First, the city is reviewing a legal episode with two guys who have been painting over Nazi symbols in the city. The guys will say that the graffiti is a big negative for the city, and it's their civic duty to paint over the symbols. The city says....you just need to notify us on the location and we quickly move in to "fix" the situation our own way (with their own paint, I'd assume). The city dragged the two into court for an original fine of 3,000 Euro. Some talk has occurred, and the fine is down to roughly 1,000 Euro presently.
The remaining issue is that the two guys just don't agree with the fine. They've made it clear....the city does not act as quickly as they say. The city disagrees. Some judge will decide if the thousand Euro is fair or not. I'm of the mind that plenty of the locals will donate to a fund and pay the fine for the two guys.
All of this got Hessen regional attention last night because HR covered it in detail....with more positive light put upon the two guys, and the city looking doubtful on their position.
Why does this Nazi stuff even come up? There are accusations that anti-immigrant feelings exist in Limburg, and there's the potential killing of a guy back in October....that may or may not have been related to racism (cops still aren't convinced). A bunch of Nazis in the area? You just don't see evidence of that....except for graffiti around the town, which might be the work of kids, or just one single guy with an agenda.
The other story of interest revolves around the bridge at one end of town which was destined to be replaced by a bigger bridge. The older bridge wasn't that old.....nor was it a small bridge. Some investor had put up the idea of redesigning the older bridge with four 'hanging' apartment complexes, on the sides of the building (facing both directions).The bridge was more than capable of handling this. Each complex was supposed to be eleven stories, and it'd end up being apartments, hotels, stores, and restaurants. It's an idea that has never been done....mostly because of the radical design.
This drew a fair amount of criticism. The scenic and landscape crowd were against it. The business operators from the center of town felt it'd draw people away. The hotel owners around town weren't happy with more competition. It's difficult to find anyone who felt positive about the project.
The main issue I saw.....somewhere around fifty years from now....the safety factor of the bridge would have come up in some fashion, and the whole complex might have to come down.
They had a city vote this week over the issue. A massive rejection vote came from the city council....so the episode is finished. The hanging bridge project is a no-go.
Picture: credit the NNP.de folks, but it's a artist rendering.
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