In fact, this house would no longer be standing if Peter and Regina hadn't worked so hard to save it. The town wanted to completely demolish the site of the old train station in Montabaur and build a new one, but the history teacher and his wife made sure that the old railroad signal box was preserved.
Today, the eye-catching red and white façade with the large lettering "Montabaur" is a reminder of the building's original use. Until the 1950s, the points were set here and the railroad barriers operated. It was then used as a barrier post until the old railroad line was dismantled in 2000.
Regina and Peter have created a modern and minimalist living space inside the former signal box. The house was discovered by the couple's daughter. She quickly got her parents interested in the 110-year-old historic building - Peter is a former history teacher. For Peter, this was an opportunity to live out his passion for history. It also allowed him to save a piece of the town's history and become a small part of this history himself.
Peter and Regina used to live on 290 square meters in a neighbouring village, but wanted to downsize when they retired. Regina and Peter then bought the signal box in 2012. Now they have a total of around 90 m² at their disposal. The signal box itself only has 25 m², plus the extension and the rail bus. The couple had to spend more than 300,000 euros on the complete conversion. They were able to do some of the smaller jobs themselves, such as clearing out, as the house had unfortunately been vandalized for ten years. The renovation took longer than originally planned, but they were finally able to move into their new home in 2020.
In order to use the signal box as living space, a U-shaped extension was built around the small railroad building. You can also sit outside in the covered courtyard in winter. The extension houses the kitchen, garage and workshop. The actual signal box houses the sleeping and living areas and Peter's work area is in the attic.
The wagon in the garden is a particular highlight of the ensemble. In order to be allowed to set it up, the development plan even had to be changed and the installation was subject to a number of conditions. For example, the wagon is declared as storage space and is firmly welded to the rail underneath. Peter would later like to store all his books here.
A film by Anna Pöhler (editor), Susanne Dejung (camera), Paul Heydecke (camera and sound) and Marcus Kaul (editor).
00:00 Living in the old signal box
00:44 Bedroom
02:07 Bathroom
04:30 Upper floor
04:52 Attic with office
06:03 Living room
07:04 Garage and workshop
08:42 Historic rail bus