Bad Lauchstädt/Bad Dürrenberg/MZ – The Goethe town of Bad Lauchstädt actually came up with a special attraction for its city garden at the state garden show in Bad Dürrenberg. When it comes to marketing, the municipality relies on its namesake. In the center of the city garden during the Laga there is a Goethe miniature in a shiny gold look. However, as the city assured, the 1.07 meter high work by the artist Ottmar Hörl was only gilded. It arrived the week before Easter.
The state horticultural show in the Bad Dürrenberger Kurpark begins on April 19th and lasts until mid-October. Bad Lauchstädt is planning another attraction for the end of August to mark Goethe’s 275th birthday. Mayor Christian Runkel (CDU) explained and emphasized that this was no joke, they wanted to set up a (summer) ice skating rink for two weeks. After all, the poet laureate liked to ice skate.
From here follows the original text of the April Fool’s joke
When it comes to city marketing, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is omnipresent in Bad Lauchstädt. The Goethe city with the Goethe Theater also wants to build the Goethe Arcadia soon. This is the title for the new district in the north of the city center, which will be home to a daycare center, community sports park, hotel and thermal spa. Music of the future. Before that, the poet prince should first serve as an icon of the city of Goethe at the state garden show – and if possible also bring in a good profit.
Goethe as a golden boy. In the middle of last week, the Goethe miniature by the artist Ottmar Hörl arrived at the exhibition site in the Bad Dürrenberg spa park. It is 107 centimeters tall and consists of a solid gold coat several centimeters thick. Almost 15 kilos of the precious metal were used in the sculpture, reports Mayor Christian Runkel. “The purchase price was 840,000 euros.”
Hope for 60,000 euros plus
The CDU politician hopes that the value of the Gold Goethe will increase significantly by the end of the Laga in October. “The sculpture is intended both as an attraction for the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Laga and as an investment for the city of Goethe,” explains the town hall boss, speculating on high returns. The 585 gold was purchased for 56 euros per gram when the order was placed in winter: “The price of gold is currently 59 euros per gram. The average annual price gain for gold is 7.2 percent.” Within a year you could get 60,480 euros Make plus.
Provided the market price for the precious metal continues to climb – as it has in recent months. The stock market price for a troy ounce, just under 31 grams, of gold was still 1,725 euros in October. At the end of March it was already 2,070 euros. Ascending trend. Runkel does not have a city council resolution for investing money in the form of an art object. But he doesn’t need it either, emphasizes the mayor: “Since the gold equivalent is always available.”
Security service and special security
The plan is to melt Goethe down again after the garden show and make money. However, Runkel wants to make exactly when this happens dependent on the price development of gold. Ultimately, you want to make as much profit as possible.
However, expenses must also be deducted from this – not only for paying the artist, but also for additional security personnel during opening hours: “The costs for this amount to 36,000 euros over the entire period of the Laga,” explains Runkel. At night, the Goethestadt relies on the garden show’s security staff and special devices: “The Goethe is additionally secured with an alarm system and anchored several times in the concrete base with steel hooks, so that theft can be ruled out.”
Ice skating rink for Goethe’s birthday
Laga managing director Michael Steinland is also not worried about the safety of the sculpture. “The area is sufficiently secured. We are rather pleased that with the Gold Goethe we can offer our visitors another high-quality attraction.” Laga is expecting a six-figure number of guests from April 19th.
At the end of August, some of the visitors could still enjoy another campaign that the Goethestadt wants to donate to the state horticultural show. To mark its 275th birthday, Bad Lauchstädt wants to build a (summer) ice rink in the Dürrenberg spa park for two weeks. “Goethe was an enthusiastic ice skater,” explains Runkel.