Project Neusiedler See Bridge

The project Neusiedler Lake Bridge over the Lake Neusiedl between Mörbisch and Illmitz to a design by Alfred Pauser was too early 1970s under the Governor Theodor Kery tracked project to the traffic point of connection of the Seewinkel improve and the modernity of Burgenland to To express. It was not realized.

The road bridge on pillars made of reinforced concrete would have been the second longest bridge in Europe with a length of 3,241 m. Its construction was decided by the Burgenland State Parliament on March 2, 1971, but met with increasing opposition. So protested Otto Koenig , Bernhard Grzimek , Konrad Lorenz and Antal Festetics against the construction of the bridge.

Klara Köttner-Benigni won over the botanist Gustav Wendelberger for public resistance to the project. The WWF joined this, creating the first citizens' initiative in Austria. In the short time available, almost 20,000 signatures were given in support of the Austrian Nature Conservation Union's initiative against the bridge project . For the objective assessment of the project, Kery used a group of experts from Germany, which spoke out against the project.

literature

Fabian Stegmayer, The Seebrücke project - "Brückenkampf" at Lake Neusiedl , diploma thesis, University of Vienna, 2013.

Draft representation as a perspective drawing in the follow-up to the book by: Margit Pflagner , J. Marco (photos): Burgenland. 80 color pictures with explanations in German and English. Preface by the Governor of Burgenland Theodor Kery , English translation: Ursula Halama, Frick Verlag, Vienna 1970.

Landesmuseum Burgenland (Hg): “Scientific work from Burgenland” in the “Natural Sciences” section, issue 48, 1971
Ernst Bruckmüller , Ernst Hanisch , Roman Sandgruber (Hg): History of Austrian Agriculture and Forestry in the 20th Century , Vienna 2003
Judith Duller-Mayrhofer, Der Neusiedlersee, Von Fischen und Fürsten, von Wein und Wind , S 142f, Kampf: A certain Klara Köttner-Benigni ... , Metro Verlag 2013. ISBN 978-3-99300- 127-8

Individual evidence

^ ORF Burgenland Curious projects for Lake Neusiedl. Second longest bridge in Europe. July 28, 2005
↑ See http://burgenland.orf.at/tv/stories/2654637/
↑ Klara Köttner-Benigni: The project of a bridge over Lake Neusiedl. In: Burgenland homeland sheets . 4/2007, pp. 214–231 (Köttner-Benignis autobiographical treatise in close connection with the special exhibition of the Burgenland State Museum "Der See"), PDF on ZOBODAT
↑ Three essays by technical officials on the subject, which are also remarkable from today's perspective and a valuable addition to other existing representations. Even the active opponent of the bridge project at the time will hardly doubt the seriousness of the statements, especially those of Karl Ofner and Georg Schreiber. Ofner writes on "The technical aspects of crossing the Neusiedlersee", including research results on ice pressure in the lake and traffic density on the roads in question, which has also been researched by other parties on behalf of the state government. Ofner's final, high-quality trains of thought lead to the demand to look for a way "which enables the redesign of our living space in a humane manner, if one does not want to stop the development". That was then and is the crux of the matter today. The limit values for environmental change required by Ofner have been and are far exceeded, even without a bridge. The author's call to objectify environmental problems fades into the void where there is a lack of sensitivity for nature and respect for nature. Georg Schreiber was more directly responsible (as the title of his essay is) for “The bridge over Lake Neusiedl from a regional point of view” - no easy task for the spatial planner at the regional office. It was he who was also sent to the "front" to convince listeners of a lecture in Neusiedl am See who could hardly be won over as a bridge proponent. As already stated in Köttner-Benigni's report “The Stony Path to the National Park” in “People and Homeland” (Eisenstadt 3/1994), the event in question took place on November 24, 1970, and it was, from the indignation of her husband, Walter Benigni heated up and brought it up to the equally horrified Neusiedler Mayor Hans Halbritter , the beginning of the "bridge battle" in public. Schreiber presented the construction as safe, parts of the audience felt “taken by surprise”. The plant sociologist Gustav Wendelberger, a professional nature conservationist, was an opponent of the bridge, first had to be convinced that something could be achieved in this regard in Burgenland, but on March 30, 1971 the information event took place in Neusiedl am See - well attended and surprising Participation supported by Viennese biology students who brought a resolution from their professors. On March 2, 1971, the state parliament passed a resolution to build bridges, and, as already stated in Ofner's essay, the B52 road was included in the Federal Roads Act on September 1, 1971 - and overturning it was the difficult task. After all, Schreiber also quoted the " water manager " Fritz Kopf, who was brought in by Wendelberger in the matter , and who, as he writes, formulated extremely strict requirements for "saving" Lake Neusiedl. As vehemently as the building was demanded again and again by state politicians for various reasons, as was demanded by Governor Theodor Kery (who were not completely convinced and soon appointed objective German experts) - the statements of the specialist officials were just as cautious - as the Schreibers. The matter was difficult, as Klara Köttner-Benigni can confirm, especially the natural scientists, whether geologists or biologists. The latter included the third author on the matter, who represented the biological station in the Illmitz lake community , where one of the bridgeheads was to be built, in the relevant issue of the “Scientific Works from Burgenland” : Franz Sauerzopf . He was an excellent professional and versatile stylist, and he was bound to be accused of a change of heart by his colleagues. After all, he explained in the essay that the bridge project could only be realized if “the peculiarities of this landscape are not destroyed by it” - but how?
Köttner-Benigni did not feel called to make any further statements. The bridge was not built, but concerns about nature remained - we must try to make the best of the situation responsibly.

