Building freeze rejected

Court also sees mistakes by the heritage office

The demolition can continue. The Monuments Office can no longer prevent it.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

The demolition of the Weißes Rössl in Gries am Brenner can continue. Another attempt by the Monuments Office to stop the work has failed. The Provincial Administrative Court also sees mistakes on the part of the Monument Authority. 

The Provincial Administrative Court of Tyrol has fully confirmed the decision of the Innsbruck district authority to reject the application by the Federal Monuments Office to stop the demolition of the "Weißes Rössl" building in Gries am Brenner. This decision was communicated on Monday.

In its reasoning, the provincial administrative court referred to the "extensive legal history". It cites not only the owner's unwillingness to restore the building after the fire in 2023. For the court, it is clear that the failure of the Federal Monuments Office to assume the full costs of the necessary restoration measures also contributed to the ongoing deterioration of the structural situation of the ruined building in question.

Which protection weighs more?
It is expressly stated that the Provincial Administrative Court had ordered the owner to carry out the total demolition of the ruined building in question on the basis of the dangers to "life and limb". Such orders from the building authorities to protect the life and health of people take precedence over the preservation of a monument, according to the court. The Monuments Office had always argued that monument protection had not been taken into account.