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7 Conclusions/Recommendations
It is important to emphasise that the purpose of this report is to study and evaluate the
visual effects of the planned “Verkehrszug Waldschlösschenbrücke” [Waldschlösschen
Bridge thoroughfare] on the World Heritage Site “Dresden Elbe Valley“. For this reason,
a summary statement like this one can neither reflect traffic-related, economic and
legal aspects of the project, nor can it demonstrate untested alternatives in terms of
the bridge’s visual effects. This statement is the result of an analysis of one aspect only,
which is however, of exceptional significance with regard to securing, maintaining and
developing the unique qualities of this Wold Heritage site. Dresden Elbe Valley‘s status
as a World Heritage site requires a circumspect approach to development that will
allow the cultural landscape to evolve with the same caution and respect shown to it in
centuries past.
While the summary at the end of each chapter sets out a number of preliminary conclu-
sions, the result of the entire study can be summarized into three broad statements:
1. The Waldschlösschen Bridge does not fit in with the existing series of Dresden city
bridges.
Both in terms of its dimension and scale as well as in its visual appearance and technical
specifications, it is a “misfit” within the context of other Dresden bridges within the
World Heritage Site area. But in particular, it is the tunnel extension and the multi-level
junctions to the bridge heads with their technical apparatus which give the “Verkehrs-
zug Waldschlösschenbrücke“ the character of an expressway. It is therefore a virtual
certainty that the Waldschlösschen Bridge would not demonstrate the qualities that can
be associated with bridges, and which exemplify the culture of Dresden city bridges.
As part of the city’s public spaces, they provide unique perspectives on the city itself as
well as the Elbe Valley landscape. They speak a “language” which is strongly associated
with Dresden and which is rooted in the consciousness of the local population. By con-
trast, the Waldschlösschen Bridge demonstrates characteristics of bridges from outside
the World Heritage site area, which almost exclusively serve the purpose of handling
traffic with minimal consideration for standards of urban design.
2. The Waldschlösschen Bridge obscures a number of views of the Dresden skyline and
the Elbe Valley which are of historical importance as well as continuing relevance to
daily life in the city.
Because of the large distances which characterise the area of the Elbe river bend, as well
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