Thomas Riddell thought that he and his friends would have to give up their passion. In 2010 they founded the “Association of Schönburg History and Tradition List Nicol List” at Raumer Gasthof “Grüne Tanne”. But then, the inn, which was also the meeting point of the association, was closed. The owner of the inn…

Thomas Riddell thought that he and his friends would have to give up their passion. In 2010 they founded the “Association of Schönburg History and Tradition List Nicol List” at Raumer Gasthof “Grüne Tanne”. But then, the inn, which was also the meeting point of the association, was closed. The owner of the inn who was also the president of the association moved in.

Today Thomas Riedel is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. “I have sometimes club,” he says. There’s no new seat yet – but it’s in the works. The meeting place of citizens will be built on Hartensteiner Strasse 10. Currently there is a barn there, where they used to raise dairy cows. The owner lives next door and his name is Michael Schulz. He wants to demolish the barn soon and replace it with a new building. According to his own statements, he will use the upper floor himself; Apartments can be built and then rented out. But the ground floor is dedicated to the club: about 130 square meters plus a terrace.

Schulz expects the costs to be around 500,000 euros. Planners are currently trying to organize funding for the project. Work is expected to start this summer. The new building could be ready in just under a year. The city of Stolberg has agreed to pay the club’s rent: €545 per month. This is what the councils decided. The association will fund the additional costs, around €200 per month, from income from the events.

“This should be a meeting room for the whole place,” Riedel says. Birthdays, youth dedications, game evenings – all this can happen at Hartensteiner Straße 10. Riedel is open to ideas. “We don’t even know what kind of activities could arise.” Raum residents can use a meeting place like this. Otherwise there are hardly any recreational activities. The meeting of citizens should develop into a cultural center. It was also believed that the inhabitants of the neighboring Bytava. Already on the territory there is a meeting point with the so-called “cube”, but there is only room for 25 people. If more space is needed for future events, it can be moved to the room.

The association was named after the thieves List Nicole, who wreaked havoc in the area at the end of the seventeenth century. The term “Schöneburg history” refers to the noble family of the same name that was once widespread in Saxony. The association currently has 25 members. Together they organized lectures or went on excursions, for example to Selva, with a guided tour through the castle.