The long legal dispute over the ownership of Rheinfels castle in the German municipality of St. Goar has finally been resolved. On Thursday, the St. Goar city council approved an out-of-court settlement with Georg Friedrich, a descendent of the Hohenzollern princes, as mayor Falko Hönisch tol the AFP News Agency on Friday.

According to the settlement, the castle ruins will remain the property of the city, but a part of the proceeds from entry tickets will be turned over to the Kira-von-Preußen Foundation to benefit children's and youth projects in St. Goar. The yearly proceeds will depend on the number of visitors to Rheinfels Castle, but to support the foundation, the entry fee will be raised: an additional euro per adult and 50 cents per child.

Hönisch estimates that roughly €50,000 ($55,000) can be raised annually for the foundation. "Because this money is independent of the city budget, children and youth work in St. Goar is guaranteed for decades," said Hönisch.

Cooperation with the foundation is to begin on January 1, 2021, with ticket prices raised on March 1.

The Higher Regional Court in Koblenz had decided last June that Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia could lay no claim to Rheinfels Castle. The ruins had belonged to the prince's family until the end of World War I, were then transferred to an administrator. In 1924, the castle changed ownership again and was turned over to the city of St. Goar.

(dpa/rf)