Former Lützow barracks in Schwanewede: Demolition begins

The teeth of the grab excavator bite. With its steel jaws it eats into the red brick wall. Stones fall to the ground with a roar, a cloud of dust swirls up. The whole thing repeats itself once, twice, three times – after a few seconds only a pile of rubble is left of the wall.

On the site of the former Lützow barracks in Schwanewede, Mayor Christina Jantz-Herrmann, administrative staff and council members watch as excavator operator Enrik Behrensen from the company Bremer Sandhandelsgesellschaft (BSG) goes to work with the excavator. It is a special occasion for which they have gathered on this Monday morning: on this day, the first demolition work will start on the former barracks site – nine years after the military property was closed and planning began for a new civilian start.

Christina Jantz-Herrmann, who is the first person to start the excavator herself, uses big words. She speaks of a milestone. After years of planning, many reports and concepts have now been put into action on the site.

Start on an area in the south

It is starting on a 4.5 hectare site in the south of the approximately 86 hectare barracks area. It is the first of six planned construction sites. Single-family, semi-detached and terraced houses are to be built there later. To do this, the buildings and facilities from the Bundeswehr era that are currently there have to be removed: two vehicle halls, a workshop hall, a storage building and six vehicle ramps.

The demolition is being carried out according to a plan. The company HPC, which specializes in land recycling, has drawn up a demolition plan and a pollutant register for the entire barracks area. The demolition sequence for the first construction site is as follows: first the approximately 200 square meter warehouse building, then the workshop hall and finally the vehicle halls. According to the municipality, around 17,000 cubic meters of enclosed space will be demolished.

According to Robert Mohr from HPC, the process for each building is always the same: clear out, remove and dispose of any harmful substances, gut, demolish. The building materials are separated and collected on site; containers have been set up for this purpose.

Construction site to be cleared by December

“According to the current status, around 500 tons of construction waste in the first construction area contains pollutants,” the municipality said in response to a query. “However, further analyses will be required as the project progresses. This may result in changes.” According to the information, the pollutants are mainly asbestos contamination: in window sills, in the cladding of exhaust air ducts, in joints in the halls and in roof coverings, but also artificial mineral fibers in insulation materials. According to Robert Mohr, there is a tank under the workshop hall that has yet to be inspected.

Ulrike Becker has given the deadline by which the demolition work should be completed: December 12, 2024. Becker, together with Jens Bunk and Gloria Klinz, is part of a project group in the municipal administration that is to advance the conversion until a planned development company is founded.

Becker also says how the demolition will continue on the barracks site. From the south, the work will first move west. There, several buildings will be removed on a second area: in addition to two workshop and vehicle halls, two sports halls and a shooting range. After that, the work will continue in the north, in the area of ​​the former crew quarters. Becker will discuss where exactly at the next meeting of the Conversion Committee, which will take place on September 26th.

According to Mayor Christina Jantz-Herrmann, the demolition of the first construction site will cost around one million euros. The municipality will receive two thirds of this, around 700,000 euros, from the federal and state governments as part of urban development funding. According to Ulrike Becker, the costs include disposal and the desealing of the area.

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