Illegal youth club

“Haunted house”: village chief calls for police checks

Everything in the former Pension Waldruh has been trashed.(Bild: zVg)

Completely desolate and devastated "ghost houses" continue to cause a stir in Reith near Seefeld in Tyrol. "The municipality's hands are tied", complains the mayor in the "Waldruh" case. He now wants to ask the Seefeld police for help. But they are skeptical.

Haus Drei Tannen, Waldruh and Haus Bambi: all three are not only united by their location on the edge of the forest at the foot of the Gschwandtkopf with a view of Seefeld's Wildsee lake, but also by a long history of decay dating back to the 1990s. "Back then, the current owner bought the Pension Waldruh out of a bankruptcy estate. He subsequently also acquired the other two properties," reports Dominik Hiltpolt, Mayor of Reither, when asked by the "Krone".

Today everything is in the hands of Bernhard K., according to the land register a total of 5000 square meters of land. At the usual market prices of 1000 euros and more on the Seefeld plateau, this is a fortune worth millions.

View of the Seefeld Wildsee from the former guest terrace(Bild: Neuner Philipp)

Tourism and housing possible
According to the zoning plan, it is a "mixed tourist area" in which a residential project could also be realized, as BM Hiltpolt explains. "But no one has ever approached us about a project," he says.

I have repeatedly contacted the owner, who is abroad, and tried to find a solution for the buildings, unfortunately without success so far.

Dominik Hiltpolt, Bürgermeister Reith bei Seefeld

"The municipality's hands are tied"
Instead, the entire area is vacant, dilapidated - and dangerous for children and young people who use the buildings as illegal meeting places. "The municipality's hands are tied in this matter, as there are no legal means of obliging the owner to secure the buildings against access by third parties, which would also be illegal without the owner's consent. However, we will talk to the police about carrying out more checks at the site," announces Hiltpolt.

Some of the beds are still made up(Bild: zVg)

Police: Need a reason
But it doesn't seem to be that easy, as a call from the "Krone" to the Seefeld police revealed: "We are of course aware of the situation. But if there is nothing, we won't intervene. We need a reason," says post commander Johannes Mader.

 Junos: Too little space for young people across Tyrol
The Young Neos (Junos) are taking the case as an opportunity to demand more space for young people: "The fact that young people in Seefeld are meeting in dilapidated buildings shows once again that politicians have paid too little attention to providing sufficient space for young people. It is unacceptable that young people have to put themselves in danger to party!" criticized regional chairwoman Susanna Riedlsperger.

This is not a problem specific to Seefeld, but one that affects the whole of Tyrol. Riedlsperger also recalls a "massive club demise".