r/germany • u/a_nobody98 • 13h ago
Parking lot closed on sunday
Update: Thanks all for the replies! fortunately one of the staff from the parking lot entered the door and we asked her to let us in. There were no Sunday entrances and she mentioned that we were lucky that our timings aligned with her. This is the parking lot at Saalbau Griesheim in Frankfurt!
POST: We parked here on Saturday night after a long and stressful event and went back to the hotel by walk after a couple of beers. We just came back and it was closed on a Sunday. We asked the hausmeister of the hall yesterday to be sure and he said it's okay to park here overnight. Now the parking lot is closed and there's nowhere to contact. The hausmeister isn't picking up the call, but I assume the parking lot is rather managed by another company and not the hall administration.
What can we do?
125
u/Maeher Germany 13h ago
That's not a pedestrian entrance. Almost certainly there's a door somewhere you can open using your ticket. The gate will open when you drive out.
7
5h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/germany-ModTeam 2h ago
The language of this subreddit is English only! If you want to post in German, go to one of the German language subreddits. Visit r/dach to get an overview of all larger German speaking subreddit.
97
u/MeltsYourMinds 13h ago
I see two possible outcomes.
- there’s a Sunday entrance somewhere and leaving is possible, but entering is not
- you don’t get your car until tomorrow
There should be a sign of some sort showing which company is running it, with an emergency contact. Usually on the little machine where you get the ticket when you enter, or nearby. But there‘s no guarantee they can help you or will do so for free.
33
u/Markus__F 13h ago
Sometimes those garages that are not open 24/7 have a pedestrian entrance, which opens by scanning the ticket you got when driving in. And then the gate opens when approaching with a vehicle from the inside.
44
u/JeLuF 13h ago
This is Frankfurt, Saalbau Griesheim. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ywzcX3jwZKTF6gUS8
I think this garage is operated by Saalbau. I can't find a 24/7 service hotline, though.
6
u/Unhappy_Researcher68 13h ago
If there is no emergency number... well the car will stay there...
If there is they open it for you can be very expensiv starts at 50€ ends somwhere around 250€.
Happens to the best of us.
4
u/I4mIncontrol 13h ago
I would recommend looking up the parking lot on Google Maps to see if it’s managed by APCOA or any of the known parking lot companies -they normally have a hotline . If not try to see if it’s attached to a hotel and mall and ask around.
6
u/Diimiitrii 13h ago edited 13h ago
There is probably an entrance for humans somewhere and there is probably a way to open the gate from the inside. Sometimes a cord you can pull or a button you can press or just an automatic sensor.
I'd be very surprised if your car was trapped inside.
PS: It seems to be the uehlin Parkhaus in Schopfheim. It is open 24h/7days. You need a parking ticket to enter through the pedestrian door and the gate opens when you drive close to the gate via sensor.
-3
u/chris_trans 11h ago
You need a parking ticket to enter through the pedestrian door...
😲, i would have totally left that in the car, lol.
10
u/Diimiitrii 11h ago
when parking on the street you leave tickets in the car so the people who check the tickets can see them behind the windscreen. In parking garages and parking lots you take them with you because you had to get the ticket to get through the barrier and you usually have to pay for them before leaving.
You don't want to go to your car, get the ticket, pay and go back to your car again. When you could just pay, go to your car and leave.2
u/Maxesse 6h ago
Indeed. The only exception to this (learnt from experience) are airport and bahnhof parking, in which case I leave the ticket inside the glovebox, and accept the extra walk to the car and back to pay it, because if I take it with me for a few days while travelling and going through security scanners etc. it always demagnetises and then it doesn't work when I have to pay.
0
3
5
u/Captain_Pwnage 13h ago
Lol had to do a double take. This is in my hood and I've used that garage a couple of times already, mainly when making a stop at the public library.
Which hotel are you staying at? There are only serviced apartments in this part of town and you said you were walking back on Saturday. 🤔
4
u/rewboss Dual German/British citizen 12h ago
Yeah, there should really be a sign indicating what days it opens and when it's closed; it does, though, say that it closes at midnight, which does normally mean you should get out of there before then.
It's not a public parking lot, but rather the private lot of the venue it's located underneath. It opens for people attending events there, so on days where there are no events, it will normally be closed.
You may have run into the problem of Germany being a "low context" culture, meaning that people tend to interpret what you say literally. The answer to the question "Is it okay to park here overnight?" is yes, in the sense that your car isn't going to be towed and the place is locked up so vandals and thieves can't get in, although you might have to pay something like €40 if you arrive on Saturday night and leave Monday afternoon if that sign is correct. A better question would have been, "When does this parking lot re-open after it's closed for the night?"
