The key facts

  • The caretaker of the Blue Tower in Bad Wimpfen will be given a free 53-square-meter apartment, with utility costs paid by the caretaker
  • Duties: permanent residence, greeting visitors, selling tickets, looking after the building; part of the revenue stays with the caretaker
  • Blanca Knödel has worked since 1996 and will finish on January 10, 2027; the new caretaker is to be found by March 1

A caretaker with free housing but no elevator

The German town of Bad Wimpfen has announced a search for a new caretaker for the Blue Tower (Blauer Turm), built around 1170 — Daryo.uz reports. The tower, about 58 meters tall, is considered a symbol of the town and was once part of the imperial residence of the Hohenstaufen dynasty.

Terms and duties

The caretaker will be given a free 53-square-meter apartment with one room, a kitchen and a bathroom, but must pay utility costs out of pocket. The apartment is located so that the only way in is up 134 steps: the tower has no elevator. For this reason, candidates are required to be physically fit, responsible, friendly and interested in the town's history. Under the terms, the caretaker must live in the tower permanently, greet visitors, sell entrance tickets and look after the historic building; a share of the ticket revenue stays with the caretaker.

A change of caretaker and similar cases

The tower is currently run by 75-year-old Blanca Knödel. She has lived there since 1996 and, according to the publication, raised three children in the tower. She will finish her work on January 10, 2027, and the new caretaker is expected to be found by March 1. The article also recalls other similar offers in Germany: in Bad Düben (Saxony), the 800-year-old Schnaditz castle is listed for 1 euro, and the buyer is obliged to renovate it — experts estimate that restoration will cost around 20 million euros. And in Tangerhütte (Saxony-Anhalt), a former 19th-century factory, founded in 1842 and once exporting its products to Japan, Egypt and Argentina, is up for auction for 1 euro; after the dissolution of East Germany it was abandoned, and the buyer must reinforce and preserve its historic facades.