100 days of standstill

Protz department store now even needs its own security guard

The disused construction site is guarded around the clock by a security company. This was a demand from local residents who feared that the building site would become a meeting place for homeless people.

(Bild: Peter Tomschi, stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

The construction site for the Protz department store on Vienna's Mariahilfer Strasse has been at a standstill for 100 days. An imposition for the residents and hard-working entrepreneurs in the neighborhood. But there is no end in sight any time soon.

A building skeleton right outside the windows. The construction site as a customer deterrent. Toilet containers near the front door and finally the fear of nightly acts of vandalism. The residents and business owners around the Signa concrete block in Mariahilfer Strasse suffer daily from the machinations of financial juggler René Benko. The construction site has now been at a standstill for 100 days. But there is no end in sight. After all, the company - like many other enterprises from the Signa empire - is in insolvency.

The closed construction site is guarded around the clock by a security company. This was a demand from local residents who feared that the building site would become a meeting place for homeless people.

(Bild: Peter Tomschi, stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Construction site reduced to a minimum
The residents have at least been able to celebrate a small stage victory. The huge cranes and the toilet containers in Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse are now history. And the construction site itself has also been reduced to a minimum. These were the wishes of the local residents, which the liquidator Clemens Richter has now complied with. Richter: "An examination has shown that the costs for the decommissioned giant cranes are higher than dismantling them and possibly rebuilding them later in a smaller form." It almost seems as if someone is looking at the money here for the first time.

There will be another round table with all parties involved in April. We are calling for a quick solution for local residents.

Neubau-Bezirksvorsteher Markus Reiter

Security company on duty around the clock
The residents have also called for a security service. From now on, the Signa property will be guarded by security guards 24 hours a day. The neighbors feared that the block would become a magnet for youth gangs or homeless people. Incidentally, all of this is being paid for from the bankruptcy estate.

100 million euros

the building skeleton in the MaHü is said to be worth. This is a far cry from the 250 million euros originally reported. A misjudgement.

No quick end in sight
The construction site itself has been approved until the end of May. However, a solution in the coming weeks is unlikely. Richter: "We have initiated a sales procedure. We are currently receiving offers from all over the world. I can't yet say when this process will be completed." Doesn't sound like a quick end.

Block, mistake, misfortune: criticism ignored for years
The "Krone" has been warning about the glass monster on the Mahü since 2021 - but too many have trusted Blender Benko. From a large luxury department store to a windowless ruin. Nobody saw it coming. You can't put it quite like that, because the Krone has been warning about the block on Mariahilfer Straße since 2021, which has been left to rot as an eyesore and a monument to René Benko's failure since the Signa bankruptcy.

Of course, the editorial team cannot see into the future, but anyone who has listened to the people involved in the case quickly realized that this glass monstrosity for luxury customers does not fit on Mariahilfer Strasse.

There is a lot of interest in the building skeleton.

(Bild: klemens groh)

Voices from the public
The "Krone" headlined on May 5, 2021: "Residents against Mahü-Klotz". "Of course the construction site is a nuisance. What I find absolutely unacceptable is that the building on Mariahilfer Straße is to be higher than is usual in the zone," explained neighbor Herwig Schreiter (57).

"I'm unhappy with the development"
But not all politicians were dazzled by Benko. There were certainly critical voices about the Klotz. From the FPÖ district councillor Monika Mühlwerth ("I'm deadly unhappy with this development" to Gallus Vögel (SPÖ, "The plans so far clearly exceed the specifications for the protection zone") to the red climate councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky ("It's a shame that most of the old Leiner is being demolished and architectural highlights such as the wonderful staircase are being lost").

Punch of the week
And when we named Benko Punch of the Week in October 2022, we ran the headline: "Does he already have more problems than millions?" Today, we can say that the Krone was spot on.