature trail with an environmental education center on the topic of "sustainability and recycling" at the waste management center (AWZ) near Reichenbach.
Both the District Administrator and the Mayor of Idar-Oberstein were optimistic that the youth hostel in Idar-Oberstein, which will shine in its new splendor, will attract many guests, groups and school classes once it is completed. They also gave clear backing to another request made by Jacob Geditz during their visit. The DJH chairman had suggested that the newly renovated Idar-Oberstein guesthouse be given a new name in keeping with the region, thereby also highlighting a unique selling point. The building on the "Alte Treibe" will therefore be known as the "Edelsteinland Youth Hostel" from now on.