There are a good dozen Kennedy Squares in Germany, one of which is in the town of Landshut. This square has recently been the subject of discussion because a 130-year-old building is to be demolished there. Many buildings that characterize the town have already had to be demolished in Landshut. Now this latest case has sparked another emotional debate, which is as much influenced by the possible general ban on demolition of historic buildings in Landshut as by the common saying: “Just tear down the old Graffl!”
Of course, not every jewel in the city blessed with more than 600 architectural monuments will be lost. Among the 216 construction projects across Bavaria that will soon be submitted to the “Architecture Tours” Also open to the public are six exemplary restored buildings from Landshut, including a listed residential building, the revitalized former district post office and an old factory.
There is no doubt that the Bavarian Monument Protection Act, passed 51 years ago, has had a positive effect in Landshut. Back in the crazy 1960s, it wouldn’t have taken much for a highway to be built right through the Gothic city center. Fortunately, the filmmaker Dieter Wieland read the riot act to the progress-obsessed city fathers and raised their awareness of this unique urban landscape in good time.
But as historically sublime as the city appears with its exemplary renovations, excavators are used regularly. The question of what Landshut’s historical buildings still count for is as open as ever, which is why the Landshut newspaper organized a panel discussion to finally look for answers.
During the discussion, which was attended by Mayor Alexander Putz, local heritage and monument conservationists, architects and investors, it became clear that satisfactory solutions are not in sight. The arguments all too often draw their strength from the belief that the other side is stubborn, stingy, oblivious to history and has no idea about the subject matter. Moreover, questions, such as those about the Landshut floodplain problem, are often shattered by engineering explanations that the layperson can hardly follow. And questions such as how young people actually see their city remain completely unanswered for the time being. Those young people, in other words, about whom we unfortunately know too little, as the European elections have shown.
The only thing that is certain is that there were hardly any people under 30 at the event, which ultimately leads to the realization that in Landshut and elsewhere there is still a lot to be said about building and preservation, in the spirit of Bert Brecht: “We ourselves stand disappointed and look on in dismay / The curtain is closed and all questions remain unanswered.”