Parking lot chaos at the castle festival: the city of Lörrach gives in!

Parking lot chaos at the castle festival: the city of Lörrach gives in!

The city of Lörrach has declared the warnings issued on June 20, 2025 for parked vehicles in the area around the castle festival to be unenforceable. The reason for this decision was a comprehensive assessment of the situation in the city. The city administration assures that the municipal correctional service (GvD) acted properly to address the numerous complaints about the parking situation around Rötteln Castle on weekends and public holidays.

During the festival days, parking on a lawn adjacent to the parking lot is exceptionally tolerated as long as the access road is not blocked. However, parked vehicles that enable emergency services to be deployed are still excluded from toleration and will be punished. Please note that the area used is not an officially designated parking space and that you use it at your own risk. No liability is accepted for damage to vehicles.

Parking situation and public transport connections

The city is aware of the unsustainable parking situation during the events and is planning discussions with the organizer of the castle festival, the Röttelnbund, to find possible solutions to improve it. Another point of discussion will be the insufficient accessibility of Rötteln Castle by public transport, as bus lines 10 and 16 end at stops that are inconvenient for many visitors. The walk to the castle could be a challenge for older guests Jaumann publishing house reported.

Although there are around 50 parking spaces available at the castle, these are far from enough for larger events. Simon Rösch, chairman of the castle festival, said that expanding parking options is not feasible due to financial restrictions. Nevertheless, there are encouraging conversations between the festival and the city.

Responsibility of the organizer

Another important aspect is the organizer's responsibility regarding parking spaces. These include that the organizer must check whether there is a contractual agreement to provide and, if necessary, guard the parking spaces. Security has a high priority here, as does the information from eventfaq.de clarify. However, if the organizer provides a parking area, it is not automatically responsible for the safety of each vehicle unless appropriate safety measures have been demonstrated.

The local government also advises using the parking spaces in the nearby district of Haagen, for example at the cemetery. This ensures a relaxed journey to Rötteln Castle and the coveted castle festival. In any case, the city of Lörrach remains active in finding long-term solutions to the parking problem.