New city center oasis

Martin-Luther-Platz is to be “reformed”

According to city councillor Dietmar Prammer, Martin-Luther-Platz will be given a new "attitude to life" and the quality of life should increase significantly.(Bild: 3:0 Landschaftsarchitektur)

Such is the course of time: in the 1960s, the once flourishing parish garden of the Lutheran church was turned into a parking lot. Twelve years ago, the cars were banned, but the "concrete jungle" was spruced up rather cautiously. But that is now set to change.

"We are really looking forward to it," said Veronika Obermeir-Siegrist, pastor of the Evangelical Parish of Linz - Innere Stadt, happily at the presentation. "This project fulfills the long-held wishes of our community in the best possible way. The new Martin-Luther-Platz has the best prerequisites to become a popular meeting place and is predestined to serve as a communicative zone in the future, as an inner city oasis that is equally suitable for relaxation and events."

The central character element of the square design is a "salon under trees", which serves as a venue for city events. Here, 300 square meters of paving stones are to make way for an unsealed surface so that rainwater can seep away in a sponge substructure under the trees in future. Six new trees will complement the existing ones.

(Bild: 3:0 Landschaftsarchitektur)

Parish and city invest 800,000 euros
The salon will be overlooked by a green "box" along the northern facades. These boxes will make the traffic-calmed Johann-Konrad-Vogel-Straße more attractive. The sidewalks there will be widened with paving stones from the unsealed area. The "Reformation" is due to start in 2025. 800,000 euros will be invested by the parish and the city. For VP city councillor Martin Hajart, the redesign is a clear sign for the future, while for SP planning councillor Dietmar Prammer it is a sustainable increase in the quality of life. Climate City Councillor Eva Schobesberger (Greens): "We all have to pull together for a climate-friendly transformation, and this project shows how we can succeed."