Arsenalplatz was a gap left by the demolition of Russian military facilities in the 1990s in the historic core of Wittenberg, a UNESCO heritage site. Much needed modern shopping facilities were carefully inserted into an historic urban structure to establish a coherent retail circuit and create a major new public space for the city. The scheme was developed with co-architects Weis & Volkmann. The project was well supported by both the municipality and local people. The result has been the strengthening of a struggling town centre and its local retailers: residents no longer feel the need to leave the city to shop.