Vienna remains a UNESCO-Sorgekind: Heumarkt in the construction crisis!

Vienna remains a UNESCO-Sorgekind: Heumarkt in the construction crisis!

Heumarkt, 1030 Wien, Österreich - Vienna remains on the UNESCO-red list for endangered world sites. The reason for this critical Situation is the ongoing dispute over the Heumarkt project and the associated heights. According to the information from Kosmo , Vienna has been on this critical list since 2017, and a formal decision by the World Heritage Committee will be made in Paris in July 2024. The 74 meter high residential tower, originally planned for the Heumarkt site, was oversized and then reduced due to public criticism.

The current maximum heights are 56.5 meters and 47.85 meters (as of 2023), whereby a plan from the previous year provided a further reduction to 49.95 meters. The latest designs for the “Heumarkt Neu” project provide heights of 44 and 48 meters. However, these proposals do not meet the requirements of the UNESCO, which demands an alignment to the surrounding Wilhelminian style houses. The Kurier reports that Vienna must submit an updated state report by February 2026. The next option to evaluate the UNESCO would be in the summer of 2026.

background of the Heumarkt project

The Heumarkt project has been employing the public in Vienna since 2012. The redesign of the area, which the Hotel Intercontinental and an ice skating club comprises, was originally designed for a luxurious residential tower, which should be 74 meters high. After persistent criticism, however, it was decided to reduce the heights. The widening of 2017 allowed a maximum possible height of 66 meters, but the draft was then adapted to the already mentioned heights.

The UNESCO has repeatedly requested a revised draft that takes into account the architecture respecting the world heritage status. This is also evident in the previous interventions regarding the project, whereby Vienna emphasizes that the implementation of the Heumarkt project must be exposed to the environmental impact assessment. According to Goerke , the historical center of Vienna has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 and is therefore symbolic of the values ​​and the architectural meaning of the region.

The meaning of the world heritage

Vienna's admission to the UNESCO list is based on several criteria, including the importance of the urban heritage and the special architecture of the historical center. These characteristics are a testimony of significant sections of human history, which further strengthen the interest and concern for the changes in Heumarkt. Already Schönbrunn Castle, which has been considered a World Heritage Site since 1996, has previously experienced interventions from Paris, which illustrates the sensitivity of UNESCO to structural changes in historical zones.