Letter to the diocese

A gift comes at a high price Struggle for parish land

There is a tug-of-war between the city and the diocese over the kindergarten plot.

(Bild: Stadtgemeinde Oberpullendorf)

Oberpullendorf once donated a plot of land to the parish. Now the town wants to buy it back, but has failed due to the diocese's refusal. An open letter to the bishop is now being sent in an attempt to find a solution.

The plot of land on which the kindergarten and playground in Oberpullendorf are located is just over 3,000 square meters in size. There is currently a tug-of-war between the municipality and the diocese over the site.

Site was a gift
The background to the story goes back more than a hundred years. At the time, the town had donated the land to the parish. A church was to be built on it. However, this did not happen and instead the kindergarten has been located there since 2004, at that time still a parish kindergarten.

City is the maintainer
The town pays for the facility's disposals and loan repayments, and Oberpullendorf has also been the maintainer and legal entity since last year. Now the town would also like to acquire the land. According to Mayor Johann Heisz, agreement had already been reached with the parish, but the diocese rejected the project.

An offer had been made that was "more than reasonable", says Heisz. Some would even say it was too much. The city would pay 100 euros per square meter plus a one-off 150,000 euros. That makes a total of 453,000 euros.

Counter-offer is not an option
According to the mayor, 70 to 110 euros per square meter is usual in Oberpullendorf. The diocese's counter-offer is a building lease fee of 9,000 euros per year including annual indexation over 30 years. For Heisz, this is not an option: "We pay for 30 years and then we own nothing."

Open letter to the bishop
As he has not been able to get an appointment with the bishop, the head of the town has now written an open letter to inform the public about the state of affairs. "I'm still hoping for a solution, but hope is slowly fading," says Heisz.

With the open letter, I would like to try to find a solution to the matter in good faith.

Bürgermeister Johann Heisz

All the diocese has said is that the parish has not yet charged any rent for the use of the property by the municipality. The municipality has been granted the option of a building right that can be exercised until 2029. The building right would run until the end of 2053.

Reason for donation would actually be null and void
In any case, the mayor intends to fight on in the matter. In his letter, he also points out that the reason for the donation of the land would actually be null and void, as a church was never built there.

"It therefore seems only right and proper if the municipality could buy back this plot of land on the terms it has offered," says Heisz.