The rebuilt Büsingpalais was inaugurated in 1984

For almost 40 years after the end of the war, the central building of the palace looked like a ruin as citizens struggled to rebuild it. Their donations were not enough, not by a long shot. But they made it credible that a broad majority of Offenbach residents felt that the ruins were a painful wound in the cityscape. Memories and feelings were combined with the desire to preserve tradition and the weariness of being constantly reminded of the war in a renewed city. A ruin as an unfinished task: nothing was finished as long as it lay there.

The Büsingpalais had only been open to the public since 1921, when the city acquired it and turned it into a town hall. However, it was an open house for longer. The Bernard and d'Orville families built it as a residence and tobacco factory, so it was by no means an isolated property. Workers and traders came and went, as did hauliers, coachmen and stable staff. One of the owners, Peter Bernard, had his own orchestra play there in front of an audience around 1800. Where the vestibule and wedding hall open up today, there was already space for festivities 200 years ago.

The people of Offenbach have been involved in the building ever since it was erected. When the young Goethe noted in his Offenbach summer of 1775 how the noise of the construction work from across Herrnstrasse robbed him of his morning sleep, it may well have annoyed other neighbors. However, the property did not yet bear the name Büsingpalais.

It must be considered strange that, of all the possibilities, the name of Baron von Busing stuck to it. For he had only become the heir as a son-in-law by marriage. Nevertheless, he gave the estate its familiar face. From 1899 to 1907, he had the old manor house lavishly converted into a neo-baroque palace by Städel professor Wilhelm Manchot. The snuff factory was moved across the street to the new Bernardbau.

The wrought-iron gate on Herrnstrasse, which we can still see today, was part of the rebuilt palace. It is the work of a Frankfurt company that caused a sensation at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. A similar gate closed off the park to Kaiserstraße. Bombs during the Second World War reduced it to scrap metal.

In 1921, just at the beginning of the great demonetization, the city acquired the palace. It became one of the most beautiful town halls in Germany - as not only Offenbach residents felt. It remained a center of urban life even after its destruction in 1943: the cour d'honneur saw rallies in the post-war period and the ruins served as a picturesque backdrop for theater performances. This often brought thousands of people together in the open air.

The reconstruction of the side wings with their front buildings was completed early on. The Klingspor Museum and the city library found suitable accommodation there. Despondency and helplessness, however, preserved the central building as a ruin. Plans were discussed and rejected; it was to become a house for young people because state funding could have been obtained for this. Consideration was given to renewing the courtyard façade in its old form, but adding a modern concrete structure at the rear.

Architects tussled, politicians debated, the years passed. It was not until after 1977 that a new political majority recognized the opportunity to make its mark. A citizens' initiative headed by city councillor Bruno Knapp created a platform for the will of the people. It collected donations and acted as a link to politics.

The foundation stone was laid on October 30, 1981. It was inaugurated on September 21, 1984, and hardly anyone thought the reconstruction was a superfluous expenditure of money. The Palais is now attached to the neighboring Sheraton Offenbach Hotel. "Our national and international guests are always surprised and delighted by the Büsingpalais and the wide range of possibilities it offers," says Dirk Wilhelm Schmidt, General Manager of the Sheraton Offenbach. And it still serves the people of Offenbach as a good place to be: for weddings, for meetings and ceremonies, concerts and exhibitions, as a meeting place for leisure and muse.

Other users also benefit from the history and aesthetics of this building. "What's nice," says Nicole Köster, deputy director of the city library, "is that you can smell the scent of history when you're here." The book tower is the heart of the library for her, "that was already the case when I was a reader". She is convinced that many readers feel the same way, "because many come to our library almost every day to work and read". Stephan Soltek, Director of the Klingspor Museum, also has a special eye for the details of the building: "The Büsingpalais has ravishingly beautiful arcades," he emphasizes, "and the dashes in them underline that!"

Offenbach's cultural life may stand on many legs - against this background, the Büsingpalais is certainly one of the strongest. Just like more than 200 years ago, when the music-obsessed Peter Bernard opened his house. Of course, the Büsingpalais is also a good example of the fleeting nature of time. Who is aware that it has only been standing for 30 years and has already been rebuilt three times? Who cares that the floor plan of the most recent one was slightly altered, which triggered fierce protests at the time? After 30 years, it's all history.

By Lothar R. Braun

This text was written by Lothar R. Braun a few years ago and has been expanded to include current sound bites from current users of the Büsingpalais.