Heidelberg (dpa / lsw) – In the dispute over the use of Heidelberg’s ex-prison “Fauler Pelz” for the incarceration, Science Minister Theresia Bauer (Greens) pleads for reason. It is now a matter of the city and state coming together and working on a solution, said Bauer, who is also a Heidelberg mayor candidate, of the “Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” (RNZ/Thursday).
She continues to believe that the prison from the middle of the 19th century is not suitable for a penitentiary. However, if it is ensured that the building will be free again in August 2025 and can be converted for the humanities of the university, “one could also live with a temporary incarceration at this point,” she said.
From their point of view, the draft contract that the city councilors received on Thursday a week ago should have given a clear date of departure. “If all of these points were fulfilled watertight, the people of Heidelberg would perhaps change their minds and agree to the temporary incarceration because this temporary emergency solution serves a good cause.”
She abstained from the votes in the cabinet. “My colleagues can understand my distancing from these decisions,” said Bauer to the RNZ. The fronts are hardened in the dispute. The Heidelberg municipal council voted to postpone the state’s planning application for the modernization of the ex-prison for a year. If there were a delay, it could be the death knell for the three-year interim use that the Ministry of Social Affairs is aiming for. Department head Manne Lucha (Greens) hopes to prevent this with the help of the Karlsruhe regional council.
