Conserving “Old Vienna”. The Historic City between the Interests of Urban Planning and Heritage Conservation

Abstract

Looking back at the history of the 20th century, if becomes clear that interest in the preservation of architectural heritage arises at a professional level in the process of assigning value, through recording and documentation. But it is often also triggered by (urban) planning decisions or may occur as a “human reaction” to the experience of loss through rapid structural change or destruction by war or natural disasters. Historic urban transformation processes have been analysed by various disciplines, and many publications already highlight connections between planning and debates on heritage (for the period of reconstruction in the 1940s see among others: Larkham 2003; Treccani 2008). However, the complex interaction between heritage discourses and planning processes have so far been insufficiently researched – especially with regard to long-term developments. This chapter analyses various transformation processes affecting the city of Vienna in the 20th century. It pays particular attention to interactions between these transformation processes and the emerging and growing interest of the city government, experts, and the general public in preserving the historic parts of the city centre and its former suburbs. This interest in conserving the historic built fabric, which is always time-bound, is reflected in planning and preservation initiatives, in debates on the value of Vienna’s built legacy, and in the establishment of instruments for the protection of the historic urban landscape. The analysis of these points of interaction will show the long-term consequences of urban transformation on conservation practice – and vice versa. This chapter draws on the extensive archival sources on conservation practice and the activities of the city administration to present four decisive moments in Vienna’s urban history that shaped the appearance of the city and reveal shifts in the attribution of value to the historic urban fabric. Materials consulted included press articles, historical maps, and administrative documents from the archives of the Bundesdenkmalamt (Federal Monuments Office) and the Vienna City Archive. Bringing together these sources and focusing on the value discourse in heritage conservation practice over the decades illuminates the relevance of loss and change to heritage conservation practice. The study also shows how strongly the recording of heritage and the development of suitable conservation strategies are always influenced by the period in which they take place.