- Major fire on the night of January 23, 2026
- Around 180 emergency personnel on site
- Building almost completely destroyed, damage in the mid six-figure range
A meeting place firmly established in the northern German motorcycle scene was destroyed by flames within a few hours. The Zur Schanze biker hotel in the Holtgast district of the municipality of Apen burned down almost completely on Friday night. The fire department was on site with a large-scale operation, but was unable to prevent the massive damage.
Fire breaks out in the evening
According to current information, the fire was discovered and reported at around 9 p.m. When the first emergency services arrived, the roof truss of the approximately 88 to 90-year-old building was already fully ablaze. Several rooms are believed to have already been on fire at this point, and the fire quickly spread to other parts of the building.
A total of around 180 firefighters, rescue workers, and police officers were deployed. Turntable ladders, tanker trucks, and additional units from surrounding communities were called in to prevent the flames from spreading. Despite intensive firefighting efforts, the building was largely destroyed.
No injuries, but difficult conditions
No hotel guests or employees were in the building when the fire broke out. A family of three living in the building was able to get to safety in time and stayed with friends. No injuries were reported.
The weather made the operation considerably more difficult. With temperatures around minus 4 degrees Celsius, the water used to extinguish the fire immediately froze on the streets and sidewalks. The winter road maintenance service had to secure the site and access roads with salt to avoid further hazards for the emergency services. In addition, the water had to be kept in constant motion to prevent the pipes from freezing. Follow-up firefighting operations continued into the early hours of the morning as pockets of embers kept flaring up.
Building almost completely destroyed
The sprawling hotel building, which was originally a former farmstead, was almost completely burned down. Only a charred skeleton remained of the roof, while the interior rooms were flooded with water and firefighting foam. The 20 to 21 guest rooms were severely damaged by fire, smoke, and water.
According to police, the damage is estimated to be in the mid six-figure range. The scene of the fire has been cordoned off, and investigations into the cause of the fire are set to begin as soon as the site has cooled down completely. No concrete clues as to the cause were available at the time of writing.
Significance for the motorcycle scene
For decades, Zur Schanze was considered an integral part of the regional and national motorcycle scene. Especially in the summer months, the hotel with its beer garden was a popular meeting place for motorcyclists. On good days, up to 800 guests are said to have gathered there.
The shock within the scene is correspondingly great. Several representatives of regional motorcycle businesses expressed their hope that the traditional meeting place might have a future. However, it remains unclear whether and when reconstruction or continuation of operations will be possible.
Operator cautious in his comments
Managing Director Tim Kaminski was visibly shaken after the fire. He had been at the scene himself during the night and had only slowly realized the extent of the destruction. The hotel had originally been fully booked from May to August for the coming season. Despite the current situation, he emphasized that business should continue as normal, but that concrete steps were not yet foreseeable.
Uncertain future
The fire has not only destroyed a building, but also an important social meeting place for the North German motorcycle scene. While the property damage is considerable, the positive outcome is that no one was injured. The coming weeks will show whether and in what form Zur Schanze can have a future.
