A large real estate entrepreneur, Bruno B., bought a large area in a national park area in Salzburg in 2015. One suspects: To go hunting there. Conservationists see the national park idea being eroded. It is unclear how B. found out about the sales project and got hold of it. Allegedly, the entrepreneur has good contacts with an important ÖVP local politician. Critical inquiries from our editorial team are responded to with threats of legal action.

It should be a big ceremony: On September 25th, 2021 the “Hohe Tauern National Park” will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic “Heiligenbluter Agreement” – the cornerstone for the establishment of the National Park. But the conservationists don’t feel like celebrating this year. In 2015, almost 150 hectares of nature reserve in the private property of a real estate company have been reached, feared state politicians: both inside and outside the environmental associations, the national park will fray – and the loss of protected nature.

Many also find it dubious how the 150 hectares were sold to Bruno B. A current query response by the Salzburg state government suggests that.

Everything goes very quickly with the 2015 National Park sale

Long before Austria’s largest national park was founded, the idea of ​​protecting the high Alps in the border region of Salzburg, Tyrol and Carinthia matured. In 1913 the Association nature reserve (VNP), based in the northern German Lüneburg Heath, the first eleven square kilometers in the Stubachtal and Amertal. The foundation stone for today’s national park has been laid. Later he exchanges VNP its properties and henceforth owns areas in the Sulzbachtal.

Exactly these properties, a total of around 3,500 hectares (equivalent to 4,900 soccer fields), are sold by the VNPFoundation in 2015.

The German club wants to withdraw from Austria, but wants to proceed discreetly: Neither Alpine Club, which owns around a quarter of the entire national park area, as well as other environmental organizations or neighboring farmers who might also be interested in buying, find out about it.

However, one person is apparently very well informed, reports interest in buying and has a chance: The entrepreneur and large landowner Bruno B. already sold the on November 13, 2015 Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve Foundation 146 hectares (equivalent to 205 soccer fields), mainly alpine and rocky areas, to the entrepreneur and large landowner Bruno B.

It wasn’t until four months later, at the end of February 2016, that the VNP most of the rest of his land: 3,140 hectares go to the Salzburg National Park Fund, including the national park itself.

Does an ÖVP politician in Salzburg have information about purchase options in advance?

There are many unanswered questions: Why is he buying National park not the entire area? Why does only Bruno B. find out about the purchase opportunity – but not other interested parties? We didn’t get any answers, because the state of Salzburg has muzzled spokesmen: inside the national park and the responsible district captain.

Conservationists: inside have a guess: B. will get a chance in 2015 because he wants to hunt in the Sulzbachtal and is friends with the right people. Bernhard Gratz is from the ÖVP and district captain of Zell / See. He is also the head of the “Grundverkehrskommission” there. This is the body that decides on the acquisition of agricultural and green areas in the entire district. Conveniently, Gratz also runs the National Park FundAdvisory Board – is also present at most National Park meetings.

Now there is a thesis: District captain Gratz could have briefly informed entrepreneur B. that the VNP his share of the National park want to sell. The Salzburg Court of Auditors is currently examining whether there are systematic irregularities in the Salzburg land transport commissions. A result is expected towards the end of the year.

The whole sale has a “crooked look”

The whole purchase has a “crooked look”, says Claudia Wolf, chairwoman of the Alpine Club-Landesverband Salzburg:

“As far as I know, B. and Gratz are good friends, B. may have been informed about the purchase option at short notice.”

The response to the inquiry to the Salzburg state government showed that there are no hunting restrictions whatsoever on Bs 146 hectares.

This plot of land (turquoise line) is concerned: The 146 hectares bought by Bruno B. Photo credit: K. Dollinger

B. pays excessive price – why is unclear. Whether anyone is still using it, as well

The sales price also raises questions: In a purchase agreement dated February 26, 2016, the Salzburg National Park Fund 3,140 hectares for around 5.48 million euros. That corresponds to 17 cents per square meter.

