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KPH is moving from Seestadt: New plans for campus in Währing!
The article provides information about the KPH, which is not moving to Seestadt, and the uncertain religious campus in Aspern.
KPH is moving from Seestadt: New plans for campus in Währing!
The Church Pedagogical University (KPH) is facing major changes. The main location in Floridsdorf is in need of renovation, and a planned new campus in Seestadt Aspern was shelved for financial reasons. Instead, the KPH will locate its training and further education in the 18th district, in Währing. Here, the existing location on Lacknergasse will be adapted to meet the requirements of the university. This step is particularly important due to the uncertainties surrounding the planned Campus of Religions (CdR), whose future is due to current financial hurdles and the corona pandemic. The start of construction, which was originally scheduled for 2023, has not yet been realized.
How meinkreis.at reported, the KPH will not be integrated into the Campus of Religions project. However, the practical schools in Strebersdorf will remain intact, while the university will move completely to Lacknergasse with the aim of starting operations there in the 2028/29 academic year.
Campus of Religions: An interreligious meeting place?
The Campus of Religions in Aspern, which was launched by various religious communities and the city of Vienna, was actually intended to create a place for interreligious encounters. Initiator Harald Gnilsen explains that this is about making peaceful coexistence between religions visible. Eight religious communities, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Islamic faith community, have come together to make the project a reality. These communities share a responsibility to create a place for religious experience and to promote dialogue between faiths.
The Campus of Religions was designed in a long process since the founding of a Catholic parish in 2010. Construction was initially scheduled to begin in 2023, but delays occurred due to the withdrawal of a partner. campus-der-religionen.at emphasizes that the KPH should play a central role in interreligious educational work, which is now being called into question by the changed plans.
Unclear funding and next steps
Financing the campus is another major issue. The city of Vienna and the urban expansion fund have so far managed to cover the costs of the construction site, but investments in common areas are in jeopardy. Hopes for public subsidies and private donations will help raise the necessary funds. interreligioeserdialog.at reports that since the construction site was inaugurated in 2015, numerous events to promote interreligious dialogue have taken place.
The coming years will be crucial in determining the future of KPH and the Campus of Religions. It remains to be seen how those responsible can overcome the challenges and create a place that promotes interreligious exchange in Vienna.