Controversial building plans

Heumarkt project: Inner City puts up a tree

District head Markus Figl in front of the 95-year-old tree that would have to be felled for the Heumarkt project.

(Bild: BV1)

Not only UNESCO, but also the inner city is not happy with the plans for new buildings on Heumarkt, which have been controversial for years, but is largely powerless: the reason lies in the third district. The situation is different on Lothringerstrasse in front of it, where the district is now pulling the lever.

In the years-long struggle over the redevelopment of the Heumarkt, the inner city has largely been condemned to the role of spectator, although it would be the main victim if UNESCO were to remove "Vienna's historic center" from the list of World Heritage Sites. But now the district has remembered: they cannot have a say in the construction, but they can have a say in the redesign of Lothringerstrasse directly in front of it. This would also have to be redesigned for the project, and it is located in the first district.

31 trees in danger
Specifically, the district is concerned about 31 trees which, according to the district council, would have to be felled for the planned relocation of Lothringerstrasse, including a 102-year-old tree of the gods (number 3003 in the Vienna Tree Register) and a 95-year-old Italian maple (number 3004). Both are in the middle of the green strip, which was redesigned in 2004 and survived well. However, the district council fears that the redesign of Lothringerstrasse would mean that the entire green strip at this point, along with 29 other trees, would be history.

It must not happen that trees have to be felled in the inner city because of a project in the third district.

Markus Figl, Bezirksvorsteher Wien Innere Stadt

Bild: krone.tv

At its last meeting, the district council decided to instruct the municipal authorities to plan the Heumarkt project in such a way that Lothringerstrasse is not affected. The motion was tabled jointly by the ÖVP, Greens, Neos and FPÖ. Only the SPÖ did not want to participate. "We want to preserve the green space in Lothringerstraße and not cover it in concrete," said district leader Markus Figl, mobilizing against the city's plans.

Investor sees itself denigrated
From the point of view of construction investor Wertinvest, however, the Innere Stadt is using false information to create an atmosphere against the project: the relocation of the road would only necessitate the felling of the old maple tree, which, according to an expert opinion, would only have a life expectancy until 2029 at the most anyway. Wertinvest told the "Krone" newspaper that all other trees would not be affected, but on the contrary, new ones would be planted: 16 trees on Lothringerstrasse at the boundary of the site, a further 7 on Heumarkt itself and optionally 9 more in front of the concert hall.

UNESCO status indispensable as a "tool" for Figl
For his part, however, Figl once again emphasized that the UNESCO World Heritage status for Vienna's city center must be maintained "as a tool for preserving the unique flair of the city centre and maintaining its historical characteristics for future generations". The next round in UNESCO's match against the city and the project operators is scheduled for February: UNESCO will then announce whether anything will change regarding Vienna's place on the Red List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. However, the likelihood of this is low, as the city has so far shown little concession to the required building height.