Four months earlier, Bruno B. paid 418,000 euros for 146 hectares – an impressive 70 percent more per square meter. Obviously, the purchase is a particularly urgent matter.

die VNP-Stiftung as the seller states that a traffic report was the basis for the sales negotiations. According to an SPÖ request to the Salzburg state government, no expert opinion is obtained. ÖVP Provincial Councilor Josef Schwaiger, responsible for land transport, the 2015 sales price is “within the normal local price”.

How did the private purchase of part of the national park come about?

He claims to have emphasized that it was “not a tricky purchase” for a hat. When asked why entrepreneur B. was able to buy into the national park ahead of time, Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP), responsible for national parks, replied: “The National Park Fund was interested in acquiring this area.” neither a spatial connection nor a nature conservation potential for the later wilderness area. “

Representatives of the large nature conservation associations still find the buying process dubious: “The opportunity to buy such a large total area is only given every few decades,” says Franz Maier, President of the Environment Association. “As a national park operator, you shouldn’t miss out on such an opportunity.”

“It is extremely annoying and surprising that an entrepreneur can buy part of the national park by passing nature conservation organizations,” says Winfrid Herbst, chairman of the Salzburg Nature Conservation Union. The fact that the district captain Gratz, who is responsible for land traffic, is also chairman of the National Park Fund Advisory Board, conveys a “weird picture”. “And state politics apparently approve of it, or at least tolerate it,” says Herbst.

How Bruno B. got the information and clearly before National Park Fund was able to buy a plot of land in the national park, remains unanswered by the state of Salzburg.

Facsimile query response. Photo credit: kontrast.at

Big landowners are actually not allowed to buy

The case is also explosive for another reason: According to the Salzburg land traffic law, large landowners are prohibited from buying further properties. This is supposed to prevent the concentration of space in the hands of a few.

Bruno B. already owns around 500 hectares in the district before buying the national park land and is gilding it with it according to a comparable case law of the Administrative Court as a large landowner. However, since there is no binding definition for large property in the law, this fact did not apply to the purchase, explains the responsible regional councilor Josef Schwaiger.

Only farmers are allowed to buy agricultural land or grassland. The term “farmer” does not apply to Bruno B. B. kept some livestock many years ago, but was never reportedly a farmer.

For SPÖ, “selling out the country is unbearable”

Criticism also comes from the SPÖ member of the state parliament Karin Dollinger, who has been dealing with problems with the Salzburg spatial planning and land traffic for years – including the controversial “Chalet villages“- examined. SIE has set numerous initiatives in the state parliament and also the above-cited request to the state government to sell off the national park.

“The sell-out of our country is unbearable, especially if it now also affects highly protected national park areas,” says the SPÖ state chairman, Federal Councilor David Egger. “This sale of the core zone areas of the national park to a private entrepreneur once again smells suspiciously of friendly business”. Egger calls for a clear “stop the sellout of home – without a back door.”

Even environmentalists don’t feel like celebrating the 40th or 50th anniversary: ​​The President of the sees a “creeping erosion of the national park concept” Environment umbrella organization, Franz Maier. The sale to a private entrepreneur contradicts the objectives and the purpose of a national park:

“There is a lack of awareness of how important it is that such areas remain in the public purse. It’s like with cultural heritage: You don’t sell a St. Stephen’s Cathedral on either. “

No answer to questions and muzzle for interlocutors

We would have liked to ask B. about his motives and the circumstances of the purchase. But he doesn’t want to talk to us. His secretary only tells us that the contrast request has gone to his lawyer.

District captain Gratz also does not reply to our cover letter. Instead, a press spokesman for the Salzburg provincial government gets in touch and our mail has been forwarded to him.

and National park-Director Wolfgang Urban, who first promised us a conversation, is suddenly no longer available for us either. The same press spokesman for the state government is responsible, ie one: “It has to go through him.” This same press spokesman Wieser states that “all decisions of the employees involved are made in compliance with the statutory provisions.”

The presumption of innocence applies to all parties involved.

Map of the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. Photo: Anita Graser /Wikipedia.