Upper Middle Rhine Valley

• Lack of a Master Plan for the sustainable development of the property (issue resolved)
• Potential impacts of the Rhine crossing project
• Effects arising from use of transportation infrastructure (traffic increase)
• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation
• Input of excess energy (noise pollution)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Renewable energy facilities
• Management Systems/Management plan
• Quarrying

N/A

A joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property in May 2022 (mission report available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1066/documents/).

Subsequently, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report on 29 November 2022, which is available at the above-mentioned link, and presents progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions, as follows:

• The revision of the Management Plan has reached its final stages and following the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission, the further development of the attribute mapping will be part of the concluding drafting phase. The State Party plans to submit the final draft to the World Heritage Centre by the end of 2023;
• A regional impact assessment for the planned permanent river crossing is being prepared, which will lead to a decision by the relevant authorities and will form the basis for a planning approval procedure, which will include the planning of its specific design. The planning approval procedure will be closely coordinated with World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS;
• A number of noise control measures for the rail roads within the property have already been put in place in recent years and seeking further measures will continue in the coming years. An alternative new railway section has been considered in the 2030 Federal Transportation Infrastructure Plan, and a related feasibility study has been commissioned and is underway;
• An ‘Expert Report on the Exclusion Zones for Wind Turbines Outside the Buffer Zone of the Upper Middle Rhine World Heritage Site’ has been commissioned to provide a basis for decision-makers regarding the proposals for the construction of wind turbines outside the property. This document will become part of the planning framework in Rheinland-Palatinate. In Hesse, the ‘länder' government plans to ensure the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property from the adverse impact of wind turbines through the implementation of regional planning requirements. The impact of existing wind turbines in the wider setting of the property has also been assessed using the methodology of the ‘Exclusion Zones’ document;
• Updates were provided on the projects planned or being implemented on the Loreley Plateau (the visualisation of the rock crystal at the top of the Hall of Myths building referred to in the State Party report, has not, to date, been received by the World Heritage Centre). Although the original plan for a new hotel complex was cancelled and the project was put on hold in 2021, it will now resume. The compatibility of a new plan with the World Heritage values is planned to be ensured through the developed attribute mapping, the new Cultural Landscape Compatibility Study and the results of the Heritage Assets Map for the Loreley Plateau. A design competition is planned to take place in 2023 to integrate the Loreley Landscape and Cultural Park into the plans for the 2029 National Horticultural Show (BUGA 2029);
• Information was also provided on further projects that might have an impact on the OUV of the property. These include the latest information on the permanent operation of the cable car in Koblenz, the planned redevelopment of the Koblenz brewery quarter and the listed Löhnberger Mill building complex and site at Lahnstein, a planned grade-separated intersection between the B42 national road and railway track no. 3507 in Rüdesheim, a planned local bypass in Braubach, the potential expansion of the Sooneck quartzite open pit mine in Trechtingshausen, and the planned modernization or replacement of existing moorings in the river Rhine.

The 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission concluded that there are currently no major threats to the OUV of the property, its authenticity or integrity. It did however note a negative evolution related to changes that is already discernible and could lead to a serious degradation of the OUV. The Committee may therefore wish to request the State Party to implement the recommendations of the mission in a timely manner.

The dedicated work and progress made in updating the Management Plan for the property is noted with satisfaction, as well as the development of additional supporting tools developed to protect and preserve its OUV. Among the recommendations of the 2022 mission that the State Party should be encouraged to implement are the review and further development of the attributes that convey the OUV of the property and the development of a sustainable tourism strategy for the property. The State Party will need to continue ensuring that an adequate management of the property extends also to its buffer zone and its wider setting. The final draft Management Plan should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies prior to adoption.

The conclusions of the regional impact assessment and the related decision for the planned permanent river crossing will need to be communicated to World Heritage Centre together with the planned specific design as the basis for a planning approval procedure. The State Party is to be encouraged not to take any irreversible decision on the final plans prior to the joint review and recommendations of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies. It is important that only a design that would not threaten the property’s authenticity and integrity and the protection and preservation of its OUV is implemented.

The efforts made by the State Party to reduce railway noise levels are welcome, but it should be urged to give priority to the diversion of freight train traffic from the property.

The ‘Expert Report on the Exclusion Zones for Wind Turbines Outside the Buffer Zone of the Upper Middle Rhine World Heritage Site’, provides a comprehensive tool for consistently handling already implemented and planned projects in the property’s buffer zone and wider setting. This report will be integrated into the planning framework in Rheinland-Palatinate, and it has led to the strengthening of related regional planning requirements in Hesse, but a unified planning system for the for the entire property is still required.

The 2022 mission reported that the Culture and Landscape Park on the Loreley Plateau has so far been constructed in a fairly respectful manner to the OUV. The replacement of the planned four out of five crystal rocks with natural stone steles is welcome. The mission advised, however, that the fifth crystal rock should not be placed on the top of the Hall of Myths building, but rather that a flat skylight should be installed, and the crystal rock placed inside the building. As plans for a new hotel on the Loreley Plateau are due to resume, the State Party needs to be reminded of the Committee’s request to develop a spatial framework for the future use of the area that supports the OUV of the property before any new proposals are developed, which should be evaluated through an impact assessment process at the early planning stages. The spatial framework, plans and assessments should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible for review with the Advisory Bodies.

Concerning the BUGA 2029 and the other projects planned and implemented, the State Party should be requested to consider the outcomes and implement the specific recommendations of the 2022 mission related to these projects and to continue to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of the status of these projects. With regard to the planned redevelopment of the Löhnberger Mill building complex and site in Lahnstein and the planned modernization or replacement of the existing moorings in the river Rhine, the Committee should request the State Party to submit detailed plans with accompanying impact assessment documentation to the World Heritage Centre as soon as they become available for review with the Advisory Bodies and before any decisions on their implementation are taken.