Lerchenfeldsiedlung

The meritocratic tone of the statements in the UNESCO documents on the inhabitants of the Wachau strongly caring about the heritage of their surroundings27 implies that less well-preserved places, like Krems-East, are the result of the inhabitants not caring about their surroundings. The sociologist and urbanist Richard Sennet strongly objects to meritocratic explanations of spatial differences. Instead he argues that these differences are often the result of difference in socioeconomic background, history and physical urban living condition28 .

The vicinity of housing and industry in Krems-East stem from the second world war. A Styrian steel factory was moved to the Krems harbour, a tactical repositioning. The harbour was safe and connected to the rest of Austria by both water and rail. The factory was vital for the war effort. The Styrian workers also moved to Krems to ensure proper operation. The Lerchenfeldsiedlung was built for their accommodation. The locals were suspicious of the Styrian migrants. As a result, the Lerchenfeldsiedlung was built outside of Krems as an enclave next to the factory29 . After the second world war many of the Styrian workers stayed and the steel factory kept operating (it does to this day). As permanent housing, the Lerchenfeldsiedlung has some downsides. The poor mobility that stems from the remote location and envelopment by industry goes hand in hand with little upward social mobility. The housing is of good quality, but homogeneous and relatively cheap. The Lerchenfeld therefore attracts mostly new migrants (this time from abroad).

After spending many days filming in Krems-East it is clear to me that the inhabitants care about their environment. They do not have the means to invest in the preservation of their heritage or the connections to lobby against developments that they might find undesirable. They are up against the efforts of powerful UNESCO neighbors. Therefore, their impulse to improve their surroundings are on a small scale and not structural. They have little power to resist the UNESCO status disposition to locate all undesired functions to their backyard. Krems-East would benefit from being included in the discourse on the development of the Wachau.