Thomas Riedel thought he and his friends had to give up their passion. In 2010 he founded the “Association of Schönberg History and Tradition Nicole List” in Rummer Gasthof “Grün Tan”. But then the Sarai, which was also the meeting place of the Sangh, was closed. And the owner of the inn…

Thomas Riedel thought he and his friends had to give up their passion. In 2010 he founded the “Association of Schönberg History and Tradition Nicole List” in Rummer Gasthof “Grün Tan”. But then the Sarai, which was also the meeting place of the Sangh, was closed. And the owner of the inn, who was also the president of the association, went away.

Today Thomas Riedel is the president. “We revived the club,” he says. Still no new seats – but work is underway. A civic gathering place is to be built at Hartensteiner Strasse 10. At present there is a barn where dairy cows were kept. The owner lives next door and is called Michael Schultz. He soon wants to demolish the barn and build a new building in its place. According to his own statements, he will use the upper floor himself; Can be built in apartments and then rented. But the ground floor is reserved for the club: about 130 square meters and a terrace.

Schultz expects the cost to be around 500,000 euros. Planners are currently trying to organize funding for the project. Work is expected to begin this summer. The new building was completed in less than a year. The city of Stolberg has agreed to pay the rental cost for the club: 545 euros per month. That’s what the councils decided. The association is to be financed at an additional cost, approximately €200 per month, with the proceeds from the events.

“It has to be a living room for the whole space,” Riedel says. Birthdays, youth consecrations, sports evenings – all this can happen in Hertensteiner Strae 10. Riedel is open to ideas. “We don’t even know what kind of activities might arise.” The residents of Raum could use a meeting place like this. Otherwise there are hardly any leisure activities. Citizens’ Meeting should develop into a cultural centre. The residents of neighboring Bytawa were also thought of. There is already a meeting point with the so-called “cube” in the district, but only 25 people fit there. If more space is needed for future events, these can be moved across the room.

The association is named after the robber Nicole List, who wreaked havoc in the area in the late 17th century. The term “Schönberg Chronicles” 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 palace.