Bankruptcy, dispute, empty promises Bern village inn goes under the hammer for the third time
For the third time since the turn of the millennium, the "Rössli" in Wasen is going under the hammer. The former village inn is now a symbol of failed investments and unclear ownership.
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- The vacant "Rössli" inn in Wasen is being auctioned off again. It is already the third auction since the turn of the millennium.
- The history of the property has been marked by several changes of ownership, bankruptcies and legal disputes. Private investors are also said to have lost a lot of money in the process.
- Most recently, a planned sale failed due to a lack of financing. Now the project has once again ended in financial difficulties and an auction.
The "Rössli" in Wasen presents a sad picture today. The property looks neglected overall. The inn has been empty for some time - and now it is going under the hammer again. This is reported by the "Berner Zeitung".
This is already the third auction since the turn of the millennium. The first took place at the end of 2001. At that time, the "Rössli" belonged to a consortium of local tradespeople who primarily wanted to develop the Matte behind it, according to the "Berner Zeitung". But the consortium ran out of money. As a creditor, the cantonal bank outsourced the property to its Dezennium Finanz AG and ultimately had it sold. As no other buyers were found, the building initially remained with the bank subsidiary.
The next auction follows in 2017
For years, hardly anything was heard of the "Rössli" until the second auction was announced in the fall of 2017. In the meantime, the property belonged to a catering company from the canton of Nidwalden, which had gone bankrupt, writes the Berner Zeitung. A real estate company from the canton of Aargau won the bid. However, this sale also remained opaque to outsiders. There was talk of legal disputes that had delayed the process - a situation that seems to be repeating itself today.
In the meantime, a new owner is back in the game. The company first appeared as Le Parc des Fourches, based in the canton of Vaud, but is now called Ryadom Forkom and is based in the canton of Geneva, reports the "Berner Zeitung". Such changes of name and location make it difficult to understand the background.
The company itself speaks of "an internal operational restructuring and a change in the shareholder structure" with the aim of "consolidating administrative structures", writes the "Berner Zeitung". At the same time, a look at the commercial register shows that the sole shareholder - a Geneva-based financial company - went bankrupt last summer.
Private investors lose money
Private investors are also said to have lost money. One man told the Berner Zeitung newspaper that he and his daughter had invested CHF 125,000 in a Rössli project at the end of 2021. Although the agreed term had long since expired, he had still not received anything back - even though a civil court had ruled in his favor.
The planning for the "Rössli" seems to have swallowed up a lot of money. In the summer of 2022, it was still assumed that the public launch was imminent. At the beginning of 2024, it even looked as if a sale to an investor had already been arranged. However, this investor was suddenly no longer able to raise the necessary funds.
The situation then deteriorated increasingly. Those responsible initially hoped to be able to solve the problem or find a new buyer. In the end, there was talk of serious financial difficulties - and now the story ends where it has ended several times before: at auction, according to the "Berner Zeitung".
