In autumn of this year the time has come: the Edelweißplatz in Giesing will be redesigned. The aim is to increase the quality of stay. Only a few meters further, everything remains as it is: Despite clear wishes from the population, the Alpenplatz should not change for the time being.
The motto at Edelweißplatz is clear: unseal. The building department wants to remove around 300 square meters of the current paving and four concrete tree slabs. An “insect-friendly green area with a blooming aspect” is to be created for this purpose. So far, the work of art “Torre Pendente”, a large trunk of tropical wood, has also been located on the square. However, since this is now 35 years old and no longer “stable”, it must be supported at the moment, according to the building department. The standing work could not be secured due to rot. It should therefore be “placed horizontally in the new green area and left to natural decay”. According to the daughter of the author, Rudolf Wachter, this was probably the artist’s intention: by deciding to use transient material, he “inscribed a natural end to his work of art”. However, the fountain will remain in place.
Even if it is tight, the stay should be attractive.
(Photo: Christine Stüber/Construction Department Munich)
Three years ago, the Edelweißplatz seemed significantly larger for the summer months than it does now. At that time, the first Munich summer street was created at the request of the district committee and the citizens’ assembly. With the help of plant pots and seating, not only was the street space converted into a lounge, but the Alpine and Edelweiß squares were also temporarily combined into one area.
According to the mobility department, it was “well received”. Parents with children who used the newly gained space to play would have visited the place most frequently. While the offer was very popular on the one hand, several surveys also documented that not everyone was enthusiastic. According to the municipal authority, there was a “divided opinion”. This was confirmed by an event held by local politicians on the pilot project.
There, too, two groups appeared that still exist today: supporters advocate a repetition of the summer road or even a permanent closure to traffic. Critics mainly refer to the lack of parking spaces. Therefore, “there is no sustainable acceptance among the citizenry for a permanent transformation of the Alpenplatz”, the department draws its conclusions.