The Union of Taxpayers (BdSt) has criticized the projected cost of renovating President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier’s official residence. According to BdSt president Reiner Holznagel, work at Schloss Bellevue is likely to begin shortly with an initial estimate of more than €600 million, plus an additional risk buffer of €260 million, as reported in the weekend edition of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Drawing on his experience, Holznagel expressed doubt that this will be a one‑time event. He added that when the €205 million construction cost for a new interim office-essentially a Bundespräsidialamt 2.0-is factored in, the total quickly approaches €1 billion.
At that level, another high‑profile project falls into the same ballpark: the planned expansion of the Chancellor’s office. While federal budget deficits will rise, Holznagel points out that there is ample money for federal construction. “Frugality takes a different form” he said.
The figures for the Schloss Bellevue refurbishment were released on Wednesday. The project is slated to take eight years, starting in the summer, and President Steinmeier will temporarily relocate to a new office building near Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof. The next president is expected to reside there as well until the restoration of Schloss Bellevue is complete.
