Withdrawal of Dresden's World Heritage status justified

Owing to the construction of a bridge across the Elbe the German city of Dresden has lost its status as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The daily Lapin Kansa can understand why the UN organisation made this decision: "The reason for this very unusual step is the bridge which the German city has decided to build across the picturesque Elbe valley. There was strong opposition to the bridge not only from the city's residents but also from writer and Nobel Laureate Günter Grass and many other German intellectuals. Two-thirds of those who govern the city were nonetheless convinced of the need for a bridge. And no compromises could be found, even though they were sought right until the last moment. … The Dresdeners and all Germany have both cause for healthy pride and great shame. Unesco had no alternative. A destroyed landscape and mutilated natural environment cannot remain on the World Heritage List."

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