The renovation work at the Edelsteinland Youth Hostel in Idar-Oberstein is drawing to a close. The first guests are expected to arrive at the completely redesigned and modern family and youth hostel in June. Mayor Frank Frühauf recently toured the construction site together with representatives from the city's building authority and business development department. The guests were welcomed by Chairman of the Board Jacob Geditz and Head of Operations Marco Böhm from the Association of Youth Hostels in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, architect Matthias Dimmer and the new manager of Edelsteinland Youth Hostel Hannah Ihli.
In glorious sunshine, the guests were able to enjoy the view from the new terrace over the Oberstein district and the Felsenkirche church. Numerous craftsmen were still working on various trades around them. "The work is on the home straight, but there is still a lot to do," emphasized Jacob Geditz. He is satisfied with the progress of the construction work: "The construction site worked well. There were a few minor delays, but overall we are on budget and on time."
Mayor Frühauf was highly satisfied with the result of the joint efforts: "The youth hostel association has created a real highlight here with the support of the city and district." He is particularly pleased that the new youth hostel has taken up the gemstone theme and implemented it consistently. "The reopening of the hostel means that school classes, clubs and groups can come to Idar-Oberstein again. This is good for our tourism and the sights."
And this option is already being used extensively. "According to the current figures, we will probably reach 12,000 overnight stays this year. That's a good rate for a short year," explained CEO Geditz. According to him, the goal is 25,000 overnight stays per year. Hannah Ihli, the new manager of Edelsteinland Youth Hostel, will be responsible for achieving this goal. She has already been busy recruiting staff to achieve this. "We currently have 17 employees, but eventually there will probably be 20," says Ihli. Youth hostel guests generally come from their own federal state or neighboring countries. "In addition, more and more school classes and groups are traveling by public transport. The proximity to the train station and the good bus connections are a big plus." She has a clear vision for the operation of the facility: "My team and I hope that many satisfied guests get to know Idar-Oberstein and the region and have a good time with us."
The newly renovated building provides the ideal conditions for this. The Edelsteinland Youth Hostel has 133 beds in rooms for 1-, 2-, 4- and multi-bed occupancy, all rooms are equipped with shower and WC. Free WLAN is available throughout the hostel. Guests are welcomed in a friendly entrance area with reception, cozy restaurant, bistro, café-bar, snack area and children's play corner. The hotel has three lounges and function rooms of different sizes for up to 60 people, which are equipped with conference technology. A number of games and sports facilities are available for leisure activities, as well as a cozy barbecue area. In addition to house guests, the youth hostel is also open to external visitors and is also suitable for holding festivities. All information can be found at www.diejugendherbergen.de/jugendherbergen/idar-oberstein/.
Background:
Idar-Oberstein Youth Hostel was closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the considerable need for renovation, there was even initially talk of closing it permanently. However, intensive discussions between the city of Idar-Oberstein, the district of Birkenfeld and the Association of Youth Hostels in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland averted this and a comprehensive renovation and modernization of the hostel was agreed. The city and district each contributed 1.58 million euros to the 6.5 million euro renovation costs, with the association paying the remaining 3.4 million euros. The renovation work began in April 2024 and will now be completed in June 2026. The building was completely renovated and modernized. Among other things, all water and wastewater pipes, the entire building services and all windows and doors were replaced. The building and roof were fitted with thermal insulation. In future, heating and hot water will be provided by heat pumps, and a PV system will feed electricity into the building's grid and two car charging stations. The entire interior has also been modernized.