Overview
- The Landesdirektion Sachsen, acting as the top monument authority, approved the preliminary building decision needed to move the permit process forward.
- The decision resolves a dispute between Görlitz’s municipal preservation office and the state heritage agency over using two attic levels and roof construction details.
- President Béla Bélafi said the public interest in reactivating the landmark outweighs stricter conservation objections, emphasizing prevention of further decay.
- Approval requires close cooperation with the city’s monument office during execution and protection of listed elements to the greatest extent possible.
- Mayor Octavian Ursu welcomed the step as key for reviving city-center retail, while the 1913 building—closed since 2009 and owned by Winfried Stöcker—has gained cultural profile as a film location, including for The Grand Budapest Hotel.