Waldschlösschen Bridge

The Waldschlösschen Bridge (German: Waldschlößchenbrücke or Waldschlösschenbrücke) is a road bridge across the Elbe river in Dresden. The bridge was intended to remedy inner-city traffic congestion. Its construction was highly controversial, as the Dresden Elbe Valley had been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and UNESCO expressed strong concerns against the bridge, noting its intent to withdraw the World Heritage title if the bridge were built.[1] As a result of this project, the Dresden Elbe Valley was listed in 2006 as an "Endangered World Heritage Site" (one of two in Europe, the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo being the other one), and in 2009 became only the second World Heritage Site to be de-listed.[2]

Waldschlösschen Bridge

Waldschlößchenbrücke
Coordinates51.0639°N 13.7768°E / 51.0639; 13.7768
CarriesRoad traffic
CrossesElbe
LocaleDresden
Preceded byLoschwitz Bridge
Followed byAlbertbrücke
Characteristics
DesignSteel arch
MaterialSteel and concrete
Total length635 metres (2,083 ft)
Width14m carriageway
& 2 cantilevered paths each 4.45m
Longest span148 metres (486 ft)
Clearance below26 metres (85 ft)
History
ArchitectKolb Ripke
Engineering design byEiSat
Constructed byPERI
Construction start2007
Construction end2012
Construction cost€180m
OpenedAugust 24, 2013 (2013-08-24)
Location

History
The bridge at night
The bridge compared to other Dresden bridges

As plans to build a bridge at this location had existed for a century, in 1996, in line with a revised traffic model, the Dresden City Council agreed to the project. After almost eight years of preparation for the process of obtaining planning permission, a public referendum on whether to build the bridge was held in 2005. This resulted in a majority voting for the bridge. In April 2006, the city council stopped the plans following the UNESCO complaint.[3] The Free State of Saxony complained, and in March 2007, at a legal hearing, the Sächsisches Oberverwaltungsgericht (the state administrative high court) ruled in favor of the planned bridge.[4] The ruling was described by Vice President of the German Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse as "a sad day for Germany".[5]

Construction stalled after an administrative court ruled in August 2007 that steps needed to be taken to ensure that the endangered lesser horseshoe bat was protected as it was believed that only around 650 remained in Germany, with some living near the site of the proposed bridge. German courts ruled in November 2007 that work could resume.[6]

On 25 June 2009 the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO voted to remove the status of World Heritage Site from the Dresden Elbe Valley because of the construction of the Waldschlösschenbrücke. It is the only time a European site has ever been delisted, and only the second in the world.[2][7]

The bridge was designed by ESKR: Eisenloffel and Sattler (engineers) and Kolb and Ripke (architects) who won the open competition in 1997.[8] It was built by PERI Gmbh.[9]

The bridge was officially opened on 24 August 2013[10] and has been open to traffic since the morning of 26 August 2013.

Construction location in 2003

See also

References
  1. "World Heritage Committee threatens to remove Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany) from World Heritage List". UNESCO. 2006-07-11.
  2. "Dresden is deleted from UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  3. Beyer, Susanne (2007-02-07). "A Bridge Too Far for UNESCO: World Heritage Dresden Gets Yellow Card". Der Spiegel International.
  4. "Waldschlößchenbrücke muss gebaut werden" (in German). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. 2007-03-13. Archived from the original on 2007-03-15. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  5. "Schlimmer Tag für Deutschland". Der Spiegel (in German). 2007-03-13.
  6. "Proposed bridge in Dresden fuels protests over modernization". International Herald Tribune. 2008-01-04.
  7. "Unesco-Entscheidung: Dresdner Elbtal verliert Weltkulturerbe-Status". Der Spiegel (in German). 2009-06-25.
  8. "design team ESKR" (in German). Henry Ripke Architekten. 2006-03-04. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03.
  9. peri.com projects, waldschloesschenbruecke, accessed 29 October 2015
  10. (in German) "Umstrittene Waldschlößchenbrücke eröffnet", Spiegel Online, 24 August 2013
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