Dresden's UNESCO title threatened by new bridge

Dresden Elbe Valley was added to UNESCO's World heritage site list in 2004.

Despite this a recent decision by the Saxony court allows for the building of a new bridge to go ahead.

In a referendum in 2005, the residents of Dresden voted to continue with the bridge project to try and alleviate traffic jams. Then in 2006 UNESCO said if the bridge went ahead that it would remove the Elbe Valley from its list of over 830 world heritage sites. When this was announced the state government wanted to back down from the referendum results. However the court decision was that the referendum must stand and the bridge MUST be built.

Deutsche Welle: New Bridge Could Cost Dresden Its UNESCO Title

Typical muddled DW article. Who can tell WTF they're on about half the time?


Huh?

Anyway, it seems to me two things need to happen for everybody to be happy:

1. The engineers of the bridge need to come up with a design that is harmonious with the rest of Dresden's baroque architecture, rather than some modern horror.

2. UNESCO needs to stop expecting its World Heritage Sites to cease being living cities as soon as they receive the coveted designation. Look what happened to Venice. It's a giant museum, rather than a place where people can enjoy living. Is that what UNESCO wants? Let's hope not.

I have no doubt the two sides will come to an agreement where Dresden will get its bridge without losing its UNESCO seal of approval.

The current design is certainly an ugly bastard of a bridge, which hardly helps. And it is being built uncomfortably close to the centre of Dresden (see photos). The referendum wasn't even initiated by the local government, but was a citizen's initiative (you can force a referendum on an issue if enough people register), so you really get the impression that the local government is being bounced into building this. Some 68% voted in favour of the bridge (on a 51% turnout), although, interestingly, the vote in favour was highest away from where the bridge would be built.

Information for and against the project:

Dresden - Heritage in Danger
Pro-bridge campaign (in German)

There's also masses of information on the German Wikipedia entry: Waldschlößchenbrücke

Ahh ... the wonders of Democracy

I happened to be in Dresden this weekend, and there are a couple of points that I thought of:

• Dresden has an excellent public transportation system. There are buses and trams whizzing about all over the place at all times of the day and night. I looked out of my hotel bedroom on Sunday morning and the first two vehicles that I saw were buses. The hotel was 5km from the city centre, but the journey time there was as low as 12 minutes and never more than 19. So I have to say that I don't have much sympathy when the local residents starts whingeing about all the traffic jams.
• One would be able to see the new bridge from the city centre, and I think this is a very strong argument against its construction or, at the very least, its design. Most of the bridges in Dresden are arched bridges and thus have a relatively low profile. The design that they have for the new bridge is higher than the neighbouring bridges and thus sticks out. It also sticks out by using metal not stone. I don't understand why modern architects refuse to use stone in new constructions. All their aluminium and glass will prove to be the concrete of the 21st century, in my opinion.
• It would be interesting to have another referendum now that the choice is basically down to new bridge or World Heritage Site status. I don't have a great deal of faith in mankind at the best of times, but I think that when the choice is put as starkly as that, the majority of people will decide they can live without the stupid bridge after all. Since this important information wasn't available when they voted the first time, it could indeed be argued that the results are no longer relevant.

what i have heard is that part o fthe reason for the new bridge is the the blue wonder needs repairs in the future and if they close it for repairs then the traffic to the other bridges will be more. traffic around the bridges is already not nice. i wont use the new bridge but if building it will make any help to the traffic then i am happy to see it come.

Yesterday 6th June 2007 Karlsruhe-based Constitutional Court ruled in favor of a local citizens' referendum to build the bridge over the Elbe.

Hmmm but I have alos heard that the Bundes are going to withdraw funding forthe project. It was seeming planned originally in the mid 90's as the expected increase in traffic was large, howeverthe actual increase in traffic is less than expected.

German court rules to build bridge

Seriously, how many people come to Dresden because of the UNESCO title. There will always be things that people don't want but they are necessary. Just imagine all the things wouldn't be there today - Infineon, AMD, VW at Strassburger Platz, the A17. All of those are soooo important for our economy here. If they would have listened to all the people who were against it for environmental reasons, Dresden would be a lot worse off today. I believe it is good to build the brigde. It might make Dresden a little less green but look around. Most city with rivers has more bridges than we do. I think it will an interesting part of the modern historic Dresden. We have history but we are also prepared for the future and that is the most important thing... I hope that makes sense

Construction of the bridge was due to start on Mon 13th August has been halted yesterday by a court ruling thanks to a BAT.


Bat Halts Controversial Bridge Construction in Dresden

...but that decision has now been overturned and it seems that building will now proceed. You can kick up a fuss, but the car-driving lobby is just too strong.

Dresden Court Overturns Halt on Elbe River Bridge

Dresden to Scale Down Bridge to Preserve World Heritage Status

The city has announed plans for a slimmer bridge (1 metre ) in order to pacify UNESCO, it is still an ugly looking thing IMHO. There are still protests every Monday and there is a major signature gathering in order to reconsider a tunnel, despite that construction of the bridge has already started.