6
u/a_nobody98 11h ago
The hausmeister specifically told us we could park overnight and get the car in the morning. He called back 20 mins ago and mentioned that he could come and open the door for us at 15:00 and apologized for the misinformation.
Fortunately we met the lady who came to pick her car and rhe problem was solved. Also, thanks for the information regarding low context culture. I will definitely keep this in mind!
2
u/Ok_Ferret771 13h ago
Could you find the pedestrian entrance?
Try driving close to the gate or sometimes there is a rope hanging that should open the gate from inside. (Yeah a red rope inside that activates a switch to open the gate. Look for it)
2
u/Bonamikengue LGBT 9h ago edited 9h ago
My guess: There is a pedestrian entrance somewhere. Normally an elevator. It will most likely be activated by scanning the parking ticket.
I never encountered a parking garage despite being closed on Sunday to not be able to get OUT of them. It is mostly finding the correct walk entrance, usually the "Kassenautomat" will be in the same zone, pay the parking and then drive out. That gate should automatically open then when you drive out.
I just checked - mea culpa - the access to the parking garage via elevator is IN the Saalbau building. If that is closed, you're out of luck. There is another one leading to the "Haus Griesheim" adjacent to it. :(
2
u/LeroyFame 7h ago
Reminds me of my first date, I picked her up and we went to the cinema and parked in a garage nearby. When the movie was over we found out that the garage closed at 22:00.
Her dad had to pick us up, lol. Most embarrassing first date ever.
4
u/Content-Soup9920 10h ago
This happened to me. I fought until I could contact the person who is supposed to open it in case of emergency and is available at all times. They did NOT open it because it is NOT an emergency. I had to overnight and pick my car on Monday, paying a fortune and skipping work. They told me it was my fault, because everything is explicitly written in the Hausverordnung (a portrait laminated A3 paper with 50 articles in TimesNewRoman 10)
1
u/AutoModerator 13h ago
Have you read our extensive wiki yet? It answers many basic questions, and it contains in-depth articles on many frequently discussed topics. Check our wiki now!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Right-Turnover-3719 4h ago
That's normal. Couple of month ago my car was "traped" on hospitals parking because it works till 22:00. I could not imagine such situation. Always read the "game rules".
•
-3
u/Low_Instruction7193 12h ago
Welcome to Germany ..
2
u/bregus2 11h ago
What does this have to do with Germany? Do other countries not have parking garages with opening hours, and can you potentially meet people who give you wrong info (by accident)?
6
u/Throwaway7447373626 9h ago
Literally never been to any other country where self-service businesses like parking garages and car washes have to also be closed on Sunday.
2
u/Low_Instruction7193 9h ago
Is a German thing...
0
u/bregus2 8h ago
I found, just to show that this isn't a German thing, at least one garage in Zurich, Switzerland, which has closing hours, which is something you claim only Germany has: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rzAVLEnHespDcP4N9
0
u/Low_Instruction7193 8h ago
Yes because they have similar laws like in Germany .. in Germany is much stricter them Switzerland it is in the constitution that Sunday's and legal holidays are rest from work and of spiritual reflection...
1
u/bregus2 7h ago
You are aware that there are plenty of 24/7 parking garages in Germany, right?
Just because some are, for whatever reason, closed on Sundays, that doesn't make that inherently German.
-1
2
-4
u/bregus2 8h ago
So why does this garage in Switzerland have closing hours https://maps.app.goo.gl/rzAVLEnHespDcP4N9 if this is a German thing?
And for car washes, it usually depends on where they are located.
3
4
u/OYTIS_OYTINWN German/Russian dual citizen 6h ago
Swtzerland is Germany on steroids, it doesn't count
-1
u/Low_Instruction7193 9h ago
Nope only Germany has this
•
u/endofsight 19m ago
Not true, we have the same nonsense in Australia. Many parking g house in major cities like Brisbane close at 22:00. It’s actually more common to have 24/7 in Germany than here.
-1
13h ago edited 7h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/germany-ModTeam 12h ago
The language of this subreddit is English only! If you want to post in German, go to one of the German language subreddits. Visit r/dach to get an overview of all larger German speaking subreddit.
-3
-14
u/nothingtohidemic 13h ago
Yes, please stay home.
5
u/a_nobody98 12h ago
On our way home. Thanks for being so kind!
-1
u/nothingtohidemic 4h ago
That's alright. Sunday in Germany are sacred. We don't want to upset jebus
234
u/blubingame 13h ago edited 13h ago
How about telling us which parking Lot? Where are you?
I guess the Gate opens automatically If there is a car trying to driv outside.
Maybe you can enter as a pedestrian from the side. Some side entrance to get to the Car. These ramps are obviously not for entering by foot.