[1] ORF Burgenland Curious projects for Lake Neusiedl. Second longest bridge in Europe. July 28, 2005

[2] See http://burgenland.orf.at/tv/stories/2654637/

[3] Klara Köttner-Benigni: The project of a bridge over Lake Neusiedl. In: Burgenland homeland sheets . 4/2007, pp. 214–231 (Köttner-Benignis autobiographical treatise in close connection with the special exhibition of the Burgenland State Museum "Der See"), PDF on ZOBODAT

[4] Three essays by technical officials on the subject, which are also remarkable from today's perspective and a valuable addition to other existing representations. Even the active opponent of the bridge project at the time will hardly doubt the seriousness of the statements, especially those of Karl Ofner and Georg Schreiber. Ofner writes on "The technical aspects of crossing the Neusiedlersee", including research results on ice pressure in the lake and traffic density on the roads in question, which has also been researched by other parties on behalf of the state government. Ofner's final, high-quality trains of thought lead to the demand to look for a way "which enables the redesign of our living space in a humane manner, if one does not want to stop the development". That was then and is the crux of the matter today. The limit values for environmental change required by Ofner have been and are far exceeded, even without a bridge. The author's call to objectify environmental problems fades into the void where there is a lack of sensitivity for nature and respect for nature. Georg Schreiber was more directly responsible (as the title of his essay is) for “The bridge over Lake Neusiedl from a regional point of view” - no easy task for the spatial planner at the regional office. It was he who was also sent to the "front" to convince listeners of a lecture in Neusiedl am See who could hardly be won over as a bridge proponent. As already stated in Köttner-Benigni's report “The Stony Path to the National Park” in “People and Homeland” (Eisenstadt 3/1994), the event in question took place on November 24, 1970, and it was, from the indignation of her husband, Walter Benigni heated up and brought it up to the equally horrified Neusiedler Mayor Hans Halbritter , the beginning of the "bridge battle" in public. Schreiber presented the construction as safe, parts of the audience felt “taken by surprise”. The plant sociologist Gustav Wendelberger, a professional nature conservationist, was an opponent of the bridge, first had to be convinced that something could be achieved in this regard in Burgenland, but on March 30, 1971 the information event took place in Neusiedl am See - well attended and surprising Participation supported by Viennese biology students who brought a resolution from their professors. On March 2, 1971, the state parliament passed a resolution to build bridges, and, as already stated in Ofner's essay, the B52 road was included in the Federal Roads Act on September 1, 1971 - and overturning it was the difficult task. After all, Schreiber also quoted the " water manager " Fritz Kopf, who was brought in by Wendelberger in the matter , and who, as he writes, formulated extremely strict requirements for "saving" Lake Neusiedl. As vehemently as the building was demanded again and again by state politicians for various reasons, as was demanded by Governor Theodor Kery (who were not completely convinced and soon appointed objective German experts) - the statements of the specialist officials were just as cautious - as the Schreibers. The matter was difficult, as Klara Köttner-Benigni can confirm, especially the natural scientists, whether geologists or biologists. The latter included the third author on the matter, who represented the biological station in the Illmitz lake community , where one of the bridgeheads was to be built, in the relevant issue of the “Scientific Works from Burgenland” : Franz Sauerzopf . He was an excellent professional and versatile stylist, and he was bound to be accused of a change of heart by his colleagues. After all, he explained in the essay that the bridge project could only be realized if “the peculiarities of this landscape are not destroyed by it” - but how?
Köttner-Benigni did not feel called to make any further statements. The bridge was not built, but concerns about nature remained - we must try to make the best of the situation responsibly.