World Heritage Wieskirche: New start for wind power plans near Peiting
Created: 12/19/2022, 4:00 p.m
By: Christopher Peters
Because of the World Heritage Wieskirche, Unesco has so far spoken out against wind turbines being set up eleven kilometers away.
© Hans-Helmut Herold
Is there still hope for the construction of wind turbines on the Köpfinger Wiesen near Peiting?
A municipal monument concept should finally clarify whether the planned facilities are compatible with the Wieskirche World Heritage Site.
Peiting – It was early October when Peiting's mayor, Peter Ostenrieder, saw no other way of somehow saving the wind power project on the Köpfingen Wiesen.
The CSU politician wrote a letter to the Green Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and asked him to use "means from the highest political level" at Unesco to make the wind turbines compatible with the Wieskirche (we reported).
For years, the veto of Unesco, which sees the World Heritage status as endangered by projects, has been one of the main reasons why Bürgerwind Pfaffenwinkel Planungs GmbH has not yet been able to implement its wind turbine project.
To date, Ostenrieder has not received an answer from Berlin, but his letter, which was also sent to the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, seems to have got the matter moving again.
The mayor reports on recent talks with representatives of the Ministry of Economics and Culture, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and the District Office.
It was agreed that the market town of Peiting and the district should jointly commission a municipal monument concept for the Wieskirche World Heritage Site.
Such a plan was already under discussion in mid-2021, but was not pursued further at the time due to two other knockout criteria (we reported).
But both the protection of species and the weather radar on the Hoher Peißenberg are issues that can be dealt with, says Ostenrieder today.
Monument concept to define buffer zone
So that leaves the Wieskirche.
It is hoped that the monument concept will provide an answer to the question of how far the impact of the monument on the environment actually extends.
Because so far this has not been spatially defined, says Ostenrieder, in the negative statement from Unesco the "Pfaffenwinkel" is generally spoken of.
If, for example, the report comes to the conclusion that a five-kilometer buffer zone around the Wieskirche is sufficient, the monument for the wind turbines planned eleven kilometers away would no longer play a role.
Accordingly, the findings from the investigation should also be helpful for other municipalities in the district, after all, similar restrictions would apply to them at the moment as in the Peitinger case, according to the head of the town hall.
One reason why the district is also on board and wants to contribute financially.
The creation of the municipal monument concept is expected to cost around 80,000 euros.
According to the mayor, the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments has promised at least 60 percent funding, the rest wants to be shared by the municipality and the state district office.
Because such investigations for World Heritage sites like the Wieskirche would have to be carried out in the next few years anyway, they are now simply being anticipated, says Ostenrieder.
Bidding is scheduled to start in January
The call for tenders should start as early as January in order to find a specialist office as soon as possible.
The mayor hopes that the result will be available by the end of the year - and that it will finally be clear whether wind turbines will still be allowed to turn on the Köpfingen meadows in the near future or not.
You can find more current news from the region around Schongau at Merkur.de/Schongau.
