Preserve instead of destroy

Viadukt e. V.

There is no one in the city who doesn't know it: the Chemnitz Viaduct. From 2013 and on the way to the Capital of Culture bid, a citizens' initiative fought to prevent Deutsche Bahn from demolishing the listed railway bridge. The fact that the viaduct is still standing today is thanks to the tireless efforts of the association "Viadukt e. V." The two founding members Johannes Rödel and Frank Kotzerke received an award for their efforts in October - but not just for the association.

What is so special about the Chemnitz Viaduct?

Frank Kotzerke: In my view, the viaduct symbolises a time in Chemnitz that was a particularly good one for the city, because it developed and was strongly influenced at that time. Chemnitz has already lost so many of the things from that time. But the viaduct stands in a context in which you can understand how Chemnitz functioned around 1900.
Johannes Rödel: The bridge's character as a landmark in the cityscape is important. But it is also of great importance as an engineering monument: it was designed, prefabricated, delivered and built by the engineers at Königin-Marien-Hütte Zwickau. It was a very modern building for its time. At the time it was built, it symbolised a technical revolution. And it is also an aesthetically interesting and sophisticated building.

How can it be that the viaduct was to be demolished when it was a listed building?

Frank Kotzerke: That happens to many monuments. We at the Stadtforum have been dealing with the demolition of monuments throughout the city since 2005/2006. The economic balance is always set against the value of the monument: What does it cost to renovate the building, what does it cost to build a new one and demolish the old one? Of course, this calculation can be skewed in any direction. And that's exactly what Deutsche Bahn did with the viaduct - that's what every owner who would rather build a new structure than preserve a monument does. And then such a structure is quickly removed from the list of monuments and loses its protected status. That would have been the case with the viaduct.
Johannes Rödel: Deutsche Bahn tried to do it that way. However, the legal situation is now viewed differently because the viaduct is a monument that is owned by the federal government. The railway infrastructure belongs to the Federal Republic of Germany and is only managed by Deutsche Bahn as a privately organised company. In our view, the clause that a monument can be demolished if it is unreasonable for the owner does not apply to federally owned objects. The public sector has an increased maintenance obligation. The railway is considered a bad owner of monuments and it needs citizens' initiatives to help it become a better owner.

How did you find out that the viaduct was to be demolished?

Frank Kotzerke: We were approached by the head of the monument protection authority at the time and told that demolition was on the cards. At the same time, another Chemnitz resident, who is in favour of preserving buildings, was on the same track and we naturally followed up on that. It was confirmed that the plans were still in place. I personally found out about the competition for the new railway bridge from the Chamber of Architects. It was actually less about the demolition.
Johannes Rödel: I joined in 2013 when there was a petition against the demolition of the viaduct, which was launched by the city forum. We wanted to support the petition, we wanted to do something, we wanted to help. That's how we both got in touch.

And that's how the citizens' initiative to save the viaduct came about?

Johannes Rödel: There were already two groups: the Stadtforum and Stadtbild Chemnitz, which had originally started the petition. Together with the Morgner family, we put together a photo exhibition about industrial architecture in Chemnitz in the Morgner archive to mobilise people and support the petition. We organised lectures on this and the circle grew as a result. We later decided to found an association because it was foreseeable that it would be favourable in the planning approval process if we were a legal entity and not just a citizens' initiative. That was our founding story.

A planning approval is a procedure to find out whether a structure in the public space may be demolished, rebuilt or modified. Construction projects that affect the railway must always be reviewed in such procedures by the Federal Railway Authority, which makes the decision on the project. In the case of the Chemnitz viaduct and other listed bridges, Deutsche Bahn also applied for a planning approval procedure in 2016. For around six weeks, citizens from Chemnitz were able to submit their opinions on this plan to the authorities. The association made this easier for them:

How did you manage to convince the Federal Railway Authority that the viaduct must be preserved?

