There is a lot of work to be done in Bad Schandau that hardly anyone sees. Rubbish bins have to be emptied, paths checked and flower beds replanted. "We deliver the quality expected of a spa town - but we can hardly afford it," says Andrea Wötzel, the town's administrative coordinator. Parking lots, public toilets, buildings - everything should be kept in an attractive condition for visitors. But the spa town in the Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains district is struggling with additional costs of around 1.8 million euros a year, according to its own figures.
That is a considerable sum for a municipality with just over 3,000 inhabitants, says Wötzel. The visitor's tax could only cushion part of this. There is hardly any political approval for higher rates, and the hosts fear losing guests. The process of being recognized as a Kneipp spa alone cost the popular health resort in eastern Saxony around 75,000 euros.
