Brucknerhaus scandal

Managing director contract terminated by mutual agreement

When will the Brucknerhaus finally come to rest again?

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

It is now official: the employment contract with René Esterbauer has been terminated by mutual agreement, now that it appears to have been proven that the chat histories between Dietmar Kerschbaum and Klaus Luger apparently ended up at LIVA before they became public and that Esterbauer had known about them since July 2024.

In view of the facts that had become known in the meantime, Esterbauer found himself in a challenging situation in his role as Managing Director of LIVA at the time. In the course of the reviews by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and in consultations with LIVA's legal representative, it was concluded that Mr. Esterbauer had unfortunately not made decisions in line with LIVA's expectations when dealing with this chat history.

"Cooperation no longer conceivable"
As the managing deputy mayor and owner representative Dietmar Prammer informs, it was therefore jointly agreed in an open and constructive dialog on 28.10.2024 to terminate the employment relationship by mutual agreement, as a further continuation of the cooperation is no longer conceivable in view of the current circumstances. The members of the Linz City Senate and the LIVA Supervisory Board will be informed of this in extraordinary meetings on Wednesday.

"Above all, I would like to thank the entire LIVA team, who, in view of the difficult circumstances, flawlessly implemented both the day-to-day business and the highlights of this year, 200 years of Anton Bruckner and 50 years of the Brucknerhaus. Personally, it is important to me that the situation around the LIVA calms down soon and that the actual purpose of the LIVA, namely to create sporting and cultural experiences, comes back into focus," concludes René Esterbauer.

"A successful year despite the circumstances"
Deputy Mayor Dietmar Prammer thanks Esterbauer: "His work under these difficult circumstances is a testament to René Esterbauer's perseverance and commitment. Despite the circumstances, it has been a successful year for the Brucknerhaus and LIVA so far. I wish Mr. Esterbauer all the best for his personal and private future."