Fears for monument protection

Citizen fears for his architectural jewel during street reconstruction

This listed, late Gothic winegrower's house in Maria Enzersdorf is located in the street that is soon to be transformed into a pedestrian zone.(Bild: ZVG Privat)

Can a building be damaged by a pedestrian zone on its doorstep? A local resident expresses concerns about the lack of sidewalk edges. Heavy rain could damage the walls of his listed building. The mayor reassures him - the project has been improved. 

Homeowner Alexander Persterer in Maria Enzersdorf is worried about his late Gothic winegrower's house, the oldest house in the village in the district of Mödling. He is convinced that the upcoming "Mariazellergasse" road construction project could pose a massive threat to it. This is because the lane is to be converted into a meeting zone. His fear: "The road profile will be leveled and the protective sidewalk edges will be removed". And: "The fact that the road will also be slightly tilted means that more water than before will reach the walls of our house when it rains and the dampness will increase," he fears. His appeal at the local council meeting in October was granted. Persterer is now all the more surprised that the issue is back on the municipal council's agenda tomorrow.

Mayor Johann Zeiner (ÖVP) is aware of Persterer's concerns and the project has already been improved. "My aim was to dispel his concerns. We provided two additional entry points and an edge strip, which we subsequently increased to eight centimetres," says the mayor. Everything was even clarified with the heritage office.

There will be another vote tomorrow. Why? "Because the framework conditions at the last meeting were dubious, the municipal council was short of members and one colleague was even biased," the mayor justifies. The project should have started this summer. 

The homeowner fears that the removal of the sidewalk edge could endanger the masonry of the old house during heavy rainfall. Mayor Zeiner says: "An eight-centimetre edge strip is planned".(Bild: ZVG Privat)