Heumarkt verdict: City of Vienna must now show its colors!

Heumarkt verdict: City of Vienna must now show its colors!

On November 7, 2025, the administrative court made a significant decision regarding the controversial Heumarkt project. It determined that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is necessary. This decision brings a breath of fresh air to the ongoing discussions between the City of Vienna and the investor Wertinvest, both of which reacted positively to the ruling. The investor holds the City of Vienna responsible for how it interprets and implements the court decision. This could be crucial for further development as an EIA could delay the project by up to five years, which would cost valuable time.

Former state parliament president Ernst Woller (SPÖ), who looks after the interests of the UNESCO world cultural heritage, sees promising opportunities in the third project variant, which envisages a height of 49 meters. This variant is the lowest and could not cause any significant impairment of the visual axes compared to the existing height of the Intercontinental Hotel of 43 meters. Woller criticized UNESCO and described the discourse surrounding the project as a “war of faith”.

The reactions of those involved

The city of Vienna and experts reject the need for an EIA, which leads to an interesting discrepancy. The administrative court will make a final decision in December 2025. Christa Reicher, a recognized UNESCO expert, gave a positive assessment of the 49-meter variant, even though her report was not accepted as evidence by the court. This raises questions about the validity of expert opinions and highlights how ambivalent the situation is overall.

The Heumarkt project itself has much more to offer than just the height of the building. It is intended to make the hay market more attractive and create thousands of jobs. However, Wertinvest is concerned that further height adjustments could jeopardize the economic sense of the project. Woller emphasized that one should not lose a good grasp of economic logic while trying to consider all concerns.

Outlook for the coming months

The next steps are imminent, and both the city and Wertinvest are required to respond appropriately to the court order. There appears to be a willingness to engage in dialogue, which is seen as a positive approach for the upcoming negotiations. The developments in the coming weeks could be crucial for the realization of this ambitious construction project. It remains to be seen to what extent the views and arguments of the various actors will be incorporated into the court's final decision.

For further information on the background and current situation of the Heumarkt project, please visit the reporting by ORF Vienna and MyDistrict.