2023-06-12 06:59:00
Not everyone in the community is thrilled that this might potentially bring more tourists or restrictions on builders. The citizens of Schwangau will vote on Sunday whether they support the project. Neuschwanstein is the figurehead of the World Heritage proposal “Built Dreams”, in which four buildings by Ludwig II are proposed together. The castles Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee as well as the royal house at Schachen are also included.
Neuschwanstein is one of the most famous landmarks in Bavaria, the most visited castle in Germany and famous all over the world. “Neuschwanstein is simply incomparable, a total work of art made up of architecture and landscape, art and technology,” enthuses Alexander Wiesneth, who is responsible for World Heritage issues at the Bavarian Palaces and Lakes Administration.
In 2015, the Bavarian Castles application was officially launched at Unesco in Paris. The expert committees thought they were on the home stretch: the text of the application and the management plan are ready following many rounds of discussions and votes. They are to be submitted to Unesco on September 30 for preliminary examination. The final application is scheduled for February 1, 2024, and the decision of the World Heritage Committee is expected in summer 2025.
Lots of caveats
Now only one thing is missing: the Schwangau municipal council would have to decide that it supports the application. The other communities affected by the application have already done so. In Schwangau, however, there are so many reservations regarding the plans among the population and the municipal council that the committee was unable to make a decision. Instead, it was decided that there should be a referendum. “This is direct democracy in action,” says Schwangau Mayor Stefan Rinke (CSU).
There were two information events beforehand to inform citizens and to hear their concerns. For example, mistrust was expressed regarding the “buffer zone” that is to be formed around the castle. “Is everything under ensemble protection then?” or “May I build another Aussiedlerhof there?” was asked by interested parties. Others expressed concern that the World Heritage title might attract even more visitors who drive in and clog the roads. Some also fundamentally question the usefulness of the World Heritage designation.
Now the people have to decide
Bavaria’s Art Minister Markus Blume and Finance Minister Albert Füracker (both CSU) also tried once more in advance to promote the World Heritage seal. Because it offers “the great chance to get the world’s most coveted title” for Neuschwanstein and Co. “Not only in the Free State do we know that the Bavarian royal castles are something very special,” said Blume. “Nevertheless, the will of the local citizens is particularly important to us,” added Füracker, who is responsible for the palace administration.
If the majority of Schwangau residents vote “no” to the application at the ballot box, the application has no chance of success, because Unesco requires the support of the municipalities concerned. That would be embarrassing for the Free State. In addition, a new attempt might only be made in a few years in order to still get on the World Heritage List.
European applications are having a hard time anyway, because Europe is already disproportionately represented among the 1,157 World Heritage sites and the list should retain a certain degree of exclusivity. Germany alone already lists 51 natural and cultural heritage sites, including the Upper Bavarian rococo jewel Wieskirche and the historic Augsburg water management system in the vicinity.
Germany’s world heritage expert Birgitta Ringbeck, long-time head of the relevant coordination office in the Federal Foreign Office, doesn’t even want to think regarding failure: “I can’t imagine that we in Germany will complete the world heritage list and Neuschwanstein isn’t on it.”
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