 |
H@R! : Heritage at Risk |
 |
Case Study – New constructions threaten cultural heritage under the city of Berne
Two projects extending underground car parks will shortly take place in the heart itself of Berne, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.
The car park in Casino Place, built in 1935-1937, will get 150 new parking places to the detriment of the first enclosure of the medieval city, of the fabric of the cathedral, of the cemetery of the Franciscan Monastery and of the Gerbergraben (formerly the Tanners street). We expect to recover more than 3,500m³ of archaeological material!
The extension of the car park in the Waisenhausplatz, built in 1956, will bring 140 supplementary places. Even if this intrusion is not quite so vigorous, it nevertheless involves the destruction of the remains of a Baroque patrician house and will touch the city’s moat which had been filled in during the 18th century.
The Archaeological Service of the Canton of Berne, the Monuments Service and the Historic Commission of the City of Berne have unsuccessfully opposed this destruction of archaeological heritage that is hidden in Berne’s sub-soil.
ICOMOS Switzerland