Frank Kotzerke: There was a participation process in the planning procedure. It was important that we got enough people on our side by the start of the process - from politics and from the public. Of course, this then persuaded the decision-makers at the Federal Railway Authority to lean towards our recommendation.
Johannes Rödel: Deutsche Bahn was aiming for a legal confrontation. It was not prepared to compromise beforehand, did not want to discuss maintenance options, which have now been worked out, but said that it would let the planning approval procedure decide who was right. We prepared ourselves well for this, also with the help of supporters and experts. I don't know which argument counted the most. But in the case of the viaduct, the Federal Railway Authority proved us right on all points. We received support from all sides involved and ultimately also from politicians - the city of Chemnitz also spoke in the planning approval process. And if the technical aspects also speak in favour of preserving the viaduct, then the Federal Railway Authority couldn't decide otherwise. (laughs)


How was the participation in the planning approval process?

Johannes Rödel: In larger planning projects, the project sponsor has to explain what it intends to do and then citizens who are affected by it can comment on it. We wrote a sample submission for this purpose, which explained how the viaduct is significant for the cityscape and why it is important for history. It explained why ordinary citizens are affected and why we are against demolishing the viaduct for these reasons. We published this sample petition on our website and many people printed it out, wrote something underneath it and sent it to the regional directorate.

Did you meet with Deutsche Bahn employees in person?

Johannes Rödel: Yes. We wrote to the regional representative of Deutsche Bahn responsible for Central Germany at the time and asked for a meeting. We were actually sure that he wouldn't do this before the planning approval procedure. But surprisingly, he made an appointment relatively quickly. He was here and brought the bridge workshop from Dresden with him as steel construction experts who were not involved in the procedure. He had us explain everything to him. It was a constructive meeting. And, of course, there were always opportunities to talk to those responsible for the procedure and to exchange ideas at the hearing dates.
Frank Kotzerke: The first meeting was not as reserved as you might expect: the person responsible for the railway did not come with a negative attitude. He really listened to it in detail and admitted that it was the first time he had stood under the viaduct and was impressed.
Johannes Rödel:...and he also understood the history. Why the people of Chemnitz are interested in this at all, why they are so obviously attached to a bridge. I think that was also his real interest: He wanted to get to know the people who run it. I also remember it as a very constructive conversation.

In 2018, the Federal Railway Authority decided that Deutsche Bahn had to renovate the viaduct.how did that make you feel?

Johannes Rödel: Great, we celebrated!
Frank Kotzerke: Everyone we spoke to who deals with these things all the time said that our chances were slim. Of course, they have improved over time, but everyone said it's almost hopeless against an opponent like the railway. That's why it was first and foremost joy, of course, but also a bit of relief.
Johannes Rödel: I would have been very disappointed if it had turned out differently.

You received the Silver Hemisphere of the 2020 German Prize for Monument Protection, the highest honour for monument protection awarded in Germany. What does that mean to you?

Frank Kotzerke: It's an award that doesn't cover everything: We as an association may have received it, but it should recognise many more people in Chemnitz who have worked hard and helped to ensure that the bridge is still preserved today. Perhaps something like this should be used to make it clear that it is worth standing up for a cause. That you can also win against an institution for the benefit of the majority.
Johannes Rödel: I was delighted that the German National Committee for Monument Protection recognised such an effort for an old railway bridge.

You were actively involved in the Capital of Culture application. What was the result?

Johannes Rödel: The viaduct is one of the city's intervention sites. The viaduct is one of the sites in the Stadt am Fluss project. There was a public participation process in which various projects or objects were presented. The viaduct was selected as one of six projects. What actually happens there now is another question. The design of the surrounding area is very important to us and we want to get involved. It is my opinion that the citizens from the city districts should have their say. There have already been suggestions. I think that we should utilise the location of the viaduct and its symbolic significance a little more. My ideas go in two directions: on the one hand, networking similar initiatives in Europe. We are not the only ones in Saxony who have problems preserving technical monuments. And on the other hand, the topic of art in architecture. A lot of art in architecture has disappeared in the city. Where is it? I would also find that very interesting in the context of the Capital of Culture.

What are your hopes for the Capital of Culture year 2025 - for Chemnitz and for your organisation?

Frank Kotzerke: First of all for Chemnitz, of course, many visitors who come here with interest and that Chemnitz also loses a bit of its grey image. That the people of Chemnitz are encouraged to discover and perceive their city differently than they perhaps do now.
Johannes Rödel: Of course I hope that the viaduct is finished and that the construction work is on schedule. For the association, I hope that we are still around (both laugh).