World Heritage Site
Construction work for Info Centre at Mathildenhöhe can begin - Darmstadt's Mathildenhöhe clears trees for long-awaited visitor centre after protests
Protesters were cleared from the site before trees were felled, allowing work on the long-planned visitor center to begin at the UNESCO-listed location.
With the completion of tree-clearing at the Mathildenhöhe World Heritage Site in Darmstadt, construction of the planned visitor center can now commence. "Together, we have ensured that these decisions—pursued for nearly a decade—can finally be implemented," said Darmstadt's Lord Mayor Hanno Benz (SPD).
The decision to build a visitor center was made in 2016, with the facility intended as a cornerstone of the site's heritage outreach, consolidating visitor services, orientation, and educational programs. Benz noted that this plan was developed long before Mathildenhöhe was granted World Heritage status and has since been advanced with consistent, expert-backed, and goal-oriented planning.
Police clear site occupied by protesting activists
Trees were cut down to make way for construction. Benz again emphasized that the protests against the clearing had largely remained peaceful. "Peaceful protest is what our democratic rule of law provides for when opinions differ, and this was largely upheld on the eastern slope," he said. However, the discovery of an unfilled but nail-studded propane tank had crossed the line of legitimate protest.
On Thursday, police cleared the site, which had been occupied by a number of activists, ahead of the tree felling. Preparatory construction work is set to begin next week.
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