The Johanngeorgenstadt Ski Jump in the Ore Mountains—A Concrete Colossus: A Burden and an Opportunity

The Erzgebirgsschanze in Johanngeorgenstadt illustrates the great diversity of current historic preservation efforts in Saxony. The value of a cultural asset is no longer assessed by scholars but rather determined by political decision-makers. It is a concrete colossus on the Erzgebirge ridge that doesn’t really fit into any category and is running out of time. A recent open letter from experts in historic preservation, architecture, and building culture calls for the 1962 complex to be listed as a historic monument in the Free State of Saxony and for its preservation to be combined with a new, viable plan for its use. But even as experts emphasize the building’s value, the municipality, as the owner, faces insurmountable financial challenges and is focusing on demolition.

This brings the debate to a fundamental question of Saxon historic preservation: How do we deal with uncomfortable historic buildings that no longer fit into the political landscape of the future? East German modernist structures have a hard time in Saxony, and the preservation issue becomes all the more complex when the buildings in question present challenging possibilities for use and, on top of that, completely fail to fit the romantic image of the region with their concrete Brutalism. What opportunities lie in a dilapidated ski jump? Can Saxony offer more than just Dresden Baroque? The Erzgebirge Ski Jump as a reflection of Saxony’s approach to historic preservation.