Resistance is mounting against the planned demolition of two prefabricated buildings in Hoyerswerda

Resistance is mounting against the planned demolition of two prefabricated buildings in Hoyerswerda. The citizens' initiative "Mitmachstadt" is demanding the preservation of the two buildings in Wohnkomplex (WK) I, the first neighborhood to be built in Neustadt. However, the municipal housing association wants to take the largely empty blocks off the market. Managing Director Steffen Markgraf has set the fourth quarter of 2024 as the target date for this. The State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Dresden is now also looking into the project. Numerous citizens have written to the authority with a request to examine "the worthiness of protection of residential complex I as a historical architectural ensemble".

The construction of the new town of Hoyerswerda began in 1957. The signatories of the letter stated that the first experimental and trial buildings of industrial prefabricated construction were built in WK I in particular. "The district is a spatial composition and the original cell of the new town, you don't touch it," says Olaf Winkler from the "Mitmachstadt Hoyerswerda" initiative. Although the city council even decided on a "demolition taboo for WK I" in 2018, a block of flats has since disappeared there.

According to the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, a site inspection took place at the end of January with the Saxon State Conservator Alf Furkert. The authority now wants to coordinate the monument inspection internally by the end of March 2024. A school and two blocks of flats, including the first building erected in the district, have already been recorded as individual monuments in the residential complex. Other properties in Hoyerswerda are also listed, including several high-rise buildings that were built on Bautzener Allee in 1961 and 1962.

The housing association cites economic reasons for its demolition plans. "In view of the explosion in construction prices, refurbishment is not profitable," says Managing Director Markgraf. He puts the cost of a block of flats like the one now earmarked for demolition at seven to ten million euros. In addition, people's demands have changed in terms of the layout and size of living space. There is little demand for three-room apartments with 55 square meters, and merging apartments is cost-intensive.

According to Markgraf, the municipal company invested around twelve million euros in its portfolio in 2023, which comprises more than 7,000 apartments. A good eleven percent of these are vacant. Taking a property off the market helps to reduce expenditure, argues the managing director. The citizens' initiative, on the other hand, believes it is appropriate not only to look at the figures, but also to look for alternatives and discuss prospects. "You have to make a bit of an effort," says Olaf Winkler. "Tear it down, yes, but hands off WK I!"

In fact, the municipal company has more than halved its portfolio of 16,000 apartments after the population of Hoyerswerda shrank drastically. While around 70,000 people lived in the city in GDR times, it now has a population of around 32,000 after incorporations. The tenth residential complex built recently was almost completely demolished again.

In the meantime, the housing association is also investing specifically in new construction projects. According to the managing director, around seven million euros are earmarked for the construction of four centrally located townhouses by 2027. The first of these should be ready for occupancy by the end of this year. Although the basic rent of 10 euros per square meter is relatively high, there are already around 100 interested parties for the 32 apartments in total.