Amazing really that they won't stop construction while they think this thing through properly, but the pro-bridge interests are just too strong. I can't really see how reducing the width of the bridge by 4% will make even the remotest difference.

Construction has been stopped since at least 1990 :-) For anyone who can understand German well, there's a Wikipedia article detailing the long, arduous process ...

Anne, they started construction on the bridge in Nov. 2007. Take a walk by the Elbe and you'll see the work. Wikipedia is not a reliable source for information.

i think someone thought dresden needs a bridge. Then took the time to find a place to put it. to hire a preson to design it. Then get the government to approve it and pay for it. I guess that this took a long time. I am not sure what they need to think about now. The bridge should be built already. So far as I understand there wa sa vote and people said they want the bridge. just because a hand full of tree huggers want to stop the bridge keeps getting posponed. still i like the tunnel idea I think we should do both. So lets ge tthe bridge built and then after words we can build a tunnel too!

I heard that they had a vote without any design for the bridge being shown.

Bridge or Tunnel.. 'What will the brigde look like'.. 'What are you stupid, bridge or tunnel?'...

So, 'political party A or B'.. 'Who will be the head of the government be and what are their policies'.. 'What are you stupid...'

As discussed above, the vote took place before it was realised that the bridge would threaten the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

@Annaf: There's nothing wrong with Wikipedia; the problem usually lies with the person reading it.

Hey cb6dba is that a personal attack on me, i did not know you carred. Ok I thought i was fairly civil but if what Anne k wrote is true. Then the bridge has been thought about for 17+ years. But yes maybe we can wait until the blue wonder is closed then disscuss it again, then it will really suck to drive a car around. I think I was clear I am pro building everything. So the bridge and the tunnel. I am quite sure this is not going to happen, but i was tring to show that I have a support building the bridge. As the bridge is started planed and so partialy paid for i would prefer a bridge to a tunnel. Also I would not switch the plans and give any more reasons to delay, disscuss, or derail the plans to build something to fix the traffic problem. There are some traffic issues in dresden I have no idea if this will help or not, and I do not argue that getting rid of cars would not help for all you green public trasportation people. After we build the bridge if there are still traffic problems then we can have a referendum banning cars in dresden see if 67 % will sign up for that.
STB So should all govt need to get permission from the UN or UNESCO before doing anything. Should a free referendum be cancelled because a international organzation whos goal is to stop developent in one place so people from a other place can see it. After reading the points from the UNESCO site as to why dresden is on the list I think 3 of the 4 on the site have 0 impact from the bridge but the part about the landscape could be partial affected from one vantage point at one place. Still I feel there is a lot of nice elbe vally to look at. even with a new modern bridge.
Could there be something better Sure, always could, but i would liek to th see the bridge before i die if at all possiable.

Eh...

Not quite how you take a personal attack from what I wrote, are you sure you read my comment and not someone elses? If you were joking, use smilies.

My comment was about the fact that the vote included may have not included any design for the bridge, so, as further in my post, it would be like voting for a government when you did not know who would be the head of it or what they were planning to do.

i took the "are you stupid" part as a attack.

maybe i misunderstood something

As you say, maybe you did.

Not sure why you would focus on one phrase in a whole post and apply it to yourself.

What I meant is that there have been serious plans for building a bridge at that spot since the late '80s (and in fact going far further back; if you look at a map of the area you can see all the roads are laid out ready for the bridge they wanted to build back around 1900) - and something (e.g. the fall of the GDR) has always come in the way of construction, see Wikipedia. Hence my comment that construction has been stopped for some time, and the smiley :-)

With all the plans that have been made over the years, I believe they've certainly thought the thing through - but of course, thinking the thing through doesn't necessarily result in a decision everyone will be satisfied with.

So after the meeting wiht UNESCO yesterday they rejected the alternative plans for a smaller bridge. Hence only a tunnel will same the UNESCO status for the Elbe valley!


Full story here:Alternative Bridge Plans Won't Save Dresden's UNESCO Title

The environmental group Robin Wood occupied one of the cranes at the construction site this morning in protest of the construction.

The saga of the bridge rumbles on:

UNESCO Grants Dresden One Year Reprieve

UNESCO did not wipe Dresden off the Unesco heritage list as was widely expected at the meeting in Quebec yesterday. Instead they have bee ngranted a one year reprieve in which Unesco hope that the legal challenges underway will settle the issue.

However the new Mayor elect Frau Arsch Orosz was quoted as saying:


Despite the fact that she is adamantly pushing forward for the construction of said (unwanted and unnecessary) bridge. (IMHO)

From Blooomberg: Dresden to Lose UN `World Heritage' Label Over New Elbe Bridge

it is quoted:


So in a nutshell it is still on the endangered list of 2, list for at least one more year. Protests will continue, as will more and more legal procedings.

Thanks for the update.