Two homeowners are not allowed to install a photovoltaic system on the roof of their listed building in the old town of Goslar, which is recognised as a World Heritage Site. This was decided by the Braunschweig Administrative Court (VG) and the case was dismissed (Ref.: 2 A 21/23 of 25 June 2025).

As a rule, authorities must also authorise solar installations on listed buildings in accordance with the applicable laws. Only in exceptional cases does monument protection take precedence over climate protection and the expansion of renewable energies. In the opinion of the court, this special situation applies in the present case: The buildings were particularly worthy of protection as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition, the installation of the solar systems represented a particularly serious encroachment on the monument.

To justify its decision, the Administrative Court also pointed out the precedent effect that authorisation would have. Solar installations would also have to be authorised in all other cases, meaning that the roofscape of the old town would be largely changed as a result.

„This is actually a special case due to the World Heritage status and the significant impairment determined by the court,“ emphasises Rechtsanwalt Tobias Roß, who advises on legal issues relating to monument protection and renewable energies. Nevertheless, the judgement sends out a signal and shows that there is no automatism, even with renewable energies, but that comprehensive consideration is always necessary in individual cases.

The judgement is not yet final.