Kalkberg (Cologne)

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Kalkberg Cologne with a worn knoll. On the left, on the oval sand surface, a knoll had been heaped up, which had to be removed again from December 2014 to relieve the mountain. In the middle the station with the hangar, in front of it the helipad. Cologne Cathedral on the right on the horizon
The Kalkberg, view from the south (2011)

The Kalkberg is an artificial elevation in the city of Cologne . It is located on the outskirts of the city center in the northwest corner of the Kalk district on the border with the Buchforst district in the corner of the city motorway and railway systems.

History of origin

The survey was created by landfill waste of the nearby former Chemische Fabrik Kalk (CFRP) in a high landfill .

According to the City of Cologne, replenishment with production residues was discontinued shortly before the first waste law came into force in 1972, which means that the Kalkberg is neither subject to the regulations of waste law nor to the rules of the landfill regulations, but only to the Soil Protection Ordinance. This area is registered under the suspected contaminated site number AL 80206 in the environmental agency of the city of Cologne.

At the time of the embankment, the Kalkberg was bare and showed a snow-capped peak in winter, from which the nickname Kalker Alpen was coined among the inhabitants . Later, when the Kalkberg was more overgrown, it was also called Monte Kalk .

The former works landfill changed to Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH & CO. KG (GSE). From 1999 to 2004, the GSE covered the top of the landfill with an approx. 50 cm thick layer of clay so that no surface water would lead to any possible pollutants being washed out into the groundwater.

In 2012 the height of the Kalkberg was 79 m normal height zero (NHN), i.e. about 32 m above the terrain.

Further development of use

The Kalkberg covers a large, fairly central area where free space is scarce. In the urban planning the question of the use of the now flooded high landfill arose. The city of Cologne developed two parallel uses for this purpose: once as a public green area with a panoramic view and once as a rescue helicopter station.

Public green area with panoramic views

As part of the urban development plan on the right bank of the Rhine, operated by the City of Cologne, a clear deficit of green spaces was identified for the "Kalk-Süd planning area" and a development plan was drawn up by the team responsible for this planning area to connect the remaining open spaces using different park typologies. The Kalkberg is an essential element for a coherent green area. The heliport is shown as a location in the planning maps, but not in any further detail. The area between Kalkberg and under the Zoobrücke is also included in this urban development plan and should have its own quality of leisure time for skateboarding and other activities through characteristic features.

In the architecture guide "Rechtsrheinisches Köln" published by the city of Cologne, the Kalkberg is a central component in all four tours listed, because it is very central on the right bank of the Rhine and opens up a 360 degree panorama over all of Cologne's districts on the right bank of the Rhine. Relationships and proportions are conveyed much more impressively than on the Cologne triangle , which in comparison is too much in a peripheral location on the Rhine.

In the council resolution of December 20, 2011, the administration was commissioned to develop a concept for a viewing platform. At the time, it was unclear whether a contiguous walkable green area would be retained and the exact location of the viewing platform, as this was not a requirement in the design by the architects OX2. The city of Cologne commissioned a public feasibility study "Kalkberg viewing platform". The feasibility study confirmed the importance and compatibility with the rescue helicopter station. The study examined several variants and recommended to fill the Kalkberg in the rear area by 2 meters to then 81 meters above sea level and to create a new path that is suitable for all population groups. On January 13, 2015, Mayor Jürgen Roters signed an urgent decision for the construction of a viewing platform. An inexpensive platform was to be built by using the road already developed for the helicopter station. The construction company that is already working on the Kalkberg was commissioned for this. The viewing platform should be accessible via stairs, a barrier-free solution was also planned.

Rescue helicopter station

A rescue helicopter that landed on the Kalkberg as a test on
November 25, 2010.
Rescue helicopter station under construction, March 2015

According to a council decision of 2005, the site is intended as an alternative location close to the city for a rescue helicopter station. The helicopters will be stationed at Cologne / Bonn Airport until completion . A lawsuit brought by a resident against the building project was rejected by the Cologne Administrative Court in 2011 . The plaintiff filed an appeal, but this was rejected by the Higher Administrative Court.

