Porsche tunnel: Salzburg's elitist building ensures protest and resistance

Porsche tunnel: Salzburg's elitist building ensures protest and resistance

In the picturesque city of Salzburg, everything is currently about the controversial plans of Wolfgang Porsche to build a private tunnel to his villa on the Kapuzinerberg. The over 640 meter high Kapuzinerberg is known for its narrow and winding roads, which can be a challenge, especially in winter. The entrepreneur plans to let the tunnel tube start from the municipal parking garage on Linzer Gasse through over 3,000 square meters of urban reason, which has triggered considerable discussions.

Porsche needs a limited right of use (servitut) from the city of Salzburg, which has already cost him a one -time 40,000 euros. This was agreed in 2022 when the then mayor Harald Preuner (ÖVP) stipulated the deal. Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) has currently commissioned a new report that sets a higher fee of 35,304 euros. The entire process around the tunnel has shaken up the city and its citizens.

pettings and protests

activists went to the barricades and launched an online petition entitled "No to Porsche tunnel", which has already collected over 17,000 signatures. The goal of this petition is clear: the local council should vote against the change in the land use plan to stop the tunnel construction. This initiative reached a remarkable milestone on May 15, 2025 when it was handed over with 16,000 signatures, but the petition continues to run.

The Greens in the city have expressly expressed doubts about the legality of the original 40,000 euro deal and criticize the sum as inadequate. The discussion about the contracts and agreements is heated, and there are even demands for a protective strip, which could increase the entire area to around 10,000 square meters. Critical voices such as those of Kay-Michael Dankl from KPÖ-Plus also ask the question of the actual benefit of the project for the general public.

Wolfgang Porsche in focus

The property, which Porsche 2020 won for an estimated 8.4 million euros, has received a lot of attention since then. In another tunnel project, Porsche has already built a 500 -meter -long tunnel that was legally approved and connects its villa with a parking garage that offers space for nine cars. These construction projects have strongly focused on the reputation of the Porsche family, which is one of the most influential in the region. While some citizens are elitist and inappropriate, others demand that the villa, in which the famous writer Stefan Zweig lived, is made accessible to the public.

The political conversations about the tunnel project are also characterized by tensions. Mayor Auinger has emphasized that the decision on the approval is checked neutrally and he underlines that no tunnel can be created without a parking space. While the ÖVP boss Florian Kreibich describes the opposition's arguments as exaggerated, there is a noticeable unrest within the city society about the potential effects of the project on rental prices and the quality of life in Salzburg.

It remains uncertain whether the tunnel can ultimately be built. But it is clear that the nerves in Salzburg are bare and the debate about the tunnel of the Wolfgang Porsche runs like a thread through the city.

If you would like more information about the current developments, you can report the reports on the pages of Kurier and 24hours read.