The 2017 floods caused significant structural damage in the Old Town. As a result, initial flood protection measures were implemented. However, more extensive structural solutions have yet to be implemented, particularly a planned tunnel to divert water. In 2022, the destruction of the historic radial-patterned natural stone paving on the market square was narrowly averted. In 2024, the Niedersächsische Heimatbund uncovered the “downright outrageous destruction of older building records” within the city administration. In addition, orders were issued to destroy significant portions of the Ratsgymnasium’s in-house archive.

In 2025, intervention was necessary to prevent climate-related damage to documents and images in the city archives, some of which are of national and European significance. Furthermore, the progressive deterioration and the failure to carry out necessary renovations on various significant historic monuments were tolerated for years. This includes, among other things, the cathedral portico, the murals in the Kaisersaal of the Imperial Palace, the Taubenturm, and other structures.

Added to this are obvious structural engineering errors in building construction and civil engineering, for example in front of and inside City Hall. Documentation of the condition of the Old Town is also inadequate. A management plan, as required by UNESCO and scheduled for 2024 by a city council resolution, remains unavailable as of July 2026.