
German court orders demolition of house for being 36cm too high
German authorities have ordered the demolition of a Bavarian house because the roof is 36 centimetres too high.
Jens Riediger, the house's tenant, says he was devastated after local officials claimed the roof and other irregularities were serious violations of building regulations.
The Bavarian Administrative Court in Munich warned that its ruling is 'binding and final', ending a four-year court battle between the developers and local authorities.
The house is one of three such cases under demolition orders in Upper Bavaria, despite the region suffering from a housing shortage, according to local media.
Mr Riediger, a 57-year-old engineer, was bitterly disappointed by the decision. He told Germany's Bild newspaper: 'Living space worth millions of euros is going to be destroyed. And this only because the roof is 36cm too high, and because a garage was built instead of a Carport [roofed shelter] and the ground was filled in.'
The Bavarian resident of Wolfratshausen, south of Munich, also claimed there are other houses in the village with taller roofs than his home.
His family has got some time to find a new place to live, with the demolition crew not set to arrive until spring 2026.
'We'll have moved out by then. We now live in 180 square meters, it will not be easy to find a house like that for the same rent,' he told Bild.
The row over the height of the building's roof has dragged on since 2021, when the developers offered to remedy the problem by removing the property's regulatory defects.
The offer was reportedly rejected by the local court, which instead looked into the possibility of turning the building into a women's shelter, an idea that was also abandoned.
A spokesman for Wolfratshausen's district office defended the decision in a statement to Bild, arguing that the house had many serious defects.
'The significant deviations [from planning regulations] consisted of embankments, higher walls, roofs with different pitches and the construction of a garage instead of a Carport,' they said.
It is not the first time that a German house has fallen foul of planning rules that some might view as draconian.
In 2014, a German pensioner was ordered to tear down her home because it had been built in 1939 without planning permission, due to the chaos of the Second World War breaking out.
The pensioner resisted the ruling and launched a long court battle, which ended in victory after local officials backed down on the demolition order.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Ryanair passengers are 'thrown against the ceiling' with nine injured as extreme turbulence hits flight from hell over Europe, leaving terrified air crew in tears
Nine people have been injured after a Ryanair flight was hit by severe turbulence, with crew and passengers left in tears and the plane forced to make an emergency landing. The Berlin to Milan flight encountered thunderstorms over southern Germany, with reports that people were thrown from their seats into the cabin ceiling as the plane was buffeted. One terrified passenger recounted to German outlet BILD: 'I've never been scared before - but at that moment, I thought the plane was going to break apart or roll over!' Several passengers are reported to have been out of their seats when the plane was struck by the turbulence, with a mother and baby said to have been on the toilet when the plane was shaken. Some passengers claimed that they were not sufficiently warned to put their safety belts on, according to BILD. The severe conditions forced an unscheduled landing in Memmingen, southern Germany, where pictures show the passenger jet on the tarmac alongside emergency vehicles. Passengers were reportedly kept on the plane for several hours leaving the shaken travellers 'irritable' and 'agitated'. Emergency services met passengers off the plane after the flight's captain requested medical assistance ahead of landing. Three of those who were injured were reportedly hospitalised, including a two-year-old who suffered bruises, a woman who sustained a head laceration and another passenger who had back pain. Other passengers were treated for injuries at the scene, police said. Pictures shared online by one passenger show medics and emergency responders on board, and later assisting people in the Memmingen airport waiting room. Ryanair said in a statement that a replacement flight had been arranged to take passengers to Milan and apologised to those affected. Police, however, had said in their Wednesday statement that the airline was organising a bus transfer because local aviation authorities did not immediately clear onwards flights. Ryanair warned of possible disruptions to its service to and from Germany due to severe weather on Wednesday. Last month, footage showed terrified passengers screaming as severe turbulence, a hail storm and a bird strike struck a flight over India. The flight bound for Srinagar departing from the capital, New Delhi, was subjected to extreme weather conditions on Wednesday. Videos taken from inside the cabin show the moment panic spread, with people heard screaming as flashes of lightning illuminated the inside of the plane. In March, five passengers were injured by extreme turbulence that forced a United Express flight to make an emergency landing in Texas. And in November, extreme turbulence threw people into the cabin ceiling when it hit a passenger jet flying from Stockholm to Miami, forcing the plane to turn around and head back to Europe. The Scandinavian Airlines flight, which was supposed to take over nine hours, was almost at its destination when it had to make a U-turn and head all the way back. After experiencing the turbulence over Greenland, the packed aircraft returned to a base in Copenhagen to undergo checks over concerns about technical issues. A passenger on the flight, who was travelling with his wife, posted footage showing screaming passengers as the plane was rattled by the turbulence. A woman sitting in his row is then flung upwards. 'Look at her feet touching the [ceiling]!' he wrote. 'I thought we were going to [die]'.


BBC News
29-05-2025
- BBC News
Bayern sign Tah from Leverkusen on free transfer
Bayern Munich have announced defender Jonathan Tah is joining them on a free transfer from Bayer Germany international, 29, has signed a four-year contract with the Bundesliga champions."I'm very happy to be at Bayern," Tah said."I want to take on responsibility here and work hard every day so that we're successful as a team and win lots of trophies together."Tah spent 10 seasons with Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga and German Cup double unbeaten during the 2023-24 season under manager Xabi Alonso, who joined Real Madrid on Sunday. He also featured as Alonso's side defeated Stuttgart on penalties to win the German Super Cup last August. Having decided against renewing his Leverkusen contract, the defender was linked to a number of clubs including Premier League trio Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as La Liga giants Barcelona and Real he has joined Vincent Kompany's Bayern, who saw former Spurs defender Eric Dier leave for Ligue 1 side Monaco earlier this month."In Tah, we've acquired a player with international experience and quality who won't need much time to establish himself in our defence," said Bayern sporting director Christoph has won 35 caps for Germany after making his international debut in 2016. He is part of head coach Julian Nagelsmann's squad to play Portugal in the semi-finals of the Nations League on Wednesday, with the winner facing either France or Spain in the final three days won the 2024-25 German Bundesliga title, finishing 13 points above second-placed Leverkusen.


The Sun
29-05-2025
- The Sun
Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Sesko's HUGE price tag revealed, Zubimendi set for MEDICAL, Gunners ‘launch Gyokeres BID'
Potential Sesko boost Arsenal may have received a major boost in their bid to sign RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko. According to Bild, Sesko will be left out of Leipzig's upcoming pre-season tour. The same report claims the Bundesliga giants would start talks at £59million for the striker. However, the Gunners may have to splash up to £84m for the Slovenia international.