Multiple reviews of the documents on which the Council decision is based by the Audit Office (RPA) revealed gaps and irregularities. The opinion of the RPA, which belongs as Annex 13 to the Council Decision of 2011, states: "In all cost groups from property to engineering costs, uncertainties remained, which precluded a reliable assessment of the estimated costs of € 7,157,920.75 net (excluding property and equipment costs). " Furthermore, the RPA states: "The risk that will be assumed in the long term with the acquisition of the remaining area of ​​the former CFK development area cannot be reliably calculated." The RPA ends the statement by stating that "[...] costs and environmental risks" can only be avoided "[...] if the City of Cologne does without the operating station at the site."

On December 20, 2011, the city council of Cologne decided by a majority to build the new joint air rescue center for the rescue helicopter Christoph 3 and the intensive care transport helicopter Christoph Rheinland on the Kalkberg by the end of 2014. During investigations of the topsoil, lubricating oil was discovered on the northern slope of the Kalkberg in 2012, but it was allegedly only a single find, since the 32 m high chemical dump was only examined to a depth of 8 m before construction began, such statements were pure speculation , a 20 m thick layer of moistened limestone remained undiscovered. The contaminated soil was dug out and properly disposed of.

At the end of June 2013, the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office started an investigation against those responsible in the City of Cologne in connection with the acquisition of the Kalkberg site. Criminal charges against unknown persons were filed on behalf of a citizens' initiative. Employees of the city of Cologne were accused of having paid too high a price for the Kalkberg site and thus having embezzled city funds. The public prosecutor's office could not find any illegal activity. In 2013, citizens of neighboring residential buildings filed two class actions against the building permit. As a result of the hearing on February 26, 2014 before the administrative court, the complaints were withdrawn. Construction work began in September 2013.

Construction defects and construction freeze

Cracks in a wall over which plaster marks were stuck for control
Construction phase, as of December 2015. The hangar will be made winter-proof by planning over scaffolding during the construction stop

In June 2015 it became known that parts of the foundation of the helicopter base station had sagged by up to 7 cm. There is currently a construction freeze on the Kalkberg due to the significant construction defects. The deviations in the base plate continue steadily. In August 2015, the differences in the base plate were 12 cm. At the end of September 2015, subsidence over 13 cm was present in some areas. In addition, cracks are increasingly appearing on the walls of the buildings.

On December 10, 2015, after Mayor Henriette Reker had signed an emergency decision, work began on dredging away the hilltop with the viewing platform to the east of the hangar, which had been raised during the construction work. Experts had found that the additional weight of the dome (around 50,000 tonnes) compresses the limestone layer discovered in the interior of the limestone mountain during test drilling in autumn 2015 and that the mountain sinks at this point, causing structural damage to the hangar. The greatest subsidence depth before the beginning of the crest removal is 15 cm. The commissioned experts consider subsidence of up to one meter to be possible. The total costs for the first renovation attempt to save the hangar are estimated at around 7 million euros.

The Cologne Council commissioned the administration on December 15, 2015:

  1. Immediate construction stop until revoked by a (renewed) council resolution. The urgent decision to stabilize the heap of December 10, 2015 remains unaffected. Any further action requires a Council decision.
  2. The costs for the continuation and completion of the rescue helicopter station must be shown differently. It must be shown separately which necessary security measures including costs would be required if the rescue helicopter station were not to be used in the long term.
  3. A claim for damages should be carried out if there is a chance of success.
  4. The seven alternative locations for a rescue helicopter station discussed in the meetings of the technical committees in January 2015 are to be assessed.
  5. What measures would be necessary to restore the accessibility of the Kalkberg, decided by the council.

Construction costs and action for damages

In November 2011, planned costs of 10.9 million euros were estimated. A total of 13.5 million euros had been invested up to the construction stop. The cost of renovating the Kalkberg is estimated at EUR 5–10 million. The further construction of the hangar is estimated at 3–5 million euros. The removal of the hilltop is estimated at 1.5 million euros.

