Café Frau Kunni in Gräfenberg wins the State Prize for Building Culture!

Café Frau Kunni in Gräfenberg wins the State Prize for Building Culture!

In Gräfenberg, an idyllic town in the Forchheim district, the “Frau Kunni” café was awarded the renowned state prize “Village Renewal and Building Culture”. This prize was awarded on October 30, 2025 at a ceremony in Munich. Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) honored a total of eleven builders who have distinguished themselves through exemplary renovations and revitalizations of buildings that characterize the townscape. The state prize is awarded every two years and is endowed with 3,000 euros each. This year, the winners were selected from around 1,300 submitted projects, as infranken.de reports.

The “Frau Kunni” café is the heart project of operator Julia Buttler, who undertook the conversion of an old farmstead from 1906. Their goal was to preserve as much of the original building as possible while making it modern. This successful combination of old building and modern elements has breathed new life not only into her family, but also into the entire village. Kaniber emphasizes that the award winners' commitment contributes to the preservation of distinctive buildings in the town center and noticeably improves the quality of life in rural areas.

The importance of village renewal

In her remarks, Minister Kaniber underlined the far-reaching benefits of village renewal: This contributes to improving the quality of life in rural areas, increases the attractiveness of the villages and reduces the consumption of land and energy. In addition, such projects strengthen regional value creation, which is of great importance for the economic stability of rural areas. The building culture represents an expression of values ​​and identity and creates a home and roots for future generations, the minister continued.

Bavarian villages are experiencing remarkable development thanks to contemporary architecture. The state prize not only honors private developers, but also public initiatives that contribute to the revitalization of village structures. In the last two years, the Free State has invested over 70 million euros in village renewal to promote sustainable and future-oriented construction projects, as can be read on stmelf.bayern.de.

This year, a total of five private and six public developers were honored who have set standards with their extraordinary projects. A look at these award winners is a sign of the commitment and creativity in Bavarian villages. The “Frau Kunni” café symbolizes the successful combination of tradition and modernity - a wonderful example of how village spaces can be brought to life through new ideas.