Listed Pankower buildings: demolition rejected! History wins!

Listed Pankower buildings: demolition rejected! History wins!

In a pioneering judgment, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that three listed buildings on the former marshalling yard in Berlin-Heinersdorf must not be demolished. The furniture entrepreneur Kurt Krieger, who has been owner of the area since 2011, wanted to remove the historic buildings to make room for the "Pankower Tor" residential project with 2,000 apartments. This decision was made on December 20, 2024 and affects a round locomotive shed from 1893, a ring locomotive shed from the early 1900s and an administration building from the 1960s. All three buildings have not been used for decades, but the court found that they represent a significant testimony of German railway history, such as berlin.de reported.

Krieger had already applied to the state of Berlin in 2017 to demolish these buildings, which was, however, rejected. Then he complained. The court ruled that the state administrative court was legally rejected and emphasized that the monument property of the three buildings was undisputed. The 13th Chamber argued that the preservation of the buildings was in the interest of the general public and that the obligation to protect monument protection is not an unreasonable financial burden on the plaintiff. In addition, the absence of a sensible option for the buildings would not be proven, which would not justify a rejection of the demolition permit, the judges said. Appeal to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court can be filed against this judgment, such as rbb24 informed.