On December 11, 2017, the City of Cologne filed a lawsuit with the Regional Court of Cologne for damages against various companies that were involved in the planning and construction of the helicopter operating station on the Kalkberg.

On February 13, 2019, the WDR reported that the costs for the pure rehabilitation and stabilization of the mountain amounted to 20 million euros. The helicopter station costs an additional 15 million euros. This means that the planned costs have already been exceeded several times, but the station is not yet in operation.

hazards

Video: 360 ° panoramic view. March 2016

Due to the improper construction of the access road, the reshaping of the mountain in the course of the construction work and the pruning of all trees, hedges and shrubs on the Kalkberg, there is an acute risk of poison dust drifting. In dry weather, arsenic , lead and other toxins , among other things , could be blown into the environment. During the prolonged drought in summer 2018 , it was criticized that the city was not doing enough to counter the dangers of potentially polluted dust drifts, which could pollute both nearby apartments and playgrounds. Detected toxins in the topsoil include: Benzo (a) pyrene and PCB .

According to an expert report commissioned by the city administration in 2015 - after construction began - the stability of the Kalkberg is at risk. The city administration and fire brigade apparently had no further knowledge of the subsoil and structure of the Kalkberg.

Future and re-evaluation of alternative locations

A special meeting of three committees of the Cologne Council on March 18, 2016 refused the responsible city director Guido Kahlen further funds for the planning and renovation of the Kalkberg and confirmed the construction freeze again. The members of the health committee, the building committee and the environment committee criticized the following points, among others:

  • The city director and administration ignored a previous decision by the Cologne council: instead of the specified seven locations to be checked, the administration only wanted to check two locations.
  • Overall, the administrative bill is "[..] imprecise and ignores the decisions of the city council."
  • The costs set by the city administration for planning the renovation are not comprehensible

Due to the information policy of City Director Guido Kahlen, Cologne City Administration and Cologne Fire Brigade, all council groups lost confidence in the Kalkberg. City director Guido Kahlen was primarily responsible for this loss of trust. City director Guido Kahlen is also responsible for incorrect initial reports.

On March 5, 2018, the new city director Stephan Keller commissioned an expert assessment of alternative locations.

literature

  • Bernd Streitberger, Anne Luise Müller (Ed.): Right Rhine perspective. Urban planning and urban development in post-industrial Cologne 1990 to 2030. DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-101-4 , pp. 164–175.
  • Bernd Streitberger, Anne Luise Müller (ed.): Architectural guide on the right bank of the Rhine in Cologne. DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-163-2 .
  • Round table Buchforst e. V. (Ed.): 7th chapter Kalkberg in: Köln-Buchforst ... more stories. 85 years of Buchforst . Cologne 2017, pp. 78–97.

