Dresden Elbe Valley

Mr. Brown :

Thank you for sharing your time today.

Anne :

You’re welcome.

Mr. Brown :

Ryo,/who is our class representative,/is going to take over from here.

Ryo :

Hi,/Anne. We are currently working on a class project/on World Heritage sites. While we were collecting information online,/we came across a place/called Dresden Elbe Valley,/where you live now.

Anne :

That’s right. It’s a valley/that stretches about 18 kilometers/along the Elbe river in Dresden. The location was registered/as a World Heritage site in 2004/because of its panoramic view.

Ryo :

But its status was revoked later/because of a bridge/that the city built.

Anne :

That’s correct.

Ryo :

How was the city removed/from the list/because of a bridge?

Anne :

UNESCO, which designates World Heritage sites,/considered that the bridge would damage the landscape.

Ryo :

Then,/what prompted the city/to take on the project?

Anne :

Actually,/even before the place became a World Heritage site,/there had been a proposal/to construct a new bridge across the river.

Ryo :

For what reason?

Anne :

To solve the problem of traffic jams/which had annoyed the residents/for a long time. The city held a vote in 2005. People living there decided/whether to support the development.

Ryo :

Which party won the majority?

Anne :

Overall,/68 percent favored the bridge construction.

Ryo :

So,/with the people’s official approval,/did the city make the decision/to carry on with the project?

Anne :

Exactly. Then, in 2006,/UNESCO issued a warning to the city/that the place could lose its status/if the bridge was built.

Ryo :

I guess/that the process afterward/was far from smooth.

Anne :

Indeed. There was a lot of trouble,/including a series of lawsuits. But in 2007,/the construction of the bridge was officially approved. And finally in 2009,/the valley became one of the rare places/where the status/as a World Heritage site/was revoked. The bridge opened to the public in 2013.

Ryo :

Was this a discouraging experience for you?

Anne :

For sure. It was disappointing/to lose a World Heritage site/in my country. But we must recall/that this withdrawal resulted/from the residents’ preference. Dresden Elbe Valley cuts across a large city/where many people live. They have the right/to place daily convenience/above inconvenient prestige.

Mr. Brown :

That’s right. And we must remember/that a problem like this can arise anywhere. So we all need to think of ways/to strike a balance/between development and preservation of nature/no matter where we live. Thank you,/Anne. It was great talking with you.

Anne :

My pleasure.