Plans to build a private tunnel to Wolfgang Porsche’s villa in the heart of Salzburg have sparked protests in the Austrian city.
The 81-year-old chairman of the supervisory board of Porsche Automobil Holding owns a property on the Kapuzinerberg, a historic hill where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, once gave piano lessons. Around a century ago, author Stefan Zweig also lived there. The current above-ground access road is narrow and considered impractical.
Under the proposed plan, a 500-metre-long tunnel, complete with an underground garage, would be built beneath the mountain to provide improved access to Porsche’s villa.
On Wednesday, activists unfurled a banner on the Kapuzinerberg reading, “And Porsche said, ‘Let there be a hole.’”
The local authority says Porsche paid €40,000 ($45,500) to build the tunnel on public property — a sum deemed appropriate by a city-commissioned expert report. But opponents argue the fee is far too low given Porsche’s wealth.
Among the critics is activist Tobi Rosswog, who this week organized the Salzburg Porsche Tunnel Festival, distributing flyers and hosting a public discussion. Police say turnout at the protests has so far been small.
Wolfgang Porsche declined to comment when contacted by dpa.
Political opposition to the tunnel includes the Green Party and the Communist Party. “We reject special treatment for the super-rich,” said Green Party member Ingeborg Haller.
The Salzburg municipal council is expected to vote in mid-May on whether to amend the city’s land-use plan to allow the tunnel project to proceed.
A small protest is also planned for Thursday in the German city of Stuttgart in solidarity with the Salzburg demonstrations.