Web links

Commons : Kalkberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Map of the Cologne districts
  2. ^ BI Kalkberg: The history of the Kalkberg.
  3. ↑ ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de / ... - Template number 0459/2018 Response to resident inquiry from Manfred Kreische on January 18, 2018, question d about existing records. (Accessed May 21, 2018)
  4. ↑ a b c d ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de → Select “Annex_2 _-_ Feasibility Study_Kalkberg _-_ Text.pdf” (158 kB) (it seems that no PDF direct link is possible). (Accessed September 1, 2013)
  5. ↑ buergerhaushalt.stadt-koeln.de/ naming origin Kalkberg Alpen (accessed on May 21, 2018)
  6. ↑ Cf. Rübsamen + Partner and Club L94 Landscape Architects: Perspektiven für Kalk-Süd. In: Streitberger and Müller (eds.): Right Rhine perspective. Urban planning and urban development in post-industrial Cologne 1990 to 2030. DOM publishers, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-86922-101-4 , pp. 164–175.
  7. ↑ Workshop results - Kalk / Süd planning area. on stadt-koeln.de.
  8. ↑ See Perspectives on the right bank of the Rhine. Workshop procedure. on: clubl94.de
  9. ↑ Excerpt from the minutes of the council of December 20, 2011 on stadt-koeln.de.
  10. ↑ OX2 Architects' Draft “HBS Kalkberg”, slide “7” and slide “Text”. on ox2.de
  11. ↑ Press release: Viewing platform for the Kalkberg is being prepared on stadt-koeln.de.
  12. ↑ Landing place for helicopters: court dismisses complaint. In: The compact world. July 25, 2011.
  13. ↑ OVG Münster: Kalkberg approval is final ( memento of the original dated February 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / koeln-nachrichten.de
  14. ↑ 4300 2011 Annex 13 - Statement of the invoice verification am.pdf. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved on December 12, 2015 (Appendix 13 to 4300 2011 from the Council Information System of the City of Cologne).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / drive.google.com  
  15. ↑ http://www.express.de/koeln/neues-gutachten-akute-gefahr-durch-den-kalkberg--23688694
  16. ↑ Report of the topsoil investigation on the Kalkberg (PDF).
  17. ↑ Council information: Rescue helicopter station on the Kalkberg - discontinuation of the legal proceedings and the preliminary investigation of the Cologne public prosecutor's office there PDF communication committee
  18. ↑ Newsletter 2 on stadt-koeln.de.
  19. ↑ Cologne Kalkberg landing site foundation sags. ksta.de, accessed on June 24, 2015 .
  20. ↑ Hangar sagged, commissioning failed: Kalkberg: Cologne has its next construction debacle. express.de, accessed on October 15, 2015 .
  21. ↑ No stopping on the Kalkberg: the helicopter hangar keeps sliding down. rundschau-online.de, accessed on October 15, 2015 .
  22. ↑ Dome removed: excavators on Cologne's Kalkberg are approaching. In: Kölnische Rundschau . December 10, 2015, accessed December 11, 2015 .
  23. ↑ ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de / ... - Minutes of the Council meeting on December 15, 2015, p. 30. (Accessed May 21, 2018)
  24. ↑ Kölner Wochenspiegel: Heli-Station on the Halde - City of Cologne - Kölner Wochenspiegel. In: Kölner Wochenspiegel. Retrieved March 22, 2016 .
  25. ↑ a b Tim Attenberger, Andreas Damm: Helicopter station: Cologne fire brigade wants to continue building on Kalkberg | Cologne city indicator. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved on March 22, 2016 (German).
  26. ↑ Construction disaster: Kalkberg: Cologne city council decides to stop construction immediately! | Express.de. In: Express.de. Retrieved on March 22, 2016 (German).
  27. ↑ ratsinformation.stadt-koeln.de / ... - template number 0137/2018 of February 27, 2018, question 2 with answer on page 2. (Accessed May 21, 2018)
  28. ^ WDR: Kölner Kalkberg: Defects on the helipad. February 13, 2019, accessed February 17, 2019 .
  29. ↑ a b c Tim Attenberger: Helicopter station: Politicians argue: Is there an acute danger situation on Kalkberg? | Cologne city indicator. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved on March 22, 2016 (German).
  30. ↑ Detlef Fröhlich, Norbert Macher: Expert opinion - Oberbodenuntersucherung Kalkberg 1 in Cologne-Buchforst. In: City of Cologne. GFM Umwelttechnik, December 14, 2012, accessed on March 22, 2016 .
  31. ↑ Tim Attenberger: Kalkberg in Cologne: Expert suspects poisonous dust clouds in the air . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger . ( ksta.de [accessed on August 18, 2018]).
  32. ↑ There is an "acute danger" from the Kalkberg | koeln.de. In: www.koeln.de. Retrieved March 22, 2016 .
  33. ↑ Former landfill is more dangerous than expected - koeln-nachrichten. (No longer available online.) In: koeln-nachrichten. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016 ; accessed on March 22, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / koeln-nachrichten.de
  34. ↑ Helicopter station: Council wants to give up Kalkberg as a location | Kölnische Rundschau. In: Kölnische Rundschau. Retrieved on March 22, 2016 (German).
  35. ↑ stadt-koeln.de / ... - Press release "Administration has alternative locations to Kalkberg checked externally" from March 5, 2018. (Accessed March 21, 2018)

Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 51.9 ″  N , 6 ° 59 ′ 56.8 ″  E