Exciting municipal election

Ten years after the bang: the state of Voitsberg

SPÖ mayor Bernd Osprian: "The city center is a difficult issue."(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Erwin Scheriau)

A decade ago, the old coal-fired power plant blew up - that was supposed to give Voitsberg a new lease of life. Did it succeed? The ÖVP and FPÖ want to break the dominance of the SPÖ in this election and have found points of attack in the town center and the hospital. 

Ten years ago, the Styrian town of Voitsberg made national headlines - with a mishap. The demolition of the old coal-fired power plant failed, and only the second attempt worked. The vacated, large "ÖDK area" in the west of the town offered opportunities and was intended to attract new businesses.