The Elbe cuts through the middle of Dresden and is an important waterway for both commercial ship traffic and scenic river cruises. In 2006, UNESCO listed a 12-mile stretch of the Dresden Elbe Valley as a World Heritage site. This was greeted with much enthusiasm in Saxony, where culture and tourism officials had long sought the prestigious designation. Their euphoria was short-lived, however, when the city of Dresden announced plans shortly afterward to construct a modern bridge across the Elbe, right in the middle of the UNESCO-designated site.

The bridge plan, an idea in the works for years to relieve traffic congestion in Dresden’s historic core, was a “threat to the valley’s cultural landscape,” according to UNESCO, which threatened to pull the World Heritage designation if the bridge was built. Local supporters of the bridge said that for Dresden to lure new business and expand its economy, the city needed easier traffic flow and less congestion. Opponents claimed the loss of the UNESCO designation would hurt the city’s reputation as a cultural destination and affect tourism and Dresden’s economy in a negative way.

Following a city-wide vote of approval, the Waldschloesschen Bridge was built, and in 2009 UNESCO, in a very rare action, revoked the World Heritage designation. The four-lane, $268 million steel bridge opened in 2013, carrying a steady stream of traffic across the Elbe a few miles east of downtown Dresden.

Although the controversy may have temporarily darkened Dresden’s reputation among historians, the number of visitors to the city has increased since the bridge opened, and business, hospitality and residential development projects continue to spur the local economy.