"Technical defect"

Artistic legacy destroyed in major fire

The fire on Friday not only destroyed an artistic legacy, but also numerous business premises. Damage running into millions.

(Bild: Bachhiesl Georg Franz/Georg Bachhiesl)

While the criminal investigators are searching for the cause of the major fire in Wolfsberg, Carinthia's art scene is mourning the loss of the estate of Wolfsberg's greatest painter - Karl Schüßler.

As the police have now announced following an intensive investigation by detectives at the scene of the fire, a technical defect in the rented discotheque triggered the fire inferno. One day after the devastating fire in the former Lebek Halls (we reported), Wolfsberg is still stunned. Not only because of the loss of numerous business premises, but also because of the estate of the artist Karl Schüßler, who died in 2010.

"Almost all of my father-in-law's works were stored there," says a shocked Michael Schüßler, who rushed to the warehouses with his wife immediately after the fire disaster. "We don't yet know the exact extent of the destruction, but we fear the worst."

Extinguishing water flowed in torrents from the ceiling
Although the couple were able to enter the premises briefly on Friday, they were unable to save any works of art. "The extinguishing water was pouring from the ceiling. The water was certainly 20 centimeters high in the room," says Schüßler in an interview with the "Krone". But the firefighters would have had no other chance. And that is why the couple also assume that the artistic heritage has been completely lost. After all, a large number of watercolors had been stored in the rooms, which could have been completely destroyed by the massive water ingress.

Exhibition with rescued works
The couple will only be able to get an exact picture of the damage in the coming days. Even though there probably won't be much left to salvage from Karl Schüßler's estate, his descendants are planning something special with what they have saved. "No matter how many works survive, we will probably put on an exhibition of our own. At least this great painter won't die a second time!"