"Fort Kniepass"

A tenant is still missing for the giant slide

The fortress becomes a fort: the slide from the castle into the valley and the visitor center will be built on the Kniepass by next summer.

(Bild: Jönsson Kerstin)

The revitalization of the Kniepass fortress near Unken is progressing. The underpass is already finished. An operator is still desperately needed for the restaurant.

The state of Salzburg is spending almost 14 million euros on the renovation of the fortress on the Kniepass near Unken. Most of this is being spent on the modern visitor center and restaurant at the foot of the fortress. A private individual from Flachgau is also contributing 800,000 euros for a year-round slide and for the indoor playground in the modern wooden building. The giant slide from the castle into the valley is intended to attract visitors to the area that will be called "Fort Kniepass" in future.

A construction board shows the finished project.

(Bild: Jönsson Kerstin)

Not everything has gone smoothly since the initial idea for the revival: plans for the renovation of the 17th century complex were presented in 2019, with construction scheduled to begin the following year. However, the start of the multi-million euro project was repeatedly postponed.

Tenant still not found
The excavators finally started work in the fall of 2023. One of the main reasons for this was that costs had risen sharply in the meantime and the work had to be extended to include the Loferer Straße underpass for pedestrians and cyclists (B 178). Eleven million euros were originally budgeted for the project - the "Krone" reported several times.

The delay in construction meant that a tenant for the restaurant in the visitor center, who had long been thought to be fixed, backed out. The local wanted to relocate his already established business here.

To this day, it has not been decided who will be catering to holidaymakers and locals on the Kniepass next year. The state's castle and palace administration is still looking for a suitable tenant. In any case, the potential landlords are waiting for a lease exemption for the initial period...