A waste of tax money or an urban attraction: Opinions differ on the "Golden Benches of Wuppertal".
Wuppertal (dpa / lnw) - Gold-colored benches in Wuppertal's pedestrian zone have upset the taxpayers' association. "The city has lost all sense of proportion when it comes to the costs," criticized a spokeswoman for the NRW taxpayers' association. The ten benches cost 400,000 euros. "The household is dying," the federal government now teases in its association magazine.
Five benches - custom-made gold-colored benches - have already been set up. "With the gold-colored coating of the bench frame, the draftsman draws an arc to the golden frames of the paintings in the nearby Von der Heydt Museum," argued the city and raved about "art to sit on".
The banks were funded 80 percent by the federal government "and by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which declared a financial emergency in November 2022 in order to incur new debt and circumvent the debt brake," according to the taxpayers' association.
In the city of Wuppertal, which is pushing a mountain of debt of 1.6 billion euros, the banks are said to have caused outrage. The people of Wuppertal complained that despite the immense costs, there were no backrests and the first signs of weathering were already visible.
The city confirmed the costs when asked by dpa, but asked for understanding: A competition had been announced from which the concept with the gold-colored benches emerged as the clear winner with a 10:1 jury vote. The benches are part of a quality offensive for the city center. Many citizens would have liked more public seating to linger.
The benches are made of local oak with a gold-colored coating and are illuminated from the inside at night with LEDs. "These are made to measure and not street furniture from the catalogue," said a spokeswoman. The five benches set up so far are also significantly smaller and cheaper than the five large curved benches that will be set up soon.
The supposed "weathering" is taken into account: the rain washes out tannins and over time a gray-silver color will appear. "Some are upset, some are photographing the benches as a new attraction. According to our observations, they are used very well. And the large, curved benches and the beautiful weather are yet to come."
According to the successful architect's design, the golden color refers to the golden color of the picture frames in the Von der Heydt Museum, which, however, are not visible on site. The city spokeswoman admitted that it was "a little cerebral".
The city hasn't always had a lucky hand with its downtown beautification. Safety nets soon had to be hung in front of a new natural stone façade at the main train station because stones threatened to fall out of the façade and onto passers-by.
