Overview
- City leaders announced a Baustopp and an open-ended moratorium on Monday that stops all work at the Osthang and secures the excavated site while officials rework priorities.
- The administration said it will produce a Vermittlungskonzept to define what visitors need to learn about the UNESCO ensemble and to decide which services must be on site and which can be offered digitally.
- Escalating costs drove the rethink: the project estimate rose from about €6 million to roughly €21 million, while the city also faces about €15 million in restoration needs for the historic Mathildenhöhe buildings.
- Controversy over the plan has been intense after activists occupied the Osthang, police cleared the site in February and 13 trees were felled during preparatory work, and critics demanded greater transparency.
- The city has agreed to publish the master plan after settling a previously unpaid planner invoice and plans to create a central Welterbe-Management to consolidate responsibilities and involve the state of Hesse in future decisions.