In Maria Rain

Reverend builds house for all with crowdfunding

Father Ulrich Kogler is not only a clergyman, but also a master builder. With the House of Encounter, the reverend is creating a place for everyone.(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

Not only the construction time of the new House of Encounter in Maria Rain is impressive, but also the idea of Reverend Ulrich Kogler: the priest collected money for the new building online. 

In a record construction time of one year, the new House of Encounter in Maria Rain was built from the ground up. "Our thanks naturally go to the foreman Almir Zecic and his entire team," says Maria Rain's vicar Ulrich Kogler, who commissioned the construction. But it's not just the construction time that is impressive. The House of Encounter cost a total of two million euros.

"We knew right from the start that we needed sensible financing for such a building project. And together with a committee, we then created a donation option on the internet," explains Kogler, who raised almost 200,000 euros via crowdfunding. The remaining 1.8 million euros were contributed by the Gurk diocese, the municipality, the state and the parish.

A place for the whole of Maria Rain
"The House of Encounter is a place for events of all kinds," explains the reverend in an interview with the "Kärntner Krone" newspaper. Kogler is delighted that the vicarage, which is adjacent to the new building, has also been spruced up.

And to inaugurate the new building in style, the parish priest and his parish council are inviting people to a parish festival and the official opening of the new building high above the Rosental valley today, Saturday, from 5 pm.