Am Schauplatz: Der Schwarzbau am See [23.7.2026]
Maxx
73,446 views
►§~All rights belong to ORF or the producing companies, individuals, and their performers!~§◄
Real estate on Austria's lakes is in higher demand than ever before. Nowhere else in the country is the price per square meter as high as directly on the water. Consequently, building regulations are usually very strict in the sensitive shoreline areas. But not every real estate developer adheres to these laws. Time and again, seemingly hotel projects are submitted that later turn out to be illegal luxury residences for the super-rich. In the "Am Schauplatz" report "The Illegal Construction on the Lake"—airing on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 9:05 p.m. on ORF 2 and ORF ON—Nora Zoglauer reports on the most notorious illegal constructions on Lake Wörthersee and reveals the zoning tricks used on the Salzkammergut lakes to acquire one of the coveted lakeside properties.
Real estate on Austria's lakes is in higher demand than ever before. Just like in Velden, where what is probably the most notorious illegal building on Lake Wörthersee now faces final demolition. The owners, some of them very well-known figures from the music industry, want to save their luxury apartment complex by any legal means necessary. But will they actually succeed?
On Lake Mondsee, a large hotel was once built in a beautiful, exclusive, secluded location for a sheikh from Saudi Arabia. The man's family was frequently on site, but paying guests were never seen. Locals have long referred to it as a pseudo-hotel, the construction of which was allegedly desired and sanctioned by the highest levels of government.
And what do you do when you've built oversized, unauthorized villas in the middle of nature reserves? You try to gradually legalize these illegal structures retroactively, using resourceful lawyers, expensive expert opinions, and massive threats of legal action against critics. But does this tactic work, and how do the responsible authorities and politicians react?
20 Comments
Der Hotelier lügt vor der Kamera ohne ende. Traurig das sowas in Österreich möglich ist. Es gibt kaum hotels am attersee.
Hast Du Geld, kannst alles machen.
Am Schauplatz: Der Schwarzbau am See [23.7.2026]
Maxx
73,446 views
►§~All rights belong to ORF or the producing companies, individuals, and their performers!~§◄
Real estate on Austria's lakes is in higher demand than ever before. Nowhere else in the country is the price per square meter as high as directly on the water. Consequently, building regulations are usually very strict in the sensitive shoreline areas. But not every real estate developer adheres to these laws. Time and again, seemingly hotel projects are submitted that later turn out to be illegal luxury residences for the super-rich. In the "Am Schauplatz" report "The Illegal Construction on the Lake"—airing on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 9:05 p.m. on ORF 2 and ORF ON—Nora Zoglauer reports on the most notorious illegal constructions on Lake Wörthersee and reveals the zoning tricks used on the Salzkammergut lakes to acquire one of the coveted lakeside properties.
Real estate on Austria's lakes is in higher demand than ever before. Just like in Velden, where what is probably the most notorious illegal building on Lake Wörthersee now faces final demolition. The owners, some of them very well-known figures from the music industry, want to save their luxury apartment complex by any legal means necessary. But will they actually succeed?
On Lake Mondsee, a large hotel was once built in a beautiful, exclusive, secluded location for a sheikh from Saudi Arabia. The man's family was frequently on site, but paying guests were never seen. Locals have long referred to it as a pseudo-hotel, the construction of which was allegedly desired and sanctioned by the highest levels of government.
And what do you do when you've built oversized, unauthorized villas in the middle of nature reserves? You try to gradually legalize these illegal structures retroactively, using resourceful lawyers, expensive expert opinions, and massive threats of legal action against critics. But does this tactic work, and how do the responsible authorities and politicians react?