On the Wiesenmarkt site

Nomad caravan continues to cause a stir

Dozens of caravans are parked on the Bleiburg market meadow.(Bild: zVg)

After leaving Grafenstein, the nomads and their caravan colony have moved to Bleiburg. Residents there also complain about the garbage they leave behind on the market site. 

A good two months before the meadow market, dozens of caravans are parked on the Bleiburg market meadow. These are the same nomads who caused trouble in Grafenstein just a few days ago.

"We have no say in the matter, the land belongs to the parish of Bleiburg," explains Mayor Stefan Visotschnig when asked by Krone. "According to our information, they will stay for 14 days." This is confirmed by the parish priest Ivan Olip, who was approached by the nomads: "It's a large group that is moving east from France. They were very pushy, we only gave them the space for a limited time."

As a municipality, we have no control, no power. The responsibility lies with the owner, but our phones are ringing off the hook. We are in contact with the district administration and the legal department of the state of Carinthia.

Stefan Visotschnig, Bürgermeister von Bleiburg

According to Visotschnig, the same group of around 70 people had already stopped off in Bleiburg in the spring. "A lot of garbage was left behind, which is why the municipality also issued an invoice," explains the mayor. "But it hasn't been paid yet."

On Monday afternoon, those responsible from the parish and municipality met, and the police and a lawyer were also present. "It was decided that we would be more restrictive in future and only give up space if we knew exactly who was coming," explains Ivan Olip. "Until then, the group was asked to follow all the rules exactly."